Goodreads asked Kathleen Jowitt:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Kathleen Jowitt Write. Stop worrying about the magic formula for success, and have fun. Write the book that only you can write. Write the book you want to read.

Don't beat yourself up if things are going slowly. Nobody can be fully productive all the time, and the mind needs downtime to rest and recuperate, to refill the creative tanks. You're probably better off going for a walk than staring at a blank screen.

Read. Read books in your genre and outside it: see what other people do and how they do it. Get to know the tradition you're writing in. Read critically (after a while you won't be able to help yourself) and read for fun.

Find a friend with a red pen and a good eye for detail, and don't take it personally when they tell you that your pet chapter just doesn't work. You and they have a common cause: to get this piece of writing as good as it possibly can be. Get a second opinion, if you like, but if you find that two people whose judgement you trust are telling you the same thing, you're probably best off listening.

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