Hoops of steel

Louise Doughty says, ‘If you can find another novelist who is working as a similar level to, with similar interests, who is frank and unafraid of frankness from you, then bind them to you with hoops of steel.’

Don’t be afraid

I came across this snippet in Louise Doughty’s book A Novel in a Year. It said, ‘Don’t be afraid of experimenting or writing very loose, first–draft material. Every small amount you write is a step forward and even if you end up editing that small amount as a later date, or axing it completely, you will have learned during the process of writing it. You will have moved forward.’