Ken Follett Quotes

Ken Follett
Ken Follett
Welsh Author
Born: Jun 5, 1949
Great People War Women Writing You
Related authors: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn C. S. Lewis Frederick Douglass George Orwell Helen Keller Henry David Thoreau Mark Twain Zig Ziglar
People are much more complicated in real life, but my characters are as subtle and nuanced as I can make them. But if you say my characters are too black and white, you've missed the point. Villains are meant to be black-hearted in popular novels. If you say I have a grey-hearted villain, then I've failed. Ken Follett
Life You People Complicated Black Black And White Real Life White Too Say Characters More Point Failed Missed Make Real Subtle Them Then Much Meant Meant To Be Popular Villain Novels Villains
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 will continue to get stories from it, and readers will continue to love them, for many more years. Ken Follett
Love War Good History Good And Evil Battle World Will Evil Drama More Writers True Readers Greatest Continue Years Get Human Stories Biggest To Love Them Human History Many Ever World War Imagine World War II
Without books I would not have become a vivacious reader, and if you are not a reader you are not a writer. Ken Follett
You Become Books Would Writer Reader Without
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 never met any women, maybe it would be difficult. Ken Follett
Great You Women Writing Long Met Difficult Think Characters Would Would-Be Mystery Never Talk Female Female Characters Any Maybe Them Lived Monastery
I enjoy learning technical details. Ken Follett
Learning Enjoy Details Technical
Culture clash is terrific drama. Ken Follett
Culture Drama Clash Terrific
Most of my stories have some basis in fact. Ken Follett
Some Fact Most In Fact Stories Basis
A very good editor is almost a collaborator. Ken Follett
Good Collaborator Almost Editor Very
Movies have influenced all writers, not just thriller writers. Ken Follett
All Writers Thriller Writers Just Influenced Movies
The CIA's research program is described in a book called The Search for the Manchurian Candidate. Ken Follett
CIA Book Research Candidate Search Program
The thriller is the most popular literary genre of the 20th century. Ken Follett
Thriller Most Genre Literary Century Popular
An awful lot of thriller writers write women rather badly. So just doing it OK gets a lot of credit. Ken Follett
Women OK Rather Thriller Write Writers Badly Doing Lot Gets Just Credit Awful Awful Lot
My favorite period is World War II, and I'm in the middle of writing my fourth novel set in that era. Ken Follett
War Writing World Favorite Period Era Middle Novel Fourth World War Set World War II
Thrillers have been traditionally very masculine books; the women characters often rather decorative. Ken Follett
Women Books Characters Rather Thrillers Masculine Been Very Often Decorative
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, waiting for people to call back. Ken Follett
Me Waiting People Back Would Weeks Take Stuff New Days Call Calling Does York New York Which Use Researcher Who Professional
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?' Ken Follett
Character Woman Writing Situation Think Would Just
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. Ken Follett
Success Anxiety Words Care Destiny Must About Make Principals Reader Author Suspense Sustain
The research is the easiest. The outline is the most fun. The first draft is the hardest, because every word of the outline has to be fleshed out. The rewrite is very satisfying. Ken Follett
Word First Research Every Easiest Out Outline Most Because Very Rewrite Fun Satisfying Hardest Draft
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 summary. Ken Follett
Free Long Dramatic Summary Tell Scene Write Felt Passages Whereas Stories Victorian Cutting Next Novelists Now
I read mostly fiction, a lot of 19th-century novels. Ken Follett
Mostly Read Lot Fiction Novels
I am very fond of Edith Wharton. She's quite high brow but also a great storyteller. My favorite is 'The House of Mirth.' I also like 'The Reef.' Ken Follett
Great Favorite High Brow Fond Mirth Like House Also She Am Very Quite Storyteller
It's great that in the German language I've sold almost 30 million books. Isn't that amazing? Ken Follett
Great Amazing Language Sold Books Almost German Million
I wanted to be some kind of captain of industry. Then I wanted to be in advertising, and then I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. Ken Follett
Kind Some Advertising Industry Reporter Wanted Newspaper Newspaper Reporter Then Captain
I started writing stories in my spare time. Ken Follett
Time Writing Stories Spare Spare Time Started
I'm a great planner, so before I ever write chapter 1, I work out what happens in every chapter and who the characters are. I usually spend a year on the outline. Ken Follett
Work Great Chapter Year Before Every Spend Out Characters Outline Write Happens Work Out Planner Who Ever
I wake up with the story in my head, so I really like to be at my desk about five minutes after I wake up. So I don't get dressed. I put on a bathrobe, I make tea and sit at my desk. Ken Follett
Wake Up Sit Tea Minutes Dressed About Put Head Like Make Wake Up Five Get After Story Really Desk
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