All life is material – be aware of your preoccupations and start there. What do you keep turning back to; in late night conversations, the books you choose, your dreams?

Be unafraid of the strangeness of your universe, your unique mind. Your fears and insecurities can be your strengths. Look a little closer.

Acknowledge your influences. Our favourite authors are our friends. Dip into a beloved novel and fill the inspiration bank or pull a random book from the shelf and read a passage. Remind yourself that there are a million ways to do this.

Still your conscious, critical mind. Free-write. Give yourself permission to be scruffy and chaotic. Expand upon the passages that resonate. Editing is writing.

Writing is a muscle, exercise it. Don’t be precious about where, when and how. Write on your phone, dictate while you’re walking, sit down with a coffee. It doesn’t (always) have to be painful …

Writing is one word at a time. Set a timer. If you write for twenty minutes a day, in a month you’ll be getting somewhere.