There are lots of resources for writers out there – courses, books, meetings, networks, hashtags – and you can find your preferred mix of support that works for you. For me, pausing the internet is a big one.

This pausing has mostly to do with avoiding distractions. I believe that avoiding distractions is the key technique for success while you are writing.

Two key distractions to writing are researching and editing. There you are, in full flow, typing away at long last when you come to a section where you want to mention a person, a place, a meeting, or whatever. The word or details are just on the tip of your tongue.

Don’t stop. Type zzzz and keep on writing.

The key is not to stop. Finish that first draft, even if it has 20 or 30 or 40 zzzzs.

With your first draft completed, then go back to edit. Each time you find a zzzz you will remember what you need to check and add in there – a date, a name, a Latin phrase, whatever.

And later on, any word processor can be used to search your text to make sure no zzzzs have been overlooked.

Somerset Maugham is reported to have said, “There are three rules for writing a book. Trouble is, no-one knows what they are.”

Well, for me, “don’t stop” is one of them.