Writing habits

In early February, after a month of lockdown, William Sutcliffe wrote on Twitter: "I have been a professional writer for more than twenty years. I have made my living from the resource of my imagination. Last night I had a dream about unloading the dishwasher."  Read more

Award-winning author (and 2019 Women's Prize shortlistee) Diana Evans is one of the judges of our Grazia First Chapter competition this year. To inspire you to put pen to paper, we asked Diana to put together a few writing tips and tricks.

Grandmother did most of her work in bed. She had a special tray with folding legs that served as a desk. She would sit up against a stack of pillows, with a cashmere cardigan over her nightdress, and write longhand on loose sheets of foolscap. Pots of tea were ferried to her by my grandfather, who would have been fully dressed in a tweed jacket and tie and working from his study downstairs.  Read more

It's not that I think you can't be a writer if you don't write every day. It's that I know I can't be a writer if I don't make myself write every day. There are apparently people out there who can write a few days a week, or even a few days a month, and have that result in a book. I envy those people, and if you're one of them, I wish I could be you.

It took me many years and a lot of work to complete my first crime novel. Along the way I learned a lot about the writing process - or at least, as it applies to me. Every writer is different, so different things will suit different people. There is no right or wrong way. It's really about what works for you. Having said that, here are some things I learned which I hope you may find useful.