Goodreads asked Xanxa Symanah:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Xanxa Symanah Read! Read! Read! I've always been an avid reader and even loved to have books read to me before I learned for myself. I would even say that you should try to read genres which you dislike, because you can still learn from them. I particularly loathe chick-lit and Silhouette-style romances but in my younger days I read loads of trashy "novice nurse falls for dashing doctor" type books which were all too predictable. Obviously it makes good sense to read other authors within your own genre, but by trying out other genres you can check out the competition and try to work out why those genres are so popular. Reading various different writing styles also helps you develop your own way of writing.

I would also say that it's not strictly necessary to start a new novel at the beginning. If you have an idea for a scene which happens later on in the proceedings, write it. You may have to edit it later or change something else in the novel, but if it's aching to be written, just do it. If you have something (anything) which sparks a novel off, you can always fill in the blanks later.

Also, don't do what I did and sit on your books for years. I started writing when I was a child but was often too embarrassed to show my work to anyone. When I did, I was quite surprised at their reactions, especially my dad telling me that my command of language was frightening. I waited until my 40s to try to publish, so please don't wait that long!

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