I’ve always thought that with two grandmothers who lived into their 90s and a mother and father who both look and act considerably younger than they are, my longevity was unquestionable. I’ve been calculating my superannuation requirements assuming a long, long life, but I’ve just read a story that suggests maybe I should start planning my pensioner years with a shorter span in mind!

The good news is the distressing fact that I might die younger than expected only works if I actually becoming a “real” novelist. So if things don’t work out with novels, at least I’ll have a few more years alive to do some more reading. Apparently there have been a bunch of studies done over the years looking at the age at which writers of various kinds die, and a recent article in the Guardian summarised the work of James C Kaufman, an American professor who seems particularly obsessed with this somewhat morbid topic.

Here’s the deal: if you’re a poet, you’re going to die first. Playwrights come next, living on average just one year longer than poets. Novelists will live four years longer than poets. But switch to writing non-fiction and you’ll live almost six years longer than a poet. I guess if I keep away from poetry – that’s probably easily done, because while I quite like reading it occasion, I don’t think I have the right talent to write it – at least I won’t die the youngest.