Tag Archives: How I Write

My Writing Process Rachel Billington

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A bit about you. 

Place matters to me. In books and in life. I’m a hybrid: city and country, I need both. London, always London, apart from two years when I worked in New York and met my husband, Kevin, there.  In 1968 we bought a fourteenth century house in Dorset. We still have it. I’ve always written. I edited a magazine when I was eleven. I published my first novel in my twenties. I have to write every day. When I had four children in day school, I still wrote. I can’t imagine how people manage without writing. Now I have five grandchildren and my youngest wrote a book so I illustrated it. That was a surprise. From 1998-2001 I was President of PEN. I am Associate Editor of Inside Time, the National Newspaper for Prisoners. I write for every issue. I have always reviewed and written comment pieces for various newspapers.

What you have written, past and present.

I’ve published over thirty books. 23 novels, last 3 historical, Glory – The Story of Gallipoli and Maria and the Admiral. My favourites before that are A Woman’s Age, Bodily Harm and Lies and Loyalties. All very different subjects which publishers complain about. I have also written six novels for children, including Poppy’s Hero and Poppy’s Angel, about a girl whose Dad is in prison. Plus four religious books for children and a sequel to Jane Austen’s Emma.

What you are promoting now. 

Clouds of Love and War is about a Spitfire pilot in WW2 and a young isolated woman. It tells the story if their love affair against a background of war. Eddie wants to escape the world and reach the clouds. But he hadn’t counted on killing. Eva wants to paint and she wants Eddie. The war makes their coming together rare and remarkable. 

A bit about your process of writing.

Until my last book, I wrote longhand with a pen (black ink) and then paid a friend to put it on the computer. Once it was there I went through many drafts, editing down, particularly the opening chapters because I like to write forward without doing more than minor corrections until I’ve finished the whole book. This means I am over-writing early on and self-editing as I progress. 

Do you plan or just write?

It depends on the book. Longer books need more planning, chapter by chapter, bit shorter books can be freer. Often I know everything except how the story will end. But sometimes the ending is what inspires me to write the book. Characters come first of all and continue their wayward path through the book. When their personalities change, I change their names. Sometimes I’ll run through three or four. I write to surprise myself.

What about word count?

Again it depends on the book – or rather on the subject, although my books were much shorter when I started writing, one was only about 60,000 words while Glory was well over the 200 hundred mark. Circular books tend to be shorter, books with a strong narrative flow longer. The book I’m working on at the moment, They Were Sisters, is about 120,000 words.

 

What do you find hard about writing?

I find it all difficult but absolutely enthralling.  I do find it really hard when my characters are suffering. I wrote a novel called ‘The Missing Boy and found the thirteen year old’s unhappiness horribly upsetting. I long to write books with happy endings but seldom achieve it. 

 

What do you love about writing? 

I love being totally in charge of interesting people and events, but totally on my own. I love the look of a blank page – or blank screen. I love the way I challenge myself to make my brain imagine and invent.  I love the excitement when an idea comes into my head; my heart beats as fast as if I was running. I love using words like an artist uses paint. I love the balance of certain sentences, like a musical phrase.  

 

Advice for other writers.

Write! If you’re not sure what to write, write a diary. Write every single day. When you do set off on a bit of work, finish it. This very important. Anyone can begin a piece of writing but not many can get to the end. Keep at least something about it secret. Great ideas can dissipate if shown too much light of day. Only show it for criticism when you have gone as far as you can. Never despair. Often the best writing comes out of the worst. Good luck!

 

My Writing Process Sheila O’Flanagan

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The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O’Flanagan is published 16th July 2020 (Headline Review, £18.99). 

Sheila O'Flanagan author imageI’ve always loved reading and used to write sequels to Enid Blyton stories when I was young because I always wanted to know what happened next. Everyone thought I’d end up, if not a novelist, at least working in a library or a bookshop. However I was offered job in a bank and got side-tracked into the world of finance. I occasionally wrote short stories in the evenings as a way of unwinding but I didn’t think I had the time to write a novel, even though I had lots of different ideas and would think about my various characters whenever I wasn’t working. Eventually I realised that if I wanted to fulfil my dream of being a published author I’d have to make the time to write – unfortunately the ideas don’t magically appear on the page. So I bought myself a laptop, opened a Word document, typed Chapter 1 and wrote every evening until it was finished. I’ve kept going ever since.

