I've printed this letter and stuck it above my desk in every place I've ever worked. In 1973, Hunter S Thompson was national affairs editor of Rolling Stone. He sent this to Anthony Burgess regarding some late copy. Burgess was, at the time, was one of the UK's most respected novelists. Not only is it deliciously irreverent, it also crystallises the relationship between work and creativity. Sometimes, instead of mooning around waiting for inspiration to strike us, we should all get our asses out of the piazza and back to the typewriter (or MacBook Pro, or whatever).

OK I'll trot out my HST story for you. He gave me a writing lesson at Woody Creek in Colorado. We spent the whole night reading aloud and "getting the rhythm". So there you go – I've been taught writing by HST and you haven't.