When do you start writing the first draft?

Mark Stay (host of the Creative Differences podcast) and I discussed how we know when we’re finally ready to write ‘Once upon a time…’ or ‘It was a dark and stormy night…’ or, as was the case for my most recent novel, ‘Addison was determined not to slip, trip, or otherwise make a fool of himself in front of Sergeant Jake Murphy.’

I’ve previously shared snippets from our live chat that covered writing deadlines and book pre-orders; a few festive, cosy and/or fresh book, TV and music recommenda...