Writing a novel

'I found that I could write poems and short stories at the same time because they required the same sort of effort. But once you're writing a novel it's a larger undertaking and it does take up quite a lot of 'head space' and I've found that poems and novels don't go very well together for me. Writing a novel is a different process and part of what's different is the day-today lifestyle. You can compose poetry and short stories while you're walking, on a train, or a plane, although walking is better, sometimes even when you're asleep. but with a novel you need to get down to it and have a place where you can do it, with piles of books around you for research.'

Tobias Hill, author of The Cryptographer, interviewed by Jane Ellis in Publishing News