Maeve Binchy ~

May 28, 1940 ~ July 30, 2012

"Writing is a bit like going on a diet:  you should either tell everyone or no one."

"Time doesn't appear from nowhere.  You have to make time, and that means giving up something else.  Regularly.  Like sleep, for example, or drinking, or playing poker, or watching television." 

"I gave up a bit of sleep.  I had a full-time job in London, a lot of commuting, a heavy social life, a fair bit of travel, so it seemed a good idea to get up at five a.m. three times a week.  I hated it.  Of course, I hated it.  Who would like sitting at a dining table half-crazed and trying to type, when the rest of the world was sleeping peacefully. . . "

~ The Maeve Binchy Writer' Club,  Anchor Books, 2010.