First person

Richard Ford: author, 70, Maine, US

When do I do my best thinking? It was about 1974.

I try to sit down at my desk with a clear head every day.

If you can’t talk yourself out of writing, then you may have the beginnings of a vocation.

There are always fashions in literature, and they often produce wonderful books. I just try to do the best I can, knowing what I know. ...