Hanif Kureishi says (1 cent)

I know you don't know who Hanif Kureishi is, but that will come another time.

For now, just let it be said that he is a writer, who sometimes has writer's block. How does he cope? He says that he simply remembers what he dreamed the night before, and that gives him a start of a story or an essay.

So, let's go.

1. The Move to Atlanta. We were just about packed; the truck just about loaded. We were moving to Atlanta. Why Atlanta? It was a question that neither of us could answer, although we knew we had no choice. No, we were not being forced or coerced, or anything like that, but something compelled us to make the move to a city that neither of us liked. And, just to complete the picture, it should be made clear that we were not the only ones moving. Everyone was moving. But only we seemed to be heading to Atlanta.........

2. The SATs. I had no concern when I entered the large empty feeling room to take the SATs. I had taken them before and done well enough. It didn't seem to matter that I was, by far, the oldest person in the room. This would be easy.....My first hint came when I couldn't read the questions. The letters were not distinct enough, they were not dark enough, they were not stable. There was a glare. I held the paper up at various angles; the words moved around. Take the word "story" for instance; it morphed at some point into "gory". How was I to answer questions when I couldn't tell what the questions were? I thought it might have to do with the laminated paper that the questions were printed on. Or maybe I was looking through the lamination. That must be it. You answer on the lamintated plastic, and turn it in. You keep the underlying paper, which has the questions, but not your answers. I did not stand a chance. Every answer was going to be a pure guess. Why was I taking this test? Did I have to stay?