This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Little, Brown Editor-in-Chief Antonia Hodgson has worked in publishing for 19 years. Her debut novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea was published recently and will be reviewed here soon. Today, drawing from her vast publishing experience, Antonia has given us her top five writing tips. 
Before I begin I should stress that there is no right or wrong way to write – only the way that works for you. (And my way, obviously.)
1. Only do it if you love it. Otherwise there really is no point. That said, I was on a panel a few years ago and an author disagreed vehemently with this advice. He said he hated writing, but felt utterly compelled to sit at his desk every day, weeping with angst. (Or words to that effect – it was a while ago.) So, to clarify, only write a) because you love it, or b) because your scary dominatrix muse compels you, screaming ‘write, damn you, write!’ in your ear when you’d much rather be lolling around eating marshmallows and twiddling your toes.
2. Write as much and as often as you can. Ditto with reading. Writing is the same as any other art form – you may have innate talent, but practice is vital. If that all sounds a bit drudgy and hard, see tip 1.
3. Get up! Stretch! Walk around a bit. You’ve been sitting there for ages.
4. If, in quiet moments of reflection, you start to wonder if a certain scene isn’t quite working… it isn’t working.
5. Don’t become obsessed by readers’ opinions. People will like different things. Some will love a scene that others barely noticed. Some may not like your book at all. (Wolf Hall has over 200 one-star reviews on Amazon. Wolf Hall!) If every single reader says, ‘I found chapter three boring’, maybe, possibly, chapter three is boring. But if you try to please everyone you’ll please no one – and drive yourself crazy in the process.