I Think It Took Me Half A

'show Up At The Desk' Is One Of The First Rules Of Writing, But For 'wolf Hall' I Was About 30 Years Late.

Watching Live Actors Onstage, In Something That Changes Night By Night, Real People Picking Up Cues From Each Other, It Concentrates You On The Process Rather Than The Result.

If You Get Stuck, Get Away From Your Desk. Take A Walk, Take A Bath, Go To Sleep, Make A Pie, Draw, Listen To Music, Meditate, Exercise; Whatever You Do, Don't Just Stick There Scowling At The Problem. But Don't Make Telephone Calls Or Go To A Party; If You Do, Other People's Words Will Pour In Where Your Lost Words Should Be.

There's A Feeling Of Power In Reserve, A Power That Drives Right Through The Bone, Like The Shiver You Sense In The Shaft Of An Axe When You Take It Into Your Hand. You Can Strike, Or You Can Not Strike, And If You Choose To Hold Back The Blow, You Can Still Feel Inside You The Resonance Of The Omitted Thing.

I'm One Of These Children Who Grew Up At The Knee Of My Grandmother And Her Elder Sister, Listening To Very Old People Talk About Their Memories.