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Why I Write, answers by Will Self
What makes you write now?
The same things that always have: it’s my way of mediating the world as I see it around me. Megalomania: I like the sensation of creating a tiny world that I alone control. Control freakery: it allows me to be in a place that is mediated by rituals of my own devising. Poetry: the delight of experiencing thought as words and words as thought. Oh, and it’s what I do for a living. I’ve been doing it for most of my working life now and would be unemployable in any other field.What good advice was given to you when you were starting out?
Never worry about people stealing your ideas. If you’re any good you’ll have plenty more - whereas if they have to nick yours they’ll never have any of their own, so pity them.What advice would you give to new writers?
Think long and hard about whether this is what you really want to do. A book is published every 40 seconds in the world. It’s very difficult to garner readers. The serious writers (you know what I mean) in Britain, who can earn their entire living from their books, you could comfortably fit in a modest cocktail party.(see the Guardian for more)
