Inspired by a conversation late night in the pub, mostly centred around advice to prospective writers and how best to get started with the whole being a writer thing… Starting with the single most important piece of advice you can give any writer…

A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit. ~ Richard Bach

I edit my own stories to death. They eventually run and hide from me. ~ Jeanne Voelker

Any book without a mistake in it has had too much money spent on it. ~ William Collins

The first draft is black and white. Editing gives the story colour. ~ Emma Hill

Just get your story down ~ Nora Roberts

You should write first drafts as if they will never be shown to anyone. ~ Erica Jong

First drafts are for learning what your story is about ~ Bernard Malamud

The bottom line is that I like my first drafts to be blind, unconscious, messy efforts; that’s what gets me the best material. ~ Jennifer Egan

Happy writings… May all your first drafts be all they need to be, written…

Mark x