25 June 2018
To write a novel, begin with character:
I believe that all novels begin with an old lady in the corner opposite. I believe that all novels, that is to say, deal with character, and that it is to express character-not to preach doctrines, sing songs, or celebrate the glories of the British Empire-that the form of the novel, so clumsy, verbose, and undramatic, so rich, elastic, and alive, has been evolved. -from the essay "Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Brown," 1924