How I Write

What's the most effective writing routine, and how many words should you aim for each day?

Which author composes in a shed and who retreats to a Greek island to reflect and write?


Read on to find out...

Ian Rankin: lazy novelist
I bet I wasn't the only person at the Ian Rankin interview at this year's London Book Fair who felt reassured...

Blog of the week 2
Here's another of our new best Twitter friends. Debbie Ridpath Ohi is a freelance writer and illustrator based in...

Writing for teens
Meg Rosoff
Meg Rosoff talked about writing for teens at the 2009 London Book Fair. Profwriting student Fiona Egglestone reports...

Blog of the week 4
This week – because it's the Easter hols and we all deserve to put our feet up with a good book – we've nominated not...

Writing the truth
“Novelists get to the heart of things; journalists can’t,” said Blake Morrison speaking recently at University College...

Paul Kingsnorth: finding stories in non-fiction
Campaigning environmentalist Paul Kingsnorth, author of Real England, gives Dan Cadwallader advice on telling stories...

Blog of the week 3
This is why we love Twitter - we get to hook up with inspiring writers full of information about the market for...

John le Carré on writing and obsession
John le Carré
John le Carré is one of the world's best-selling spy novelists. Want to know why he writes – and his tips for those...

Playing with time
Hilary Mantel tells Matt Cox her strategies for completing a historical narrative when the facts are missing. It...

Writing in recession
Sophie Parkin
Sophie Parkin tells Phil Williams how the recession of the early 90s prompted her to switch career – and how she...

Blog of the week 1
In this new feature we'll be showcasing some of the fantastic friends we've been making on Twitter. Writers, agents,...

Sarah Waters: my life as a writer
Sarah Waters
Multi-award-winning author Sarah Waters talks to Andi Chapman about her day-to-day life as a writer and how her life as...