Not all writers have quiet lives. It’s a wonder how some of them found the time to write anything. Byron springs to mind, and Ernest Hemingway also seemed happiest in a war zone. Charles Dickens had more energy than seems humanly possible and in addition to writing a succession of masterpieces still found the time to edit various magazines, write hundreds of letters, put on plays, travel to the United States, tour Europe and finally burn himself out doing hugely popular readings from his own novels.

But that’s not how the vast majority of writers live. It can’t be, if they are committed to writing a steady succession of books. Most of them need their own writing space. As Virginia Woolf wrote in 1928, women who wanted to write needed A Room of One’s Own. Of course, as her forceful manifesto underlined, women who wanted to write also needed access to education and freedom from a patriarchal tyranny which went back through millennia.

Whatever the obstacles the individual faces, he or she will always require a regular amount of time per day to get their words written. And by and large, authors write their words pretty much every day. Stephen King aims for 2,000 and likes to keep to his daily routine throughout the first phase of the process – getting the first draft down on paper.

We know this because he wrote a brilliant book called simply On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft. This is generally regarded as the best book – the one book, indeed – to read if you want to be a writer yourself. It is addressed to you. Whether you like the stuff King writes (and I personally don’t) doesn’t matter. On Writing is for all of us, whatever our chosen genres. It is so honest, so firm, so compelling, and so inspiring. Whenever I come across someone who says they want to write a book, I send them to Stephen King. He’ll sit you down and give you the basic facts of life as far as writing is concerned. And whenever I re-read the book, I always feel my creative batteries recharged and my determination to write better books boosted. King is a wonderful companion and shares so many of his own challenges and failures that you feel you have a friend for life.

One of the things you get as a writer is attention, even if you’re not famous (‘Should I have heard of you?’). I don’t get invited to parties very often which is fine by me; but whenever I do and complete strangers open with, ‘So I hear you’re a writer?’ I’m pretty sure of what’s coming next. A lot of people harbour writerly ambitions, and given the opportunity seem happy to run them past a writer when they meet one. These aspirations can range from family memoirs, through complicated historical recreations, ghost stories, crime thrillers to children’s stories to How To books. All are possible, if not plausible. It depends on them.

They look at me as though I have some power to bless their intentions and set them off on the path to the publisher. And I do. I tell them to buy a copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. If they do, they will learn that books don’t write themselves; inspiration does not descend from the heavens with the first full moon of the month; that writers have to stick at it; that publishers and agents are actually keen to find good new writing and are not part of some secret cabal established to frustrate and deny the talent of those who don’t live in Notting Hill or other intellectually vibrant parts of London.

Of course, it’s not a level playing field. Books can muscle their way to the top of the best seller list because of the fame of the author. But that doesn’t mean working your way through the best guide to writing is a waste of your time. If you want to get there, if you’re determined to get there, Stephen King is your mentor. I’ll quote just two sentences: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around those two things that I’m aware of, no short cut.”

Now of course there are a great many people who want a book – or a series of books – but tdon’t have any desire to write them. That’s where we ghostwriters come in, and it is our ambition to help those people achieve their aims. We are experienced writers and know the book world pretty well. We can help, and collectively we have a great track record.

But if you’re reading this thinking ‘Oh, I wish I could write my own book’, you don’t need anyone’s permission. You need to find the time and generate the determination. At least go out and get your own copy of On Writing. It’s a terrific read whether it inspires you to write your own book or not. And if it does, and we meet at a party, you can thank me in person.