I have welcomed all of the advice and feedback I have received in my journey so far. I have sought this advice in academic texts, online writing and direct feedback from both professionals and friends/family.

But, and this is a huge ‘but’, third-party advice can only do so much.

It is invaluable to know when a reader is struggling to understand a plot point or to empathise with a character, but the decision as to how (or whether) to deal with each perceived issue should be made by the writer.

The story, the characters and the world they inhabit, are only shared in part on the page. The writer knows  more about all of them than  will ever be explained to a reader and, with the possible exception of a highly-dedicated editor only he, or she, should have the final responsibility to decide what goes in and what stays out.

If I listen to the advice out there, of course, I need to be prepared for that idealistic belief to be dashed on the rocks of the publishing process where artistic vision meets crass commercialism.

Firstly, that will be a good problem to (hopefully) have one day, and secondly, I think I’m crassly commercial enough myself to be able to meet ‘I think this character needs to be feistier/sexier/stronger/nastier’ with ‘OK. How about this?’