To actually write! Quite often people talk about it and don’t actually get down to it… they come up to you and say, ‘I’ve got this idea’ and I say, ‘well go away and write it then…’. And don’t be afraid to throw it all away and start again. Don’t be precious. Be tough. The rewrite is the most important process of the book: the sections you think are best are always the bits that need to go, in my experience. (That’s the editor in me talking, obviously, not the writer… I HATE doing rewrites!)