A study conducted in the United States found that people fear speaking in public to an unknown audience more than spiders, heights, going to the doctor, and thunder and lightning. If you are among the many people that become anxious at the thought of having to speak in front of others, you are not alone. However, public speaking and delivering oral presentations are skills that can be developed, refined and mastered.

This chapter explores the basic and advanced skills needed to deliver an effective oral presentation. We present various techniques you can use to improve your oral presentation skills to deliver successful academic and professional presentations, including ways of overcoming the ‘butterflies’ associated with public speaking.

Publishing short stories: writing websites, print periodicals, competitions. Submission tips. The relationship between agents and editors. How editors make decisions. Targeting and pitching a novel. Understanding and getting value from rejection. Holding your nerve. The writing life: a place to work; a time to work; keeping a notebook; finding a community of writers. Writer’s block and how to avoid it. Set achievable goals. The pleasures of writing.

‘If we believe we’ve said everything we want to say we may as well give up writing. Everything we write is an adventure, an attempt at mastering what we might never quite conquer. You’ve finished when you know you’ve done everything you can to make it as true and good as it can be.’