Fiction authors are often asked about how they write, so I thought I’d explain my writing process too.

I write most of my copy in longhand with pen and paper, unless it’s transcription, as it’s far quicker and more practical to do that straight to PC. This may seem long-winded, but I find it helps me set out my thoughts. I sometimes make amendments as I go, but do my editing as I type it up. I find it easier to spot mistakes that way.

Occasionally I ask someone I trust to check my writing over for me. My husband worked as a journalist, and my parents are both English graduates and former teachers, so I’m confident that they can proof it properly.

When I’m writing for myself I get inspiration from all sorts of things. I get ideas in the middle of the night, so I jot them down in the Notes app on my phone (so I don’t lose them!) One of my hobbies is cooking, so I share recipes and tips. I go to a lot of different events, so I write about those. I also like to travel and have days out to interesting places, and I’d like to write about this more in the near future.

If I’m writing for a client, the process varies depending on the purpose. For web copy, it’s important to find out about the business – bios of the owner and staff, what the company does and so on.

For blog posts, I may need to do some research on the topic. It also helps to know the target audience and the purpose of the piece. When ghostwriting or working collaboratively on a book, I would meet with the client, take some notes and create a framework.

And how do I find the words? I’m afraid I don’t really know! Sometimes an idea occurs to me and I write the piece straight away. Other times, I have a particular subject tow write about, so I read up on it if I need to and find sources, and think about it for a couple of days while I do other things, then I sit down and craft the copy, adding information as I go.