I cleaned the toilets at the local pub every Saturday morning.

I was a door-to-door carpet-cleaning salesman. I thought my life was going to end, so I binned that after a day.

Picking up dog poop at home: my sister and I used to take turns.

Selling fire alarms at 18 or 19.

The main part of being a writer, though, is being profoundly alone for hours on end, uninterrupted by email or friends or children or romantic partners and really sinking into the work and writing.

My favorite writer is Alice Munro—all of her books. She’s a tremendous writer and has taught me so much about writing. She’s my favorite among many, many other books and writers I love.

When it comes to getting to work, my trick is to conjure my inner-nun-with-a-ruler-in-hand and simply force myself to begin. Beginning is about three-quarters of the battle for me. Once I’m into the work, it’s so much more interesting than anything happening on Facebook.

I would say you shouldn’t waste your energy on jealousy. Ever, ever! But especially on people like me.

The love and the light in that book astounds me.

What I’ve really learned in my 43 years is that the body does not lie; the body actually tells you what’s right and wrong. If you get a sinking feeling in your stomach or a heavy heart about something, you shouldn’t do it; and if you get a lifting, light feeling in your body, you should.