‘The key to a memoir is connection. Whether you’re an ordinary person or famous, we are all connected to the human experience. Yet there are so many people who feel alone, suffering in silence, believing they are the only ones going through their experience. The value of a memoir cannot be underestimated. Sharing your life experiences, wisdom and knowledge could possibly change someone’s life if they connect with your story.’

‘Take joy in the creative process which cannot be taken away from you and is the motivating factor for so many writers. In this industry, you need a bit of luck but it has always been the case that quality, compelling writing wins out, and it will be the case in the AI age too.’

‘Flash fiction is (usually) quick to write and easy to submit, so it can deliver a much-needed confidence boost when you’re in the midst of wrangling a longer work. The process of writing flash can also provide the perfect avenue for honing one’s craft—zooming in on the detail to wring the most out of every sentence.’

‘We need to be open to feedback and willing to make changes while also staying true to the story we want to tell. It can be a fine line but one worth walking to create a novel or non-fiction work readers will not be able to put down.’

‘I sometimes think we forget the ‘social’ part of social media. Even when operating what essentially is a business account, it still needs to be engaging, represent you as an author, and connect with your book community.’

‘Better to have a poem you love knocked back than have one you sort of like accepted in a journal. This may sound obvious but sometimes, especially early on in your writing career, you might take any publishing opportunity as a win. I think it’s important to write for yourself, sit on your work for a while, edit and edit again and then send out in the world.’

‘The very process of considering and selecting the type of feedback you want is truly magical. It gives you a slight editorial detachment, as you will be forced to consider your writing on a craft level. It also psychologically prepares you for receiving the feedback. You’ll no longer be afraid that the person will simply say it’s “good” or “bad”. Instead, you’ll receive marvellously focused feedback.’

‘Style is one of the key ways writers shape a reader’s experience. But language can be an unwieldy beast, and knowing the fundamentals of how prose is constructed is the first step to controlling it.’

‘Like a piece of music, even the most apparently formulaic novel or piece of non-fiction is unique – because it has been written by a human being (accepting that, slightly terrifyingly, at this point in time this may be about to become a contestable statement), and no two human minds are the same.’