2. What you have written, past and present.

My first novel, Dreaming of a Stranger, was published in 1997. I’ve written 25 novels for adults, 3 collections of short stories, 2 children’s books and contributed to both the Quick Reads and Open Door series of short novellas.

3. What you are promoting now.
My latest book is The Women Who Ran Away and is about two women, Grace and Deira, who meet on a car ferry from Ireland to France. Both have reasons for travelling alone but a sudden change of circumstance mean that they end up driving together. As a friendship forms between them, Deira helps Grace try to solve a complicated mystery that her late husband has left her. This takes them on a spectacular journey along the French Atlantic coast and through the heart of Spain to Cartagena on the Mediterranean sea. By the end of the novel they’ve completed both a physical and an emotional journey as they discover that sharing their secrets turns out to be a strength and not a weakness, and that there’s always more than one solution to a problem.

4. A bit about your process of writing.

I try to write every day but that’s not always possible. I generally work for a couple of hours in the morning, then take a break and return for some more writing in the afternoon. I move backwards and forwards through the novel, writing a few chapters and then editing them before moving on.

5. Do you plan or just write?

I wish I was an author who planned! But I can’t. I start at the beginning with a vague idea and just hope for the best.

6. What about word count?

I don’t get hung up on a daily word count, especially at the start of the novel, but I try to write in scenes. If I finish a scene I’ll take a break before moving to the next one. That means sometimes writing a few hundred words, sometimes significantly more.

7. How do you do your structure?

Badly, to be honest. But the process of writing, then editing, writing, then editing helps. I usually come up with a slightly more formal plan about a third of the way through the novel when I have a better idea of the characters and how to move them through the story.

8. What do you find hard about writing?

Sitting at the laptop. It’s physically demanding even though you don’t realise it. Most of my author friends have bad backs and I’m no exception. I try to take more mini-breaks now. Distractions are more of a problem these days than they used to be with social media getting in the way. I’m more easily distracted now than before.

9. What do you love about writing?

Creating characters, seeing them grow and evolve and take control of their own stories. Sometimes the research is good too!

10. Advice for other writers?

Don’t get hung up on trying to write for a genre, or following weird rules about how your book should be structured. Write the story that’s inside you in the way that suits you best. Do remember, though, that while joining various groups about writing and following them on social media can make you feel less alone, the only thing that will get your book written is sitting down and writing it. Talking about writing isn’t actually writing. Reading about writing isn’t writing. The only person who can write your book is you.

Sheila is @sheilaoflanagan on Twitter and follow Headline too @headlinepg

My Writing Process David Gilman

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  • David Gilman, writerWhat you have written, past and present.

I wrote my first story when I was about six years old. It was The Runaway Sixpence,  written in the first person, and the sixpence got swallowed by a cow. I remember the teacher berating me in front of the class, saying how could I write from beyond the grave. Stupid woman. Obviously, she had never seen Sunset Boulevard.  That put an end to my writing career there and then. But a storyteller is not someone you can keep down. My verbal storytelling skills got me out of plenty of jams and allowed me to talk my way into jobs I would never have had otherwise. I left school at 15 to support my mother and siblings. When I was a teenager, I wrote a few Battle Picture Library comic books. It was wonderful. All those ‘movies’ in my head, the visual images being described to the artist in the script, and then writing the dialogue, tight and expressive with a narrative description. Economy of scale and a lot of fun. That was abandoned when I travelled around the world and took any job I could to pay my way.

After a few adventures over the years, I ended up in South Africa working as a sales rep for an international publisher. I had hundreds of books to read – and sell – and I was good at it. So much so I ended up going to night school to study marketing and management and became a regional marketing manager for Penguin SA. But the urge to tell stories nagged away. Visual imagery was my strong suit. I had once worked as a professional photographer, so I decided that radio drama was my milieu. It is the perfect visual medium for the listener. Dialogue and sound effects creating every listener’s unique picture in their mind.

In those days there were no writing schools, no one extended a helping hand, and you could not get your hands on a script to see the layout and how to present it for love or money. It was a lockdown business. The broadcaster owned the scripts, and they had no intention of letting you see one.  I stumbled on an old BBC publication, long out of date but gave a couple of pages from an example radio script. I copied the format, was forgiven a lot of sins by a producer, rewrote, learnt – and ended up writing hundreds of radio dramas and a daily soap that ran for 18 months. I did all of this late at night and every weekend while working full time. The payments were abysmal. Barely enough to buy typing paper. 

