Richard Skinner is a novelist, poet and critic. His most recent book, The Mirror, was described as ‘beautifully written . . . immersive . . . captivating’ by the Guardian. As Director of the Fiction Programme at Faber Academy, he created the flagship Writing a Novel six-month course in 2009 and since then has helped hundreds of writers find their voice.

You can read Richard's essay about creative writing in the Observer here