These departures from the facts were genuinely hard won and took some coming to, causing me to reflect, not for the first time, that the biggest handicap for a writer is to have had a decent upbringing. Brought up not to lie or show off, I was temperamentally inclined to do both, particularly as a small child, and though reigning me in perhaps improved my character, it was no help in my future profession where lying, or romancing anyway, is the essence.
Alan Bennett, on writing the play The Lady in the Van
