To mark the 100th episode of Death Of 1000 Cuts, my writing advice podcast, I thought I'd record a Q&A, answering listeners' questions. Here are the questions I answer, in the order I answer them. Thanks very much to everyone who submitted questions! - How do you know when you’re being original? - When can you quit the day job? Should you quit the day job? - How do you balance writing and family life? - I'd love more tips about writing characters that are consistent and iconic but also growing and complex. 'How do word people better?' - What's the last literary novel you read that you rated highly? - Do you ever have trouble concentrating on your writing, and if so, what do you do to stay focused and productive? - What inspired you to write The Honours? - How do you decide when something is done? A piece of work might never reach the ideal image of it we have in our minds, so at what point then do we stop and send it off? - How do you know when you should give up on a particular piece of work? - What boardgame do you enthuse about to other people who love them and what boardgame do you enthuse about to other people who don't? - is "secret vampires" your favourite song by the pop group bis? - Would you advise forcing yourself to finish what you start or trust you're finishing the important ones? - I’d love to know your views on research.. are you a thorough mini expert in your subject before you even start? Or do you start then realise you need to research? - How much did you query before you found an agent? - Any tips on getting through the big first revision after completing a novel first draft? I find it much harder to summon the enthusiasm to edit than I did to create - Who is your favourite member of Steps and why? - When I read books by other authors, what should I be looking for that can help me with my own writing? - How do you finish stories? As in when do you stop iterating on them? - Writing right now feels like a completely safe space. Is it harder to feel like that once you’ve been published? What can you do about that? If you get value out of the show and you'd like to see us continue for another 100 episodes, the best way to show your support is to buy my novel, THE HONOURS: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 You can also drop me a couple of bucks directly to help with the show's overheads, via my ko-fi page: https://ko-fi.com/timclare Thank you!