Answers
What advice can you give to writers starting out?

Just do it. Loads of people say to me 'I don't know how you find the time'. But the truth is, I make the time. Writing is what I do in my spare time. Also, don't keep going back over the same chapter writing and rewriting. Or you'll be six months in Keep going forward until you reach the end. THEN start editing.  Or you'll end up six months down the line with the same 15,000 words.