In Search of a Character : Two African Journals: Congo Journey and Convoy to West Africa Book

If he wrote about trimming his toenails I would give it three stars, so my natural pro-Greene bias does need to be factored in here, suffice to say that reading his diaries/notes as he began to formulate ideas for two of his finest novels is (to me) fascinating. The more extensive section (on A Burnt-out Case) is the more interesting, as you can see the genus of ideas slowly forming. While his methods are quite idiosyncratic there is a little that can be gleaned, such as his strict observance of starting with the setting and then hunting for the characters to inhabit it. He even "catches himself plotting" (my words, not his) and expressed reservation at this, which is an interesting discovery, as is his comments on Belloc and Conrad, in which he mentions briefly what not to do.

The latter is possibly a more interesting diary in and of itself but is at more of a remove from the final material and I suspect that it was put in to make the book a more respectable length. However, it is just a joy to spend time in his company, even if you suspect that it was a company that he did not always enjoy.