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My Writing Life: Kerry Young
"I don’t like to see a book marred by dog-eared pages, broken spines or writing in the text or margins. It seems disrespectful to me."
Jun 8
•
Royal Literary Fund
4
My Writing Life: Ming Ho
"Having the ability to write is only a tiny fraction of the job of being a writer. If you want to get paid for your work... it’s about 90% hustle."
May 25
•
Royal Literary Fund
6
1
My Writing Life: Bill Bryson
"Brace yourself: critics can be nasty."
May 4
•
Royal Literary Fund
14
1
3
My Writing Life: Jill Dawson
"Waiting to hear back. Waiting to be paid. Waiting for a book to come out. Waiting to hear from your agent. Waiting, waiting."
Apr 20
•
Royal Literary Fund
16
4
My Writing Life: Jesse Armstrong
"I don’t think there are really many words which have much significance compared to the power of experience."
Apr 6
•
Royal Literary Fund
7
3
My Writing Life: Dorothy Koomson
"All writers face rejection – it doesn’t make it easier to immediately accept, but it can be comforting to know that you’re not alone..."
Mar 16
•
Royal Literary Fund
8
3
My Writing Life: Michael Symmons Roberts
"I wish I’d been told that the writing itself doesn’t get any easier, but this is what makes it the best work I can imagine doing."
Mar 2
•
Royal Literary Fund
6
1
My Writing Life: Penny Pepper
"Patience is everything, in parallel with accepting the hard graft and resisting the fantasy of fast, overnight success stories."
Feb 16
•
Royal Literary Fund
and
Penny Pepper
15
3
My Writing Life: Mark Haddon
"I have more than enough other psychological shortcomings to keep me busy."
Feb 2
•
Royal Literary Fund
9
1
1
My Writing Life: Katie Hickman
"When you are young, it is a wonderful thing not to know too much about the stumbling blocks ahead."
Jan 19
•
Royal Literary Fund
6
4
My Writing Life: Ian Seed
"I wish someone had told me about the importance of being part of a community of writers. I had too many pseudo-romantic ideas in my head about poets in…
Jan 5
•
Royal Literary Fund
and
Ian Seed
11
2
6
My Writing Life: Craig Brown
"I remind myself each day that being a writer is better than the alternatives."
Dec 15, 2025
•
Royal Literary Fund
7
1
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