Wouldn't you like to have an augmented memory chip that you could plug into your head so you don't have to look everything up and remember everything?

If I could go back in time and tell my younger self that eventually that I'd become very successful writing Dune books after Frank Herbert's death, I would have laughed myself silly, I think, at how strange that prospect would be.

I think that somebody with the resources and innovation and the idea is going to come out of nowhere and come up with a successful space travel program.

I did several interesting jobs, working in restaurants, I worked at a lab rat farm, feeding and watering all these rats. Then I got a full-time job as a technical writer for a large scientific research laboratory.

Over the years, I was never really driven to become a solo artist, but I was curious to find out who I was as an individual creative person. It's taken some time, but now I feel I've truly paid my dues. I guess I'm at a point now where I'm more comfortable in my own skin.

Everything is creative. It's all relative to me. No matter what, you've gotta use your imagination, use your senses.

Before I had my son, I became obsessed by this painting I'd seen in an art gallery. It was a lot of money, but I felt such a rush of adrenaline when I wrote the cheque to buy it. I thought I was going to gaze lovingly at it forever, but after just two weeks, I realised I didn't really like it any more.

As is the case with all good things in life - love, good manners, language, cooking - personal creativity is required only rarely.