The Birth of a Novel

It usually begins with a collection of notes, reflections, snippets gathered here and there and finally a few ideas committed to paper or electronic media.

Then, when one is ready to start, there are emails to check, some requiring replies, the font and spacing to be selected and, thank goodness, some facts that need to be checked first. Once all the delaying tactics have been applied and exhausted, the start is made. Half a page in, usually it starts to come together and, if you are lucky, it almost begins to write itself. Your characters, if well chosen, take over and start to direct the story.

Only now do you begin to understand why you write at all!