No Matter How Close To Personal Experience

If You Are A Writer You're At Home, Which Means You're Out Of Touch. You Have To Make Excuses To Get Out There And Look At How The World Is Changing.

If You're From Dublin, For Example, Chances Are You Live With Your Family, If You're Lucky Enough To, Right Up To The Mid-20s. And Most Of The People I Know, When They Finally Sort Of Set Off On Their Own, They Don't Stray All That Far.

Do Not Place A Photograph Of Your Favourite Author On Your Desk, Especially If The Author Is One Of The Famous Ones Who Committed Suicide.

You Know People Are Always Putting Ulysses In The Top 10 Books Ever Written But I Doubt That Any Of Those People Were Really Moved By It.

She's A Pot-of-tea-before-i-say-boo-to-you Woman. There's Always A Pile Of Warm Teabags In The Sink When I Come Down, Like What A Horse Would Leave Behind.