Lionel Shriver is the author of We Need To Talk About Kevin, a novel that has captivated thousands since its release in 2005, and she was welcomed as the star speaker of New Writing South’s annual lecture.

As anyone who’s read her articles will attest, Shriver’s the kind of quick, blunt writer who terrifies her subjects and thrills her readers with equal intensity. This sharpness translates brilliantly at a literary event, and was exemplified in the question and answer session at the end of her talk, in which she batted responses into the audience with continued control and just the right amount of emotion.

There’s more to Shriver than Kevin. She’s penned twelve novels over 25 years, each with a distinctly separate theme, ranging from healthcare to obesity, economics to demography. She’s had life-changing success, and been turned down by publishers.

As such, Lionel Shriver is perfectly placed to judge who needs another book, and how writers can maximize their chances of producing a novel that’s interesting, innovative and commercially rewarded.

After reeling off inspiring tips writers should ask themselves when devising a novel, the answer to the lecture’s central question seemed obvious. Who needs another book? If it’s written with Shriver’s guidelines in mind, we all do.