Buy a cat, stay up late, don’t drink: top 10 writers’ tips on writing

Made a New Year resolution to start writing that novel? Take some writing tips from Leo Tolstoy, Muriel Spark, John Steinbeck and other famous authors

1. Hilary Mantel – a little arrogance can be a great help
2. Leo Tolstoy and HP Lovecraft – pick the hours that work best for you
3. William Faulkner – read to write
4. Katherine Mansfield – writing anything is better than nothing
5. Ernest Hemingway – stop while the going is good
6. John Steinbeck – take it a page at a time
7. Miranda July – don’t worry about the bad drafts
8. F Scott Fitzgerald – don’t write and drink
9. Zadie Smith – get offline
10. Muriel Spark* – get a cat

Read more at theguardian.com