On Tuesday this week I went to the Royal Albert Hall to see Eric Clapton. A virtuoso performance from a master, it was a real treat. The two-hour set included those songs that made him famous plus an acoustic section in the middle that was awesome. And he was accompanied by the best musicians - not least Steve Gadd on drums.

I was brought up in a house where drumming was the 'thing'. My dad was a great dancer and had rhythm in his soul; my brother John has gone on to be an excellent drummer. Steve Gadd was one of his heroes and he met him back in Edinburgh in 1993. He asked him how he put together his famous samba phrase - the one he used on Steely Dan's Aja. John had been trying to figure it out in his bedroom for years and there they were, both slapping their thighs, and Gadd says, 'You need to add the double on the bass-drum ..... there you go!'

My brother never forgot it. As he said, 'So generous. What a gentleman.'

On the way back home on the train, I was thinking about the creative process. I am only at the beginning and I am in awe of musicians, writers and painters who make it look effortless. I used to have a great love for clever sentences and descriptions and while they have their place, I don't think they should draw attention to themselves and so get in the way of the plot. Detail is important, it helps create pictures and feelings for the reader, but less is often more and, for the most part, I agree with George Orwell's advice to 'never use a long word where a short one will do.

At the moment I'm writing the second draft of my second novel and it's ... hard work. Not that I don't enjoy it, because I most definitely do, but finding the 'right words' is a balancing act of creativity, critical thinking and intuition.

I'll get there.