I'm writing this on a Sony notebook perched precariously on my lap,
said lap created by me slouching in the red armchair in my living
room. Prior to the red armchair slouching I thought about what I was
going to write on my walk home from my office (a luxury of my later
writing life) and I scribbled down some notes with the first pen that
came to hand while I was standing up in the kitchen cooking dinner.
Which leads me to my first bit of advice.

Don't get hung up about how, where and with what you write.

Most of my earlier novels I wrote longhand first, only typing up each
chapter or sometimes a bunch of chapters when I could get to a
computer.  Many of my later books I wrote parts of longhand but much
more directly on many different computers, in bedrooms and living
rooms, park benches, offices, beaches and even on the wall of a cr
usader castle. The location doesn't matter, and you don't need a great
computer, or any computer at all, to start with. Many famous novels
were written on pieces of paper with pens or even pencils. You can
always type it or get it typed later. Don't let the lack of a
computer, or the lack of a desk, or a writing room, or an attic, or a
comfortable café or time to go somewhere put you off. Writing in bed
can be pretty productive, or in the bath (though best to not use a
laptop there). Try writing wherever and whenever you can, and see what
works.

The journey of a book begins with a single chapter.

I never actually sit down in front of a blank screen or a piece of
paper and tell myself I have to write a ninety or one hundred thousand
word novel. I tell myself I have to write a chapter, which typically
will be somewhere between two and five thousand words. That&rsq uo;s a
much more achievable task. Then, when I've written a chapter, I put it
aside for revision and tell myself I have to write the next one.
Eventually, I discover that just by writing a chapter at a time, I've
written a book.

Rereading and revision works best after rest.

I like to let chapters sit for at least a day or two before I go back
to re-read and revise them. A little bit of space is helpful in
looking at the work with fresh eyes and mind. This can work well for
getting a rhythm of writing too, where you spend part of your writing
time re-reading and revising a previous chapter and then go on to
write new material. The re-reading and revising helps you get back
into the `world' of the book and the new writing helps you feel that
you're making forward progress, not just revising the old.

Write for the wri ting, don't plan on publishing or dwell on success
(or the lack of it).

While I think it's important and useful for writers to learn about
publishing and how the book business works, try to forget about all
that when you're actually writing. Worry about agents and publishers
and marketing when you actually have a finished novel, if you want to
try and get it published. But also remember that being published is
not a necessary validation or a path everyone wants to take with their
work. Writing---and finishing---a novel is a great thing in itself,
whether or not the book is published or becomes widely-read or not.

Finally, I think it's always best to write the story that is currently
strongest inside you, the one that won't go away, regardless of its
genre or marketability. If you are true to your inner vision, believe
in the reality of your story and write the book you want, you will
bring it to life.

Go od luck!

Garth Nix

--

Garth Nix lives in Sydney, Australia. He has been a part-time soldier
in the Australian Army Reserve, a bookseller, book sales
representative, publicist, editor, marketing consultant and literary
agent.  Garth's books include the award-winning fantasy novels
Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen and the young adult science fiction novel
Shade's Children. His fantasy novels for children include The
Ragwitch; the six books of The Seventh Tower sequence, and The Keys To
The Kingdom series. Garth's books have appeared on the bestseller
lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, The Bookseller, The
Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Sunday Times.

To put that in context, it took him five years to write his first
published book, and the one after that was universally rejected and
has never been published. But he just kept on writing. For more on
Garth, visit www.GarthNix.co.uk