Another great quote from a recent interview with the Australian author Richard Flanagan, whose The Living Sea of Waking Dreams I read this week:
The more I’ve written, the less I think of novels in terms of metaphors and symbols. I think the least important thing about a novel is the intentions you start with and the ambitions you have at the start – and once the story starts to move, you need to move with it. If the writing isn’t surprising you, it’ll never surprise or interest the reader.
Richard Flanagan on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book
