“The only thing I knew about novels from a technical point of view was ...” — Diana Gabaldon Quote

“The only thing I knew about novels from a technical point of view was that they should have conflict.”

“Whenever anything bubbles up, I have to put it down. I have bits and pieces all over my hard drive.”

“All I had when I began writing the first book was rather vague images conjured up by the notion of a man in a kilt, so essentially I began with Jamie, although I had no idea what his name was at the time.”

“Conflict drives fiction; no one wants to read a four-hundred-page novel in which everything rolls along smoothly.”

“And most worryingly, it wouldn't surprise me if Putin ends up starting a major military conflict with the West at some point in the future to save his own skin as head of state in Russia.”

“Conflict is not inevitable, but disarmament is... everyone now accepts that if there is a default by Saddam the international community must act to enforce its will.”