Rohinton Mistry

"Before I start writing I know I have at least one character who I want to work with…and I would have a vague idea of where the story might lead. Though it could change direction, I have at least a vague idea of where it might go."

"…People who know about these things say that the short story is the most challenging form, much more so than the novel, because of the precision required; sometimes you have to achieve as much as a novel in a much shorter space and period of time. Had I known that it was the most difficult of forms, I probably would not have started with the short story…"

"It appeals to me when I read it but I cannot write like that. I have tried to write like that; for a while I get really involved and enjoy it but then it all starts to feel like a pointless exercise. It is just too clever by half; I don't like clever books, I like honest books…"

"I count myself blessed that I'm able to follow this line of work. I didn't grow up with the burning ambition to be a writer - I never even thought of it as a possibility. It seemed such a huge thing, it never occurred to me that I could aspire to it."