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Like many writers, of course, I remain obsessed with novels. I finished Land of Waves, a novel for children, in 2021 and honestly did not know what to do with it. I had started writing short stories in rare free moments, and felt an imperative to do something more substantial that would make people take me seriously as a writer. I had written a crime novel prior to that but it was so bad I cannot find a metaphor with which to describe it. Land of Waves, therefore, was going to be my first real novel and I thought I’d start with a book for children because I felt strongly about the story, moved by the plight of child migrants taking voyages alone on overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean.

At first I was stumped. How foolish was it for an older writer with no literary background who has spent his life editing in newspapers, immersed in heavy subject matter, to go down this route? It was an experiment as much as anything else. But the novel began to take shape and, eventually, there it was: a completed manuscript. It duly went off to at least thirty agents … and bounced straight back again. I was dejected, of course. Then it was shortlisted at the Wells Festival of Literature Book for Children Competition in 2021—but to no avail. Still no agent. More dejection.

I pressed on, mainly by returning to the hearth of short story writing. I buried myself in competitions. These became a therapy, allowing me to experiment as a writer with diverse ideas and forms. They kept me doing what all writers should be doing all the time … write, write, write. And I had some wins, which gave me confidence.

I didn’t stop with the novels, of course, and wrote another one, this time for young adults, Molly Path. I sent this to agents and was again bounced more often than a Fifa match ball. I swallowed my pride, and began to wonder if novels were for me at all. A friend advised me that agent-less literary orphans sometimes try independent presses, and so off Molly Path went … to another twenty of these. No luck at first, but at the point of despair I happened upon Hawkwood, and the publisher Ellis Delmonte threw me a bone. Molly Path was published two years ago. Then Ellis agreed to bring Land of Waves to life. In June this year, I toured schools across England in support of Refugee Week to talk about the book.

So there are obvious lessons to be had from this sorry tale. First, it’s not sensible to put off writing to later in your life as I did. Time waits for no one, and you are sharper when you are younger. Second, short stories are a brilliant way to hone your skills. They are also a great way to ease into and out of longer projects, and explore characters that you may wish to develop elsewhere. Third, a book will take time to hatch, and even if it is not published now it may be one day. Have faith. Don’t lose hope. In the meantime … write short stories.

Finally, don’t think that because you are far more burned out than your average, hot, Booker prize-winning genius that you are spent: the body may be weary, but the book within it will not be.