As a former journalist of some 13 years having a work appear in print had long ago become a matter of routine. But having a book published is something completely different and new . There's an old saying that there's a good book in each of us - and I he believe that's true.

What we may want to write about varies from person-to-person. But the motivation is the same. The same impulse that drives a rock star to appear on a stage in front of 30,000 people is the same reason we pick up a pen: we want people to know that we're here, that we've had an idea , that we have something to share.

But once you've decided to produce a masterpiece, what then? I'm always surprised at the number of people I come across who tell me that they are the in the process of writing a book but have yet to actually 'start.' And some people have already written the first couple of paragraphs and are waiting for something to happen to free them to complete the rest of their grand epic. So, what's the secret? I have recently completed my first book, Heavens Fire. It went on a sale four months ago and, I am told, has shifted nearly 3000 copies. Most of this, I might add to, was from word-of-mouth recommendation.

During the writing process I discovered ? and often learnt the hard way ? that there are a few absolute rules necessary to produce a finished book.

The first of these is planning your book from beginning to end. I know we've all read about authors who claim that they just start writing a story and the plot develops page by page. The sad truth is that these are very rare and gifted people. For most of us mere mortals a far more pedestrian and less romantic approach is often necessary.

Before you even start to write the first chapter of your book, plan every single chapter, every single plot twist, revelation and surprise in advance. Do this on paper or on your PC . You can probably find some software out there that will help. For Heaven's Fire, a story with more twists and turns than a spaghetti Junction, I used a handy and invaluable piece of kit called Inspiration. As the name suggests it's a piece of software that organises your inspirational gems in a graphic form.

This allows you to literally visualise each chapter using icons and other images. It's amazing how, once you lay your book out as a series of interconnected images, its relatively simple to keep track of who's doing what to whom, where and when.

Next, you have to face up to the fact that you're never going to find time to write. We are all busy people with competing demands for our time. You have to make time to write. Even if you work 8-10 hours a day, dedicate at least an hour and a half to writing. Find a place that you will use to write in. This can be either a study, a comfortable arm- chair or even just a deck chair in your garden. Every time you go to that place your mind will tell you that you're going to write. Try it. It really does work. My place was travelling on a train. As I commuted to work every morning, I got into the habit of writing on the way to and from work.

Read as diversely as you can, making a mental note of the rhythm of a book. Study how good authors carry the reader along with the flow and pace of their book. Sometimes reading a great book can motivate you to knuckle down and start producing your own little masterpiece.

Once you've written a chapter don't be afraid to re-read it and rewrite it if necessary. Be wary of asking friends and relatives their opinion of your work. Those who are jealous that you've actually managed to write something will never give you positive feedback while those who are proud of your achievement will never tell you the truth. Your best bet is to find somebody that you don't know too well who is prepared to set aside some time to proof-read your work and give you some honest feedback.

If you get stuck in a certain chapter, don't beat yourself up about it. Skip over to the next chapter and, once you've had some time away from what you thought was a brick wall, come back to it and you'll see something so obvious that it will make you slap your forehead in wonder. The answer is usually more obvious than we realise.

Last but least, give yourself time to produce a work that you can be proud of. Don't rush it. Heavens Fire has less than 300 pages and took almost two years to produce. The result, thankfully, is a book that some consider one of the most important books they have ever read. I'm not super-smart but the chances are that you are. Get working on that master piece. Write now.