An explorer always in search of the next great adventure.

Byline: Lauren de Beer

An explorer always in search of the next great adventure According to British wanderer Patrick Woodhead, writing a book was another novel challenge, writes The Cloud Maker Patrick Woodhead Random House Struik GIVEN Patrick Woodhead's penchant for conquering untamed mountains in Kyrgyzstan and Tibet, kayaking through unchartered tributaries in the Amazon, and generally hanging out in places cold enough to give a brass monkey something to think about, chances are the professional explorer would barely break a sweat at the thought of having to write a book.

But, says Woodhead, bringing The Cloud Maker to life was another sort of challenge altogether. Writing is one of those things you have to approach as a complete job, there's no mercy, so you can't be whimsical and write when you feel like writing. Even if your eyes feel like they're bleeding and you're just staring at the computer screen, and after 10 hours you come up with two paragraphs, it's one of those disciplines where you just have to knuckle down and do it. It can be tough …