The research is the easiest. The outline is the most fun. The first draft is the hardest, because every word of the outline has to be fleshed out. The rewrite is very satisfying. Ken Follett More Quotes by Ken Follett More Quotes From Ken Follett What she needs,' Tom said aloud 'is a husband.' Agnes said crisply, 'Well, she can't have mine. Ken Follett husband said needs An awful lot of thriller writers write women rather badly. So just doing it OK gets a lot of credit. Ken Follett credit fear writing I don't think there's any great mystery to writing female characters, so long as you talk to them. If you lived in a monastery and never met any women, maybe it would be difficult. Ken Follett writing character thinking Hunger is the best seasoning. Ken Follett seasoning hunger When I'm writing a woman character, I don't think, 'What would a woman do?' I just think, 'What would this character do in this situation? Ken Follett writing character thinking Knotty theological questions are the least worrying of problems to me. Why? Because they will be resolved in the hereafter, and meanwhile they can be safely shelved. Ken Follett theological problem worry I like to create imaginary characters and events around a real historical situation. I want readers to feel: OK, this probably didn't happen, but it might have. Ken Follett historical real character To someone standing in the nave, looking down the length of the church toward the east, the round window would seem like a huge sun exploding into innumerable shards of gorgeous color. Ken Follett color church sun Why was it, Lloyd wondered, that the people who wanted to destroy everything good about their country were the quickest to wave the national flag? Ken Follett flags country people One of the hardest things for me, now that I'm famous, is finding people who can read my stuff and give me an honest critique. Ken Follett stuff giving people We’re all good when it suits us, he used to say: that doesn’t count. It’s when you want so badly to do something wrong—when you’re about to make a fortune from a dishonest deal, or kiss the lovely lips of your neighbor’s wife, or tell a lie to get yourself out of terrible trouble—that’s when you need the rules. Your integrity is like a sword, he would say: you shouldn’t wave it until you’re about to put it to the test. Ken Follett kissing integrity lying But desperate people find courage. Ken Follett desperate people Fear could paralyse. Action was the antidote. Ken Follett antidote fear action I’ve worked with volunteers before,” he began. “It’s important not to… not to treat them like servants. We may feel that they are laboring to obtain a heavenly reward, and should therefore work harder than they would for money; but they don’t necessarily take that attitude. They feel they’re working for nothing, and doing a great kindness to us thereby; and if we seem ungrateful they will work slowly and make mistakes. It will be best to rule them with a light touch. Ken Follett kindness mistake attitude I could fall for you in a heartbeat Ken Follett falling-for-you heartbeat fall I wanted to be some kind of captain of industry. Then I wanted to be in advertising, and then I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. Ken Follett advertising captains kind There is a real connection between Philosopy and fiction. Ken Follett connections real fiction I imagined it. I wrote it. But I guess I never thought I'd see it. Ken Follett A baby was like a revolution, Grigori thought: you could start one, but you could not control how it would turn out. Ken Follett turns revolution baby In both cases, weakness and scruples had defeated strength and ruthlessness. Ken Follett ruthlessness defeated weakness
