One of my readers wrote to enquire how the revisions are going and to ask what kind of writer am I? The kind, for instance, who has everything carefully plotted before a single word gets written? No, I’m not. That’s my problem. I’m a seat of the pants writer. Because my novels are character-driven, as soon as I have the character…

  So I get back from holiday to find my editor’s notes sitting in my In Tray. In case you’ve never dealt with publishers let me tell you how it works. You submit your manuscript, an editor reads it and tells you how much he enjoyed it. ‘I’ll need to read it again, of course,’ he says. ‘And let you…

I imagine everyone has a scene or a sound or maybe even a smell that resonates with them like a homing beacon. For me it’s roughly this: bare winter trees, low sun, a sprinkling of snow and a five bar gate. I have no idea why. I’m not what you’d call a natural snowbaby nor…

 … when they’re not writing? Well, leaving aside the fact that some writers NEVER stop writing, I think the answer is that demob fever can take many forms. Some like to go into the great outdoors, some like to hibernate, some go on cruises and teach creative writing courses. Personally I’ve spent the past week…

This week, which is just two weeks off my delivery deadline, my husband is going for some kind of health care world record with three hospital visits in as many days. Which require my attendance. Some writers can work anywhere. Actually, I have writer friends who can’t stop writing, no matter how distracting or adverse the conditions.…