Ian McEwan
British novelist and screenwriter
Exhilarating. I’ve been extremely lucky in that the person I love, Annalena, happens to be my wife.
What does love feel like?
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Time & hindsight
Question
What is your greatest fear?
Identity & self
Question
What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Failure & regret
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
The Guardian's weekly The Q&A repeatedly uses this exact standing prompt.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Like waves of warm water rippling on to the shores of your heart.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 April 2023 source ↗
Others on this question
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Jodie Whittaker
English actress
A tumble dryer.
James Blunt
Singer, songwriter and musician
Like nothing else, I guess.
Being present where you are.
More from Rita Wilson
View profile →Anything and everything.
That you’re stronger than you think you are.
Losing my memory. My mom had Alzheimer’s disease, and I never ever want to have that decline.
I was opening in a play in my 20s, and my agent came on opening night, brought flowers, took me out to dinner and then told me she was no longer going to be representing me.
Having breast cancer.
I was a ticket taker at the Universal Amphitheatre, an outdoor music venue. I saw everybody – Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, the Eagles, Elton. But, after that, we had to clean the women’s restrooms and that was horrible. There was a lot of drinking, a lot of vomiting, a lot of very messy bathrooms.
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