'I sat there listening to my words echoing round the room, embarrassed to be the centre of attention, but secretly proud and amazed.'

I sat there listening to my words echoing round the room, embarrassed to be the centre of attention, but secretly proud and amazed that something I had done for fun, as play, could merit two hours of class time.

'I once witnessed the upper deck of a London bus fall silent in a collective attempt to follow the progress of a heated phone conversation.'

I once witnessed the upper deck of a London bus fall silent in a collective attempt to follow the progress of a heated phone conversation between a woman and her boyfriend; although it sounded as though he wouldn't be her boyfriend for much longer.

'I learned about waypoints, sky countries, meteora cliffs, flying by instruments only, and whiteouts; it's not just a book about flying though, there's poetry here.'

I learned about waypoints, sky countries, meteora cliffs, flying by instruments only, and whiteouts; it's not just a book about flying though, there's poetry here, and metaphysics.

'I like to sit and read at one of the narrow tables next to the floor-to-ceiling windows on North Front 4, occasionally looking out across college gardens.'

I like to sit and read at one of the narrow tables next to the floor-to-ceiling windows on North Front 4, occasionally looking out across college gardens to the spires of central Cambridge.

'"Avoid the use of abstract nouns", he said, "that's what's holding your poetry back". It was a revelation. Now its the first piece of advice I give. '

"Avoid the use of abstract nouns", he said, "that's what's holding your poetry back". It was a revelation. Now its the first piece of advice I give students when I teach creative writing.

'He stood up and toured the crowded shelves of his study, picking up a book here and a book there. "Read these", he said.'

He stood up and toured the crowded shelves of his study, picking up a book here and a book there. "Read these", he said, "Come back later in the summer and we'll discuss them."

'Writing a novel feels like being an ultra-marathon runner, it's going to be a gruelling slog to reach 90,000 words.'

Writing a novel feels like being an ultra-marathon runner, it's going to be a gruelling slog to reach 90,000 words and I will be unable to pause, to breathe properly, to take in the view until then.

'Even though I have some sympathy for the dislocation you must have felt, I want to urge you to hurry. '

Even though I have some sympathy for the dislocation you must have felt, I want to urge you to hurry. All those years spent trying your hand at something different, wasting time.

'Knowing the writer inevitably quickens the pleasure of reading the work. Olga is an unusually complete writer; all she does is imagine, plan, plot and write.'

Knowing the writer inevitably quickens the pleasure of reading the work. Olga is an unusually complete writer; all she does is imagine, plan, plot and write.

'Writing will demoralise you unless you give in to its moral shaping of experience, but nothing will stop you, as a writer, judging yourself.'

Writing will demoralise you unless you give in to its moral shaping of experience, but nothing will stop you, as a writer, judging yourself.