By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing, kill yourself.

Technology offers great communication tools. Social media helps make connections. And, heart to heart conversations take place face to face and not over email, Whatsup, Facebook or Twitter. Don't be deceived.

Write, write, write! Get your you-know-what in the chair and write more books: write the books of your heart and don__ let stress steal your joy.

The new contract between writers and readers is one I'm prepared to sign up to. I've met some fascinating people at events and online. Down with the isolation of writers I say! And long live Twitter.

It's always been important for writers to be disciplined but now even more so. In addition to the traditional displacement activities like cleaning the fridge or eating cake writers are faced with a plethora of online possibilities (some of which may be professionally worthwhile as well as interesting and fun). As a writer it's important to learn how to focus so you can do both as and when you need to.

Nowadays, the Internet decides if you're good, not the big man in the big office. No matter how important that man thinks he is, everyone else knows that he's not important anymore, and the Internet decides these things, here in the modern age.