Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's part of any endeavour, not just writing. Roddy Doyle More Quotes by Roddy Doyle More Quotes From Roddy Doyle If there is a heaven, Jane Austen is sitting in a small room with Mother Teresa and Princess Diana, listening to Duran Duran, forever. If there's a hell, she's standing. Roddy Doyle small-rooms princess mother Do be kind to yourself. Fill pages as quickly as possible; double space, or write on every second line. Regard every new page as a small triumph. Until you get to page 50. Then calm down, and start worrying about the quality. Do feel anxiety - it's the job. Roddy Doyle space writing jobs Some of the people who look the most normal are probably the maddest people trying to look normal. Roddy Doyle trying people looks I see people in terms of dialogue and I believe that people are their talk. Roddy Doyle term believe people It's a big con job. We have sold the myth of Dublin as a sexy place incredibly well; because it is a dreary little dump most of the time. Roddy Doyle dublin sexy jobs No matter how close to personal experience a story might be, inevitably you are going to get to a part that isn't yours and, actually, whether it happened or not becomes irrelevant. It is all about choosing the right words. Roddy Doyle matter stories might She'd tried her hand at most things, but drew the line at honesty. Roddy Doyle lines honesty hands When I'm writing I just think there's only the page and me and nobody else. Roddy Doyle pages writing thinking 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. Roddy Doyle doubt book people Good ideas are often murdered by better ones. Roddy Doyle good-ideas ideas The problem with being Irish... is having 'Riverdance' on your back. It's a burden at times. Roddy Doyle being-irish burden problem 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. Roddy Doyle home mean looks To claim that music is more important than oxygen would be trite and sentimental. It would also be true. Roddy Doyle oxygen important would-be It's great meeting children because you never know what they will say. Roddy Doyle meetings knows children 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. Roddy Doyle horse tea pot 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. Roddy Doyle lucky example people The Irish are the niggers of Europe, lads. Roddy Doyle lad europe When I was a kid, if you didn't speak Irish, you really wanted to. And you played Gaelic games and you didn't pay any attention to what was happening in the outside world, because really, the - Ireland was the center of the universe. And I don't think that's the case anymore, although, admittedly, it is the center of the universe. Roddy Doyle games kids thinking I'm not recognised that much. I'm just a bald man in glasses and there's a rash of them in Dublin. It'd be different if I had a mohican. Roddy Doyle glasses different men I write short stories when a little idea occurs to me, that I know isn't a part of a novel that will stand by itself and should be concentrated. Roddy Doyle stories writing ideas
