Clare Furniss

One of the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave me was ‘Don’t send your work off to anyone before it’s ready’. Writing a story takes time. Making it into a good story takes longer. Making it into the best story it can be can take a really long time. Don’t rush. If you know something doesn’t quite work, don’t ignore it. Put the manuscript away for a while if you can. Coming back to it after a break can make it clearer what you can improve and how. It can feel frustrating but, in my experience, patience and determination to make your writing as good as it possibly can be pay off.