What works for me is that I read widely and stay focused on my writing. I'm no longer concerned about what happens in the literary marketplace. It is distracting and can lead to discontent.

I don't have much of an imagination, but I have a mind bank of details, which I play with. It's how I daydream, so writing like that is natural for me.

I never wanted to be a writer; I just had stories I needed to tell.

I never wanted to be a writer; I just had stories I wanted to share so I learnt how to write and kept going. If I could sing or paint, I would.

I don't remember being a keen reader, but apparently I was. My aunt told me that whenever I was teased for reading, I would say, "To each his own."

People don’t fear the wind until it fells a tree. Then, they say it’s too much.

I don't have a schedule, but I can write for hours non-stop. If I'm drafting a book, I try and do a chapter a day. I dislike first drafts. Revision is a lot more fun, but it takes years.

I have to say that writing about my writing process is more daunting than writing non-fiction.

I read Macbeth as a secondary student in Nigeria and it was like an African play to me. It had all the right elements - witches, kings and assassinations.

At some point, practicality requires that you reach out to people in the business. You have to take care of business if you value your work.

For all forms, writing dialogue is almost like writing music. I pay close attention to rhythms and tones.

Hey GR, for the others that feel alone. I think you will find comfort in knowing that:Everybody's Somebody's Everything. I know I'm right.

You can't catch trout with dry breeches.

You have to believe in yourself and be strong.

Fortune has played me a sad trick by letting me live on and on.

Our love is our life itself. What our love is like determines how we live and therefore everything about what we are as human beings.

Harshness is for the good of a boy, soft-heartedness will ruin him.

Hopefully the only things off-limits are crummy jokes, but being a standup comedian, I know that's not always the case... You know it when you have to take a shower afterward.

Epithets, like pepper, Give zest to what you write; And if you strew them sparely, They whet the appetite: But if you lay them on too thick, You spoil the matter quite!

I would really think twice about being a fashion designer if I was young right now, especially being an independent fashion designer the way I started it.

The tactician must know what to do whenever something needs doing; the strategist must know what to do when nothing needs doing