With any book, I try to find where the manner of the making of the book is appropriate to the matter of the subject.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
You have to be careful not to use anything too colloquial or you date the book.
I always work from an outline, so I know all the of the broad events and some of the finer details before I begin writing the book.
You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.
I continually get more information about a subject after the book has been published.
I've always looked upon research as an opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. But the other side of the coin is one must not be so caught up in it that one never gets the book written.
Literature at its fullest takes human nature as its theme. That's the kind of writing that interests me.
When I write a book, I'm making it the best book I can.
My shorthand answer is that I try to write the kind of book that I would like to read. If I can make it clear and interesting and compelling to me, then I hope maybe it will be for the reader.
It doesn't matter what kind of book you write - you ought to write it well and with some kind of style and elegance.
Books are to be distinguished by the grandeur of their topics even more than by the manner in which they are treated.