But that’s where I learnt to write.

I felt confident enough to hand back the company car, quit the well-paying job and have a crack at television. I wrote several 13×60 minutes of multi-stranded drama series and 4×60 minutes mini-series.

I returned to the UK in 1995 and started from the bottom again at 48 years old. And that’s a late time to start from scratch once more. I came to realize that the stiff competition here meant producers of existing series preferred to work with writers they knew. It was all a bit of a club. I found a tv agent and wrote outlines for tv producers and a couple of television movies for the German market that did very well, but I still could get none of my scripts for tv series being picked up here. Some years previously I had met the producer for A Touch of Frost when he filmed a movie in South Africa. So six years after my arrival here The producer asked me to submit a script, (you had to be invited onto the series) it was accepted and I ended up writing A Touch of Frost for several years until Sir David Jason retired from the series.

I then had a choice. Stay in television or have a crack at writing novels. Once again I threw caution to the wind and wrote a Young Adult series called Danger Zone: The Devil’s Breath, Ice Claw, Blood Sun. The three books were published by Puffin, won a French literary award, was short and long-listed for the Carnegie Medal. I spent a lot of time travelling to schools, giving talks and attending all the major literary festivals. I decided to have a crack at adult fiction. What was it going to be? Crime fiction, which is so popular, or something fresh and challenging. I had seen a painting of an English adventurer who fought for Italy in the 14th century and not knowing anything about the period plunged in to research the period. That was how the Master of War series began. I have just finished writing the seventh book in the series, and I’m pleased to say that because of the various established characters – especially the main protagonist Thomas Blackstone – and the breadth of the storylines and the strong women characters in the books, I have a diverse readership with many women readers who are fans.

The long, hard slog of writing a series means time is at a premium. But I also wanted to write other books, and that meant writing longer hours to achieve this. A favourite is my children’s book Monkey and Me, and then I squeezed in an evocative story set in Southern Africa, The Last Horseman which was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Award. And last year my standalone novel,  Night Flight to Paris, set in France during WW11 was well received.

Now I have created a new character for a new contemporary thriller series. The first book is called The Englishman. Dan Raglan is a former Foreign Legion soldier who works quietly behind the scenes and who is a modern Paladin – a knight errant who rights the wrongs – and gets hurt along the way. Perilous journeys undertaken to help those in danger.

I write this lengthy explanation in the hope of encouraging writers starting out, and others who look at the blank page and think the journey might be too difficult. It can be a natural and daunting experience but if an uneducated, wandering storyteller like me can make it then so can others. Never give up. Let the passion and determination drive you on. 

  • What you are promoting now. 

The Englishman. The first book in a new series.

  • A bit about your process of writing.

I start in the morning and write my day’s worth – but it’s a mixed full day at my desk because of the breadth of research I do. The added hours come in when I want to write a standalone novel in between my ongoing series. That means I have to go back to my desk late at night for a few more hours.

  • Do you plan or just write?

When I wrote A Touch of Frost, for example, the producers needed a synopsis or an outline so they could see where the storylines were going (there was always more than one in every episode). This was a broad brush stroke and often became embellished or diminished as the writing went on. There are writers meticulous in their planning and when it comes to the actual writing, they tend to breeze through it. I have tried that approach with my novels but abandon it. I get bored. So I just write.

  • What about word count?

I have a year planner next to me and every day I mark my word count. It’s a ‘kick up the pants’ aid. I can see when I have to finish a book – I have never yet missed a deadline – and what it is going to take to finish it in time. I plan for 1500 words a day. They have to be good words. Considered and rewritten every day.

  • How do you do your structure?

For books  – there isn’t one. A general idea, an incident or a place that attracts me. Something that pops into my head. I write the first line and see where it takes me. If I can be entertained and surprised by the journey, then so too will my reader. There is, though, an understanding in the writing that the rhythm has to feel right. It’s a composition. And as the story builds and often changes, then the structure emerges. Plant the seeds and watch them blossom. It’s a wonder.

  • What do you find hard about writing?

Everything. The long hours. The misery of self-doubt. The grappling with the jigsaw puzzle of a story without being able to see the picture on the box.

  • What do you love about writing?

Everything.

