he has a nephew who writes novels , you know , but armand says he has enough trouble coming up with things for his little daily article and ca n't imagine ever writing a book , but he 's a fine writer , '' she assured her , and then said almost apologetically , `` mind you , he 's a bit eccentric , writing at night and sleeping during the day , and really , from what i can tell , he does n't eat enough to keep a bird fed , but then doris tells me most writers are a little different than the rest of us , and she would know .