Writing Tips from a professional author...

How many people still write books with pens, I wonder? Clearing out the stationery cupboard as part of my cleaning obsession before the new project, I found boxes of ball point pens and sharpened pencils ... to say nothing of expensive fountain pens, bottles of ink, and even an old-fashioned scratchy school pen with dip-in nib.

There was a time when I wrote all my literary work in longhand ... black ink on a white page. Something magical seemed to happen between the brain and the tip of the finger holding the pen, that didn't happen with a keyboard. Only the second draft was transferred to the typewriter or computer.

It's been years since I gave up that idea, and ever since 'Soldier Boy' I've composed directly onto the word processor. The unexpected words still seem to drop from the fingertips – and you have the added bonus of seeing what they'll actually look like on the page.

I find pens and pencils are still best for editing hard copy, and of course I jot ideas into the notebooks with whatever is to hand. But for the rest, black biros are mostly used on a sudoko puzzle, with a soft pencil and rubber for the hard bits where you have to start guessing...