I can’t really take the credit for the idea because it was very much inspired by the Dictionary of Financial Remedies. I proposed the idea of the Dictionary of Private Children Law to HHJ Hess because I had found the sister Dictionary of Financial Remedies hugely useful and often thought that a similar book on private children law would be a good thing to have, so to a certain extent I ended up writing the book for me, and I do use it!

I plucked up the courage to ask the question of HHJ Hess during the early days of the pandemic when I thought (feared?) I would have a lot more time on my hands and so I didn’t see writing time as a problem. The actual time management of writing became a much more significant issue than I had anticipated at the start, but I dealt with it by setting myself a fairly strict timetable of writing a certain number of chapters per month. I tried not to do it all at one time to make it a bit more manageable and to keep it more fun. I did have to ask my clerks to set aside days when I was particularly busy, but at other times I just fitted it in when cases settled or went short for other reasons.

The blank sheet of paper is the most difficult bit. I found that on the whole once I had started writing each chapter it became much easier. Sometimes I would write down pretty much anything to get me started and then once it started to flow the initial paragraph would often be deleted. There was obviously a lot of cross-checking legislation reference and cases, but I tried to write as much as possible and then come back to cross-check things after I had done most of the writing. It is much easier to add things in a tidy things up when you have left it for a bit and come back to it. I found if I tried to do too much at once it just felt onerous.

Keep it practical: write a book that you would want to read. If you have a broader audience in mind, then keep them in mind as you are writing. Think: will this be helpful? Is this clear enough or should I add more explanation?

Find good co-authors: especially as a first-time author I have been hugely lucky to have such talented co-authors. It is really helpful to have other people to bounce ideas off and to cross-check your work. It also helps to keep you accountable, especially to deadlines.

Give yourself enough time: it is really important to keep it manageable, especially if you are trying to fit it in around other things. Taking it one chapter at a time rather than trying to do too much at once. Initially I tried to write a lot of chapters in a day, but I lost focus and ended up deleting a lot of what I had written, so taking it one step at a time is much better.

Have a good structure: we had it pretty easy because the dictionary structure really helps to keep you focussed. I think a word count is also good as it stops you from writing too much. As with any writing keeping it simple is usually better.

Go for it: I was nervous about proposing the DPCL because I wasn’t sure it would be accepted, but I have been really pleased by how many people have commented on how useful it is and I wish I had suggested it earlier. I would definitely encourage any would-be authors out there to have faith in their ideas and go for it!