Time— I work best in the morning. I’m terrible in the afternoon. And useless in the evening.

Office—Sometimes I work in my office at home. Sometimes I work in my office away from home. Whim and fancy play a large part in deciding which office to work in. (This, for example, is being typed at home. But tomorrow I’ll be in my proper office.)

Thinking—Working isn’t always about writing. Sometimes it’s about thinking. I used to feel quite guilty about spending whole mornings thinking because I thought it wasn’t work. Now, however I’m much wiser. Thinking is an essential part of the writing process. Without ideas (a by-product of the process of thinking) I’m pretty much stuffed, so now I regularly spend a lot of time thinking and no longer feel guilty.

Reading—I look at (rather than read) one newspaper every day. In my ideal world I’d look at them all. I love newspapers. Why am I looking rather than reading? Who has got time to read a newspaper from cover to cover? Get the gist and then move on. Newspapers are good for thinking. Sometimes they give you ideas.

Reading (part 2)—I love magazines. I love the promise they hold. Each time I buy a magazine I think, “Something in here might change my life.” It never does of course. But I like the idea that it might. They’re also good for fuelling the thinking process.

The Internet—Many years ago in my youth I dismissed the internet to a friend by calling it “CB radio for computer geeks.” I was wrong but right at the same time. CB radio was a way of bringing strangers together and so is the internet. What I like most about the internet is the wealth of new ideas it brings into the world every day. Say what you like about the web but it definitely makes people think.