BEGINNER’S PLUCK: Eithne Shortall

Eithne has always wanted to achieve things young. She was first published aged 11, receiving £20 for a poem. At 21, she joined The Sunday Times, but took a break after a year to live in Paris and write.

“I worked in a primary school, drank wine, and hung out with other people who wanted to write. But nobody was writing.”

She has worked as a Sunday Times Journalist since.