 

 

My Writing Process Sandie Jones

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Sandie Jones, AuthorI’ve been a journalist for the past 25 years, interviewing celebrities for national newspapers and magazines. I started writing fiction in 2017, because writing a book was on my bucket list, but I never imagined it being read by my mother, let alone be published and reviewed by thousands!

My debut The Other Woman was published in 2018 and was a New York Times Bestseller, as well as a Reese Witherspoon Pick. My second novel The First Mistake was published last summer and The Half Sister is out on 25th June.

What is your latest book?

The Half Sister, which is about Kate and Lauren,  two sisters who each feel that the other has the perfect life. When a woman turns up, whilst they’re having a family Sunday lunch, claiming to be their half sister, their worlds are turned upside down and it sends them in opposite directions, in their quest for the truth. But neither of them could ever imagine what they’re about to discover.

Please could you tell us a bit about your process of writing?

It’s changed since writing my first book, as I’m no longer doing it just for myself. There are editors and publishers involved now so instead of, quite literally, making it up as I go along, I now have to have a clear idea of what the story is, where it’s going and how best to get there.

Do you plan or just write?

It goes against my natural instinct to plan anything – I love to just write and see where we takes me, but as I say, I do have to have a solid outline of an idea before I start, which involves lots of spider diagrams and boxes on a whiteboard. Though once I get started, it all tends to change anyway!

How do you think about structure?

I used to think that the books I liked to read had one big twist at the end, but since writing myself, I’ve found that actually, reveals are peppered throughout. I tend to drop a bomb of some description at each third, so as to keep the reader interested and engaged.

Is there anything you find hard about writing?
The planning stage is particularly difficult for me as I feel I’m forcing myself to come up with every twist and turn in advance. However, I am learning that it’s good to have a loose structure to work to and I have understanding editors who know that my best ideas are likely to come when I’m writing.

What do you love about writing?

Everything else! I adore creating characters and getting to know them. I’m at the stage with my fourth book where I don’t want to put it down. It feels like I’m reading a story I’m really invested in and can’t wait to get back to it, to see what happens next. I forget that’s down to me to decide and that’s a great feeling!

Sandie Jones’s books are available here.

More information on Sandie Jones.

My Writing Process – Jane Cable

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Jane Cable , writerAs well as being contributing editor to Frost, I write romance with a twist. My first two novels were published independently but now I’m signed by Sapere Books.


My books are relationship driven, because how people fall in love, mess it up, or get it right, fascinates me. But there always has to be something else. My stories are contemporary but the strapline on my promotional material is ‘the past is never dead’ and for very good reason.


My first book with Sapere, Another You, is published on 27th June. It’s a story of family life which draws on the horrors of combat, both in modern times and World War 2 as Marie fights to reclaim her identity outside her marriage and discover what really matters to her.

A bit about your process of writing.
I am at my best first thing in the morning, so that’s when I tend to write if I’m working on new material. I creep out of bed, make a coffee and settle down at my laptop to work up the ideas I’ve been thinking about. I’ll keep writing until I either run out of story or emotional energy, then have a shower and get on with the rest of my day.

Do you plan or just write?
I used to just write, but now I’m working with a publisher I have to plan. It’s more time efficient too, saving endless rewrites. I still need to give my characters room for manoeuvre though, because inevitably they will shape the story more and more as it progresses.

What about word count?
I don’t stress about word count as long as I feel I’m making progress. Every day my Sister Scribe Kitty Wilson and I check in with each other to make sure we’re sticking to our writing goals.

How do you do your structure?

I used to write first then overlay character and story arcs to make sure they made sense. It always surprised me when they did, but Frost’s wonderful editor Margaret Graham says that the rhythm of story-telling is innate in those who have read since childhood. However these days I have a more, well, structured approach after Cornish writer friend Liz Fenwick introduced me to Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat. The approach comes from screenwriting but works for novels too, splitting the story into ‘beats’. I find it really helps me to focus.

What do you find hard about writing?
Getting published! Most of my books have a slightly ghostly element (or at least, could be read that way) and in the past that has made publishers run a mile. At Sapere they understand that if told in the right way, readers love the world of consciousness beyond matter – even in a genre like romance.

What do you love about writing?
I think what I love most of all is being read. It’s being able to create characters and craft their stories in a way readers relate to. One of my proudest moments was when a woman approached me to tell me that The Cheesemaker’s House had got her reading again after her husband’s death.

