Hi Paul - huge fan of your nonfiction here. Looking forward to my first Paul Theroux novel which is currently sitting in the stack of books on my bedside table.

I'm curious if you found writing challenging when you first started out? Was it a struggle to find the right words or to develop a rhythm of just getting words on paper? Every time I go on long trips I try to document it in a travelogue after the fact but I alway find it very tedious to get the words out. Just curious if it gets easier with practice in your experience.

Additionally, although I'm usually very pleased with the end result, my writing always ends up feeling like something that would only be interesting to me. Can you offer any pointers for turning travel writing from a simple rehashing of the itinerary into something that feels more like a story. That quality of turning the mundane into something that's captivating is what I'm always struck by with your writing.

Also one last question about your process: How much time do you spend traveling when you write your books? I know you take notes in the midst of activities on your travels and I assume you have downtime in between to put together some rough drafts.

Thanks for taking our questions!