I think that literature, when it’s good, as opposed to journalism, gives you the freedom to be the characters, to enter into their lives, their psyche and so their experiences become, in a way, yours.

What these works of fiction have allowed me to do is to enter the pain and despair, the hope, to share in the struggles of certain characters that I have identified with (because of the artistry of the writers in making these individuals come alive).

Institute of Education Alumni Life Issue 33 Summer 2010 | That’s what’s fun about writing fiction - you start from a certain point of reality and then, you fly away.afreadaarchive.wordpress.com