Advice for other writers. 

The more you write, the better you get at it, so never, ever, be tempted to publish an early draft. Polish it, craft it – work with an editor if you can afford to, but never let a book see the light of day until it’s as good as it possibly can be.

 

My Writing Process – Valerie Holmes

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Valerie HolmesMy childhood memories of growing up in a North Yorkshire coastal town are vivid. The flat sandy bays, marram grass covered dunes, salt marshes, woodland and moors provided a natural playground. The Tees estuary to the north was industrialised, but the natural beauty of the sweeping bays and rugged headlands down to the ancient port of Whitby has a fascinating history. My mother had Multiple Sclerosis and died too young, so walking my dog and exploring the outdoors was important to me.

I love writing and am an experienced creative writing tutor independently and for The London School of Journalism and Writing Magazine. 

The Yorkshire Saga series, published by Sapere Books, is set in the region in early nineteenth century. I have had over 40 novellas published by F A Thorpe, both romance and mystery – historical and contemporary.

The third book in The Yorkshire Saga series ‘To Have and To Hold’ is published on 17th June, and the fourth ‘In Sickness and In Health’ has just been delivered to Sapere.

They are all set in or around the same fictitious villages of Gorebeck and Ebton nestled in the shadow of the headland of Stangcliffe (based on Saltburn and Huntcliffe). 

Set against social changes as a result of the wars with France: smuggling, espionage, press-gangs etc. I have been researching the era and the region for years.

A bit about your process of writing.  & What about word count?

 I write 1000-1500 words a day. The next day I will return to the work of the previous one and overwrite it, then add on the new words for that day, repeating the process until I have reached a satisfying ending and an acceptable total wordage.

Do you plan or just write?

Normally, I begin with a character, place and situation and then run with it. Once I have a few chapters drafted and the secondary characters have appeared on the page I plan what will happen: conflicts, subplots, character changes and the satisfying ultimate resolution of the core plot.

 

I like to explore the many facets of love from friendship, maternal/paternal to obsessive and manipulative, keeping the central theme as the spark that links two people together, drawing them into a relationship kindled by true love, regardless of social class.

 

Love bonds people together. Laws can dictate the controls within a culture which restricts or allows certain behaviour, but, I believe, most people want to have that special person in their life to love and be loved. I want the reader to be left feeling satisfied and positive about the future.

 

How do you do your structure?

 

I like to build up to a mid section that has a lot of things going on and kicks off new problems to drive the plot through to the end.

 

What do you find hard about writing?

 

After I have edited two drafts and left the project alone for a couple of weeks, even returning afresh to it, I am so close to the story that it is difficult to see what should be cut out or left in – that is why a good editor is so important to the finished book.

 

What do you love about writing? 

 

I love the adventure – I love creating the characters and setting them off to face a series of challenges and then figuring out what will stand in their way and how they will ultimately achieve their goal.

 

Advice for other writers

 

The publishing business is tough. It is a business and although we are creative we have to look at it like that. There are hours spent alone just writing. Love it. Love the whole process, embracing the challenge. The more you write, the better you become. Once published the challenges change. Be dedicated and determined and take on board constructive advice.

Most importantly enjoy every minute. 

 

My Writing Process – Margaret Graham

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I think a lot before I even put fingers to keyboard. I have a rough plan, and character, and get to know them, and the plot, and theme, which of course will drive the plot.

 

I have been writing for over 30 years, under three different names. Novels, and series, features, plays including a community play. And helped to research a TV documentary that grew out of a novel, Canopy of Silence.
I have written the first of a series The Girls on the Home Front set in WW2. There is fashion in writing, or should I say publishing. At the moment there is a thirst for series about 2nd WW!!. When Downton Abbey was on, it was 1st War. The thing is, a writer must write for the market, we produce a product. Sound basic, but there you are. Packaging is key. You will note there are fashions in packaging too. Sagas seem to be three women against a library photo shot of a street or something.
Tell us about your process
Sit down  and do it! I get the idea, research the period etc. make notes, and all the time one’s mind is working, and arriving at a plot. Then you have to BE the characters, all of them, so they come alive.
Do you plan or just write?
I plan but not nearly as much as I did. I think that’s experience, I know now what is necessary.
What about word count?
Women’s fiction is usually about 100,000 words these days, but if you have a publisher they will tell you what they want.
How do you do your structure?
There is of course, only one structure: one shape, Normal world, then a point of change, then a rising arc to two thirds through the book, when there is a climax and it seems all is well, but like Cinderella the ball, the clock strikes, and it all goes wrong, so the last third is about resolving it finally, though no need to tuck it up neatly, just to show that the characters have developed enough to find a way through.
One main character and protagonist and antagonists. There has to be a theme, or message or it’s without depth.

