10 Tips to Finish Your Book

Be secretive. Nothing more demoralising when you’re in a writing slump than, “Finished yer book, then?”

Tell people. You’ll finish the book just to save face.

Skip the pub. Do you want to spend Saturday writing, or hungover on the sofa?

But sometimes go to the pub. It’s important to take breaks, otherwise you just start moving commas back and forth and achieving nothing.

Be single. Take away weddings, his mates, family events, brunch, sex, and fun, and you’ll have loads of writing time.

Read. Read widely, and often. Dissect the books – literally – to figure out plotting.

Be shit. First drafts are notoriously awful, but you can’t edit a blank page. I’ve got a draft where the romantic hero is called Digby. DIGBY!

Take your time. From first rumblings of an idea to my book being published – six years.

Unplug. Turn off the Wifi, install Cold Turkey or Freedom on your laptop, put your phone on aeroplane. Twitter is the biggest writing cockblock in the world.

Be catless. Those little feline bastards are laptop hogs.

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