Writing a novel can be a slow, painful and lonely process. Many writers never manage to achieve their goal. This inspirational book will help you to rediscover the joy of your craft and rekindle your creative fire. Leading contemporary authors offer you support, guidance and encouragement as well as a fascinating insight into the craft of writing: Jill Dawson - getting started; Andrew Miller - creating characters; Meg Rosoff - finding your voice; DBC Pierre - convincing dialogue; Adam Foulds - description with meaning; Kate Mosse - the importance of plot; Mark Billingham - creating suspense; ML Hyland - revising and rewriting. Learn the do's and don'ts of great writing, from: Diana Athill, Margaret Atwood, Roddy Doyle, Geoff Dyer, Anne Enright, Richard Ford, Esther Freud, Neil Gaiman, David Hare, PD James, AL Kennedy, Hilary Mantel, Michael Moorcock, Andrew Motion, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx, Ian Rankin, Will Self, Helen Simpson, Colm Toibin, Rose Tremain and Jeanette Winterson. There are unique insights into the making of modern classics, by the authors themselves: Martin Amis on Time's Arrow; Sue Townsend on The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole; Susan Hill on The Woman In Black; AS Byatt on Possession; Edna O'Brien on The Country Girls; Hanif Kureishi on The Buddha of Suburbia; Iain Banks on The Wasp Factory; Charles Frazier on Cold Mountain; Andrea Levy on Small Island; Terry Pratchett on Unseen Academicals; Margaret Drabble on The Millstone; Mohsin Hamid on The Reluctant Fundamentalist; Douglas Coupland on Generation X; Jim Crace on Quarantine; Zoe Heller on Notes On A Scandal; Irvine Welsh on Trainspotting; Russell Hoban on Ridley Walker. And a few final tips - not all entirely serious - from Blake Morrison, Charlie Brooker and Hilary Mantel.