And exposition, scene setting, showing not telling because we live in a visual age, so people are used to seeing things, not to wading through lots of telling. So create scenes, and it’s best if it’s through the eyes, (or point of view) of one person only in a scene. It helps with empathy.

What do you find hard about writing?
Actually doing it, I suppose. The day to dayness of it.  I write two a year, as well as being a Frost Magazine editor, and running my charity, Words for the Wounded so it’s a rush.
What do you love about writing?
Creating other worlds, and being in control of those worlds. As a parent I realised long ago I was in control of very little, but in fiction the characters have to do as they are told.
Advice for other writers.
Learn the skills – go to a credible writing class, or mentor group. It’s an apprenticeship and as such, you need to learn the craft. It is a craft, a nuts and bolts craft, not an arty farty Art. Basically, get down and dirty, and keep at it, share your work with a group, listen to constructive not destructive criticism, read to see how others do it. And don’t rush.

My first bit of writing, a novel, After the Storm was published. My very first bit of writing, so I had to learn in full gaze of the public. I switched point of view within scenes, and put in too much research and not enough dialogue. But it worked. My later books, however, are considerably better and easier to read. And  of course, enjoy it. No point otherwise is there, life is too short.

http://www.margaret-graham.com

www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/margaretgraham4/

My Writing Process – Carol Thomas

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Carol thomas, writer, How I write,

I live on the south coast of England with my husband, four children and lively Labrador, Hubble (never give a dog a name that rhymes with trouble!). I taught in primary schools for over fifteen years, before dedicating more of my time to writing. 

In the summer of 2017, I was delighted to gain a publishing contract with Ruby Fiction, an imprint of Choc Lit, for my second novel, The Purrfect Pet Sitter. Currently out as an ebook, with paperback and audio editions due for release on August 6th, it is the story of what happens when you rediscover the one you let get away.

Prior to pitching The Purrfect Pet Sitter, I had self-published a contemporary romance novel, Crazy Over You, and a children’s book, Finding a Friend. Self-publishing taught me a great deal about the publishing process, building an author platform and promotion.

My latest novel, also published by Ruby Fiction, is Maybe Baby, a romantic comedy. It is the sequel to The Purrfect Pet Sitter, but can be read as a standalone story. Having recently completed a blog tour, I am delighted to have received reviews such as:

 “Incredibly entertaining, this book has everything, animals, humour, romance, an old flame and a pregnancy test!” 

It is always scary when you send a new book out into the world and so receiving lovely reviews really does mean a lot. 

My work in progress is a contemporary romance, unrelated to my previous books. I started it before the idea came to me for Maybe Baby, and I have to say returning to it and regaining the same focus, is proving difficult. Though as my husband likes to point out, actually writing instead of being on social media would help.

Self-discipline is not my strong point, but I am working on it and intend to prepare more of my social media posts up front. Having said that, I do think it is important to interact and be present too – with an allocated time limit, of course ;-)

My writing process varies depending on the story. For Maybe Baby, I had a spreadsheet for dates, and plotted precisely, because the story required it. Ordinarily, when I start work on a novel, I buy a new notebook (who doesn’t love a pretty new notebook?) that will eventually contain everything related to that story.

I then plan the outline, build character profiles, and commence research – which I know will continue as I write. Once my new notebook is armed with these essentials, I start writing on my laptop. As the characters develop and the story progresses, I am happy to be led in new and exciting directions.

I love it when the story is flowing, and I feel I can’t type fast enough to get it all down. Conversely, when the ideas are not coming, and the word count is hovering in one place for too long, it can be frustrating. At times like this, I endeavour to keep going and get something down. I can always edit it – once, twice, or twenty-seven times – later. I don’t generally have a set daily word limit I try to reach as I have a busy house and life, but if I am away to write, I set myself goals.

My advice to writers, including myself, would be focus on getting your book written, there are plenty of distractions, but the only thing that will make that word count grow is actually writing!