Writing a novel is a dream that many of us share. After all, what’s not to love about the prospect of spending long, luxurious days by ourselves, typing away in a chic office space (no crumpled Twix wrappers or cold mugs of coffee in this fantasy), all culminating in an actual, real, published book?

However, as great as that sounds, unfortunately it appears the reality of writing our own book is a litte different to how we’ve always pictured it.

According to Jane Green, a bestselling British author who has sold more than 10 million books, writing a novel can actually be an extremely lonely experience.

And, as someone who has written 20 books so far, she is certainly speaking from experience.

Writing in The Telegraph, Green opened up on the reality of writing novels from home, stating, “Days had gone by when I realised I hadn’t left my house… I hadn’t spoken to anyone but my family in days.”

Bestselling author Jane Green reveals the surprising side-effect of writing a book