“I can tell you in less than fifty words how to get published…” So said Robert Heinlein and, whatever you think of his politics, Heinlein knew how to write (and sell) books. Way back in 1973 he gave a talk in which he fulfilled his promise in exactly 39 words and, frankly, nothing’s changed since.

If you had to define the single most important feature of a good book, what would you say? That a good book is not too long? Or that it’s got short sentences? Maybe it has characters who are just like you, or characters who you’d like to be. Perhaps it should have romantic vampires who […]