I don't answer the phone or do my email; I don't do anything until I've got the day's writing done. I have a word count for every day: 500 for fiction, 1,000 for non-fiction, and journalism is 1,500. That's a level I can sustain.
Tags: i-can, journalism, phone, day

Other Quotes by "John Lanchester"

I rather envy writers who do variations on a theme. I like reading those books, but in practice, I can't do it.
Tags: like, envy, reading, practice
At the risk of being old-fartish, I like old-school wines that taste the way the winemaker intended, as opposed to organic and untreated ones with more bottle variation. If I want to take a risk, I'll go bungee-jumping.
Tags: like, more, way, go
In sport, the money goes to the talent; it goes directly to the worker - unlike a bank, which sits in the middle of transactions and whose income bears no relation to any of the services it provides.
Tags: which, bank, talent, money
My standard Nando's order is a chicken breast burger served 'medium,' which is still fairly spicy.
Tags: still, which, chicken, burger
I have sane friends, solvent friends, foodie friends, and friends who can take time off in the week, but I don't know one single person who ticks all those boxes.
Tags: person, friends, know, time
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