There are many good books on novel writing and you may feel that this is simply another one, no different from the rest. But I hope you'll find that this one is different – because what I've aimed to do with this book is to demystify the art of novel writing, to present it in bite-sized chunks, to make it achievable for new novelists.

I can't teach you how to write, I can't give you that particular talent, but what I can offer is to guide you through the novel-writing process, to show you how to avoid the pitfalls, and to encourage you to complete a novel.

I've taught creative writing for almost twenty years and this book contains some of the methods I've used with my students.