Once you have digested the first five rules, you can move on. These are the only rules you need to follow when writing a novel because, believe me, once you learn these, everything else will follow naturally.

Rule 6: Read, Read, and Read Some More

Most writers go through childhood as readers and many continue the habit. If you don’t read now, start again. Reading for pleasure is a fantastic way of learning how to write – and in some cases, how not to write. So head to the library or fill up your Kindle and read to your heart's content. Listen to audio books while you are traveling or doing your chores. If you want to move on with your writing, then you need to go back to the places where others have dared to tread.

Rule 7: Listen and Watch

Quite apart from reading, a good writer always listens simply because one of the most important parts of being a good writer is observation. You have an entire world of voices and sounds at your disposal. Wherever you go, you are walking or driving through an entire arena where life is played out. Watch what people do, how they act, how they walk. Watch how they interact with one another, who they talk to and who they ignore. Write your observations down. Listen to what they say, listen to the world around you and write down things you hear that you could use in your book.

Rule 8: Don’t Write About Things That Don’t Interest You

There is nothing to be gained in writing about things that you have no interest in; it shows in your writing and in the information you pass on. Nobody, not even the top-level publishers, has a clue what is going to sell next; if they did, publishers and authors wouldn’t be struggling to make their way in a cutthroat world. Instead of trying to second-guess the market, just write about what you find interesting enough to push out a book. Your interest will spill over and the readers will pick up on it.

Rule 9: This Isn’t Your Only Job – Yet

Too many would-be writers start writing a novel and quit their day job, only to find that the money isn’t going to flow in unaided. Don’t do it. In fact, when you start writing, don’t even think about publishing – you have a long way to go before you get to that state. You have absolutely no way of knowing whether any agent would be interested in your work and, if they are, you don’t know how much you will get paid. Advances are small compared to what they used to be and you cannot guarantee a regular income, not even if you write all day every day.

Rule 10: Never Complain

There isn’t a big boss standing over you with a stick, waiting to beat you if you don’t write every day. You are the only person who is making you do this so don’t complain about it. It's nobody else’s fault that you had to get up at the crack of dawn to write a few pages before work, or stayed up till the early hours of the morning finishing off a chapter. It's you who made you tired, no-one else. Your novel is not some great sacrifice you are making for the greater good; it's your choice.