As many have noted, the peril for authors is that our work space is too easily our play space. Guy Gavriel Kay More Quotes by Guy Gavriel Kay More Quotes From Guy Gavriel Kay It is always difficult, even with the best will in the world, to look back a long way and see anything resembling the truth. Guy Gavriel Kay long looks world One man sees a riselka: his life forks there. Two men see a riselka: one of them shall die. Three men see a riselka: one is blessed, one forks, one shall die. Guy Gavriel Kay blessed men two Writing is never, ever easy but I wake up every morning grateful for the gift of being able to do this. Guy Gavriel Kay grateful writing morning When I'm all grown up, come what may, Guy Gavriel Kay boat may We are the total of our longings. Guy Gavriel Kay longing yearning But if you couldn't do everything, did that mean you did nothing? Guy Gavriel Kay ifs mean There was some sadness in how that could happen, falling out of love with something that had shaped you. Or even people who had. Guy Gavriel Kay falling-in-love sadness people Eanna love us, Adaon preserve us, Morian guard our souls. Guy Gavriel Kay preserves soul It can be hard to write a skillfully entertaining fiction, but a great book wants to be more, and wants more from us. Guy Gavriel Kay writing book fiction Liu Fang is a truly gifted, world-famous player of the pipa and the guzheng, classical Chinese stringed instruments. Guy Gavriel Kay chinese player world What mortal knew the way their fate line would run? Guy Gavriel Kay fate lines running A hand fought best when it made a fist. Guy Gavriel Kay fists made hands We are all shaped by where we grow up, though that shaping takes different forms. I dont think theres any doubt that coming of age in Winnipeg both opened my eyes and made me hungry - if I can subvert all claims to be a real writer by mixing metaphors like that. Guy Gavriel Kay growing-up eye real When I was 18 years old, in a more innocent time, my first backpacking trip through Europe, I sneaked into the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum after nightfall and spent several hours in there avoiding the guards patrolling. Guy Gavriel Kay saturn europe years Some writers later, describing the events of that night and day, wrote that Wan'yen of the Altai had seen a spirit-dragon of the river and become afraid. Writers do that sort of thing. They like dragons in their tales. Guy Gavriel Kay dragons rivers night Everything you have ever heard about the strangeness of Hollywood is true! Guy Gavriel Kay true everything you hollywood I never talk about books in progress. I could decide to change it to a series of seafood recipes, after all. Guy Gavriel Kay talk never progress change When I am reading for research and making notes, I use a cleverly designed curved lap-desk, and I sit up dutifully, mindful of ergonomics and suchlike concepts. When reading for pleasure, I take advantage of the 'recline' in recliner. Guy Gavriel Kay i-am pleasure research reading I'm happier not pretending I know anything about El Cid in Spain. He's a Spanish national hero. I'd rather invent a character inspired by him but clearly not identical to him. And then I feel liberated creatively. Guy Gavriel Kay feel know hero character I had been obsessed with the Arthurian legends all my life, and I knew that that would work its way into any trilogy I wrote. I was fascinated by the Eddas, the Norse and Icelandic legends, Odin on the world tree. Guy Gavriel Kay my-life work tree life