Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams - they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do - they all contain truths.
I think that everything you do helps you to write if you're a writer. Adversity and success both contribute largely to making you what you are. If you don't experience either one of those, you're being deprived of something.
I can remember exactly where I sat when my teacher first read Roald Dahl's 'James and the Giant Peach'.

