Word Count: 39,404

Not long to go now and I’m still ahead.

Whilst in the midst of this challenge, I often feel guilty about taking time out to read. But it’s a passion and I can’t do without it.

Luckily, one of my writing heroes, Stephen King, agrees. ‘If you want to be a writer,’ he says, ‘you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot…reading is the creative centre of a writer’s life…you cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you.’