I BEGAN writing stories as a teenager during my days as a medical student at Cambridge, but then I won a short story competition which really gave me the impetus to carry on. I published my first novel in 1962, when I was 32.

I've been a full-time professional writer ever since.

I've always had a writing discipline.

I'm now nearly 70 and I think that I work just as hard as I did 30 years ago.

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BACKGROUND

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BACKGROUND

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I try to write about 1,000 words a day in longhand and then edit it very carefully later before I type if out. I have been known to stop in the middle of a sentence sometimes when I've reached my limit. But self-discipline is enormously important ý you can't rely on inspiration or a novel would take ten years.

I always prepare a very detailed synopsis before I start writing.

Sometimes this will be anything up to 30,000 words in length. It's just me working out my story and my cast. I once did one for a book called The Unlimited Dream Company where the synopsis was longer than the book.

I've lived in Shepperton in Middlesex for the past 40 years. I live alone now that my children have grown up. I write in my sitting-room on a large table, popular with my neighbour's cats. I start at around 10am, and work until 1pm.

I don't use a word processor. I was already too old by the time they came in, and I don't like staring at a screen. I always go for a walk by the river at the end of the day to clear my mind.

I tend to write about one novel every three years. When I finish one I have a fallow period where I just jot down ideas, write short stories, and think that could take a year.

I've never suffered from writer's block. I have plenty of ideas, sometimes too many. I've always had a strong imagination. If it dries up I'll stop and look for another career. But I wouldn't recommend writing. You can be a successful writer and never meet another soul. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

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