If we’re talking about writing, perhaps I should mention the writers that I really love. Now, wiser people than I at this point would bring out a list of novelists – my wife, for example, has probably read most of the novels ever written – or at the very least has exhausted just about everything of interest in the local library. And Waterstones. The problem is, I struggle with novels. Which is an issue, as (of course) I’m trying to write one. Isn’t everyone? But a novel is a complex beast, one in which the writing itself often needs to play second fiddle to tricky things like pacing, plotting and characterisation. So at the moment I’m talking about those whose style I love – if it is a style, which always sounds rather self-conscious to me. Some writers just seem to create beauty without really trying – some writers just seem to embody flair; skill; love for their craft, and some writers can make me laugh with just a word or two.

So give it up for Katherine Mansfield, Eric Thompson, and, at the top of the tree, A A Milne.

I remember the first time I read a Katherine Mansfield short story at university – it was Bliss, if I recall – I just thought “this is it – she gets it – this girl knows how to write”. What I meant by that was, well, ‘this is who I want to write like.’ The first few paragraphs of Bliss are utterly, utterly brilliant – outrageously effortless and ostentatiously easy.

Eric Thompson could do the same thing – craft a fragment of a sentence which would just make me laugh out loud, and thus I fell in love with his writing. So few words, so much joy. “Dougal was in bed, thinking about not being in bed.” I honestly thought, on reading this (and yes I know how stupid and pretentious this makes me sound) ‘Everyone else go home – Eric Thompson wins. Hands down.’

But then came The Sunny Side. Obviously I knew A A Milne was a genius from Pooh, and of course from his poetry. But I was never that bothered until Gillian and I encountered this extravagantly wonderful collections of short stories, poems, and general musings from Mr Milne. So right now it’s Milne that wins (hands down), and if you haven’t read The Sunny Side, you really have missed out – go read it! But on the other hand, maybe you shouldn’t. Gillian and I love it so much that I honestly feel that I don’t want others to know it too – as it’s just ours, somehow, at present – but that’s clearly stupid. Actually you’d probably just read it and find it light and inconsequential, or something, and think that I’m a little over-egging the pudding. But seeing as that’s how I like my pudding, let me just say that I think The Problem of Life from this little book is possibly the greatest, most tragic, most funny, most stupidly brilliant thing I have ever read. And it’s probably only just my favourite one – The Enchanted Castle is just Gillian and me, Oranges and Lemons is utterly wonderful (and makes me want to be friends with everyone in it – even Simpson) and Common and The Way Down… and… and Blackman’s Warbler! Sorry, I’m babbling, but who cares?

That is what I want to write like. I would love to be able to do novels, to plot, to pace, to characterise, but I simply love to form words into sentences; to capture a moment  – to frame an emotion, a thought. These are the ones I have found that do it best. Oh, and another thing – they all write with Joy, and they write about Joy. So much is written about misery; I guess I’m just a sucker for happy stuff.