Ken Follett Quotes

83 quotes in 1148 categories

• It was the most romantic plane ever made.
• Hard work should be rewarded by good food.
• There was a very serious communist strain among American intellectuals before the war. America was a more tolerant place in those days, and Communists were…
• I don't think there's any great mystery to writing female characters, so long as you talk to them. If you lived in a monastery and…
• There is a real connection between Philosopy and fiction.
• There is no point in asking a man a question until you have established whether he has any reason to lie to you.
• Without books I would not have become a vivacious reader, and if you are not a reader you are not a writer.
• A very good editor is almost a collaborator.
• For success, the author must make the reader care about the destiny of the principals, and sustain this anxiety, or suspense, for about 100,000 words.
• I like to create imaginary characters and events around a real historical situation. I want readers to feel: OK, this probably didn't happen, but it…
• I use a professional researcher in New York who does all the legwork, all that stuff which would take me days and weeks of calling,…
• I enjoy learning technical details.
• In my books, women often solve the problem. Even if the woman is not the hero, she's a strong character. She does change the plot.…
• World War II is the greatest drama in human history, the biggest war ever and a true battle of good and evil. I imagine writers…
• James Bond is quite serious about his drinks and clothing and cigarettes and food and all that sort of thing. There is nothing wry or…
• Most of my stories have some basis in fact.
• My favorite period is World War II, and I'm in the middle of writing my fourth novel set in that era.
• When I'm writing a woman character, I don't think, 'What would a woman do?' I just think, 'What would this character do in this situation?
• We all now tell stories by cutting from one dramatic scene to the next, whereas Victorian novelists felt free to write long passages of undramatic…
• I aim to be translucent, so you don't notice the words, just their meaning. I haven't much insight into people's motivations.

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