My advice for writers is to get a good day job. It takes the pressure off writing if you have a job that pays the bills.

Literature is a beautiful way of keeping the imagination alive, of visiting worlds you would never have time to in your day-to-day life. It keeps you abreast of a wider spectrum of human activities.

I don't think writers should write about answers. I think writers should write about questions.

I write by stealing time. The hours in the day have never felt as if they belonged to me. The greatest number has belonged to my day job as a physician and professor of medicine - eight to 12 hours, and even more in the early days.

If you don't get killed, it's a lucky day for anybody.

Every day that I get to step onto a set is a good day for me.