Working from home is now a well-established practice, with many people extolling its virtues. But it’s not for everyone, there are those who can’t get on with it and miss the routine of office life.  Authors have worked at home since time immemorial, in the garden shed, (or shepherd’s hut nowadays), a desk in the corner of the dining room or perhaps in the local coffee shop.

Authors need to find what works for them, balancing family demands, maybe a “day job” and other distractions such as taking your dog out for a walk when he demands it. Most authors agree that some form of structure is beneficial, you can’t just wait until you feel a moment of inspiration – you might have to wait a long time.

I like to start the week with a planning session on Monday morning.  Yep, I’m a lists person and note down the tasks for the week ahead.  Some of these will be research, but mainly it’s about developing certain plot lines or character profiles and having a word count target.

The famous author Lee Child has said that there is no such thing as “writer’s block”, that mystical fogging of the brain, it’s more likely to be “writer’s laziness.”  And I agree with him, it’s all about being flexible – if your imagination has deserted you and you just can’t think how to describe a glorious sunrise, don't give up, get on with something else, some fact checking, reading of other work in your genre or editing the work completed to date.  Just don't worry, the creativity part of your brain will wake up – and if it needs a kickstart, then take the dog out for a brisk walk!