27 Sophie Hannah Quotes for You to Enjoy

Sophie Hannah

British Poet

Born: 1971

Because Crime Me People Writing You

Related authors: Christina Rossetti Elizabeth Bibesco George Herbert Helen Dunmore John Donne Lord Byron Samuel Butler Thomas Babington Macaulay

I am actually incredibly contented and jolly. But, and I have no idea why this is, I have a really strong empathy with all kinds of warped and destructive modes of thinking. I don't know why, but those things co-exist. Sophie Hannah

Strong Thinking Incredibly Those Destructive Kinds No Idea Jolly Empathy Idea Know Contented Am Modes Really Warped Why Actually Things

My favourite Friday treat is to drive out of the centre of Cambridge, where we live, and go for a swim at the health club I've just joined out in the countryside at Quy. It's a lovely pool, inside a converted barn. Usually it's just me and a couple of other swimmers there. Sophie Hannah

Health Me Treat Drive Club Pool Live Other Out Favourite Inside Joined Countryside Couple Cambridge Go Friday Just Where Lovely Converted Centre Barn Swim Swimmers

Most crime fiction plots are not ambitious enough for me. I want something really labyrinthine with clues and puzzles that will reward careful attention. Sophie Hannah

Me Reward Crime Will Enough Crime Fiction Plots Something Attention Puzzles Most Ambitious Want Fiction Clues Really Careful

The brilliant thing about swimming is that, while you're doing it, there's nothing else you could be getting on with, like the ironing or sorting out the children. My mind goes into free-float mode; some of the best ideas for plots come into my head while I'm ploughing up and down the pool. Sophie Hannah

Best You Brilliant Mind Pool Nothing Down Swimming Else Out Plots Some About Could Head Come Like Ideas Sorting Doing Up Up And Down Mode Ironing Goes Getting Children While Thing

I'm snobby about books that aren't crime fiction: if I start reading a literary novel and there's no mystery emerging in the first few pages, I'm like, 'Gah, this obviously isn't a proper book. Why would I want to carry on reading it?' Sophie Hannah

Book Crime First Reading Few Crime Fiction Books Carry Would About Proper Emerging Mystery Like Obviously Snobby Want Fiction Literary Pages Novel Why Start

When a writer tries to copy another writer, it's doomed to fail. Sophie Hannah

Tries Writer Fail Another Doomed Copy

For me, a big part of writing psychological thrillers is choosing crimes committed for motives which would only apply to a particular person in a particular situation; a unique, one-off motive that is born out of someone's particular range of psychological afflictions. Sophie Hannah

Me Writing Big Situation Crimes Range Out Would Born Someone Only Thrillers Part Particular Motive Motives Afflictions Person Big Part Committed Psychological Which Choosing Unique Apply

I want my books to explore motives which make people think, 'Wow! Imagine the psychological state you'd have to be in for that to be your motive!' Whereas things like blackmail, jealousy - they're rational reasons for committing murder. Sophie Hannah

All through childhood, I wrote verses and mysteries. There is, for me, one connection: structure. My poetry is metrical, rhyming. Sophie Hannah

Me Mysteries Structure Poetry Through Wrote Verses Childhood Rhyming Connection

My crime novels are highly structured. I never start out with a dead body. I start with an impossible scenario. Opening questions should be mysterious, weird, intriguing, and contain the seeds of the solution. The structure has to be meticulous - I'm a structure freak. Sophie Hannah

Impossible Crime Out Intriguing Solution Freak Seeds Scenario Structure Structured Mysterious Never Contain Weird Highly Opening Dead Meticulous Questions Should Body Novels Start

Cambridge is heaven, I am convinced it is the nicest place in the world to live. As you walk round, most people look incredibly bright, as if they are probably off to win a Nobel prize. Sophie Hannah

With me, even if my life depended on it, I wouldn't be able to cry. Not with somebody there. Because even if I'm talking about bad and upsetting things, if there is somebody else in the room, I am trying to entertain them. If there is somebody there, I am in performance mode. I can only cry if I am on my own. Sophie Hannah

Life Me Somebody My Life Own Else Entertain Bad Able About My Own Only Performance Cry Talking Because Am Mode Trying Depended Upsetting Room Them Even Things

If we knew more about psychology, we would be better equipped to deal with other people's psychological damage which they might project onto us. Sophie Hannah

People Better Other Project Would Would-Be About More Onto Knew Deal Equipped Psychological Psychology Which Might Us Damage

Agatha Christie's writing is incredibly skillful because her books are incredibly intellectually puzzling and challenging. Sophie Hannah

Writing Incredibly Books Puzzling Because Intellectually Skillful Challenging Her

I was working as a secretary in Manchester and thought I would always do that. Then I got this letter offering me a two-year fellowship where I could write; they would pay me a salary and give me a flat to live in. It was heaven. Sophie Hannah

Me Thought Pay Live Two-Year Secretary Would Give Give Me Could Write Fellowship Always Got Salary Offering Manchester Heaven Where Flat Then Working Letter

Crime fiction is a way of satisfying that nosy need to know. Sophie Hannah

Crime Crime Fiction Way Know Fiction Satisfying Need

I've got lots of favourite authors, but I would say Nicci French because I look more forward to reading her next new book than any other author. Sophie Hannah

I love the house we're in, but at the same time, I'm hooked on the romance of house-hunting. Sophie Hannah

Love Time Hooked House Same Same Time Romance

Some writers, I'm told, look for their characters' surnames in telephone directories. I don't - it seems too obvious. Or too deliberate: if you go looking for names, you're bound to find them, of course, but I've always had a superstitious hunch that the names you find by accident are always going to be better and more satisfying somehow. Sophie Hannah

You Better Looking Accident Too Hunch Telephone Characters Find Some Somehow Seems Deliberate More Superstitious Writers Had Bound Names Look Obvious Course Always Go Going Them Satisfying

Poirot is a classic character from fiction, not a MacBook Air; he would not benefit from updates. Sophie Hannah

Character Benefit Air Would Classic He Fiction

No highbrow literary type would ever say 'Moby Dick' is good but it's just about a whale, or a Jane Austen would be important if she wasn't just writing about romantic relationships. Sophie Hannah

The crimes in my books are committed by people who can't keep it together any more. They do something to express their own pain, and that has a terrible effect on somebody else. Sophie Hannah

Together People Somebody Own Pain Else Crimes Books Something More Terrible Effect Committed Any Who Express Keep

Sophie Hannah Quotes

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