Seven years ago today I took this photograph. It was at a party; I had just qualified as a lawyer. It had taken me longer than others because I got glandular fever in the middle, but I got there. During my time off, in the middle of my training contract, I submitted my (1/n) Novel via the slush pile to agents, and got signed. That book had gone on submission three weeks before this photograph was taken. Two minutes after I took this photo, I refreshed my email, and discovered that all eleven publishers and imprints had rejected my book. (2/n)

By popular demand, here is a thread on how I plan a novel, six books in. The first thing I do is come up with the hook, the pitch, the central question the novel answers. I write that at the top of an excel document.