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Writers shouldn't have lives that are interesting. It gets in the way of your work.

The fact is fiction is always a representation of life, sometimes the lives of famous people.

I think writers are observers and watchers. We always have our ears open and eyes open, so I might see something in everyday life that inspires me. And I think that's probably more than anything else. Everyday life is where I get my inspiration.

The interesting thing about fiction from a writer's standpoint is that the characters come to life within you. And yet who are they and where are they? They seem to have as much or more vitality and complexity as the people around you.

I don't actually have a one wellspring of inspiration. Though I'm most often inspired while reading - both fiction and nonfiction.

However far fiction writers stray from their own lives and experiences - and I stray pretty far from mine - I think, ultimately, that we may be writing what we need to write in some way, albeit unconsciously.

I think fan fiction is the way most writers start, and the same goes for music and design.

People write fiction in their minds all the time - every time we read a 'human interest' news story, or a true crime tale, we find ourselves fascinated because we're trying to understand why people behave the way they do, why they make the choices they do, how we become who we become.

Basically, fiction is people. You can't write fiction about ideas.

I don't believe in inspiration at all. We live in a world that demands explanation. And fiction has the capability to offer explanations for things.