Fi Phillips

I'm not a lark. Early mornings do not happen naturally to me. Unfortunately, with two children and a school run to arrange, I'm the first one up in our house. It would be nice, sometimes, to be able to just get up and write, work on my creative outpourings like my literary heroes. Oliver Burkeman thought he would try just that - spending a day following the routines and habits of some of our creative greats. You can find out how he got along in Rise and shine: the daily routines of history's most creative minds .

I was delighted to read on the online Guardian news site today about a 'mature' lady who has just landed her first book deal. Myrrha Stanford-Smith, an 82 year old teacher, theatre director and grandmother, has obtained a three book agreement with publisher Honno . Her debut novel The Great Lie appeared in bookshops last week. Based around her Elizabethan hero Nick Talbot, who buckles his swash on a regular basis, the novel dips into the rivalry between William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlow as 16 year old Nick runs away with a troupe of travelling players to London. It just goes to show that you should never give up on the dream.