Reading and writing
My entire career has involved reading and writing. Here's why I got to where I am now.
Early influences
If we ignore Janet and John and the Ladybird series, the book that had the most impact on me as a child was an Alfred Hitchcock Three Investigators novel.
The kids were in an old, supposedly empty house and were terrified but didn't know why. It turned out that someone was playing a note on an organ that was so low, it was outside their conscious hearing range - but they didn't know it at the time and neither did I. They could hear it but didn't hear it.
The description of their irrational fear made me drop the book. I only picked it up again after my tea, when I realised I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I knew what had happened and why. It was the first time I recognised the power of the written word.
My five favourite books
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - because of the author's ability to create terror in the mind of the reader.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - which is a bit of a cheat as one book as it's five, but I love Douglas Adams' humour.
Notes from a Small Island - because Bill Bryson has an easy style and a great eye for description.
Lord of the Rings - I bought the first book when bored and wanting something to read. Six hours later I went back to the bookstore and bought the other two. I read all three in just over a day and a half and felt bereft at the end. What a story!
There are ten books above, which is a bit of a cheat, so I think I'll leave it at that.
Writing as a career
My family wasn't very well off at any time during my formative years and I remember my mum crying with worry about how we were going to pay the bills. She thought we were going to lose our home.
I noticed some of the comics I was reading (aged 9) published letters and had prizes for the star ones.
My first letter, to The Victor, won a star prize. I thought it would be some money. It was a table tennis set.
Undaunted, I did more research in the newsagents, wrote to Shoot - a soccer magazine - and won a £2 postal order, which I gave to my mum. She gave me a big hug then put it in my savings account.
I realised I could make money doing what I enjoyed and spent almost my entire working life writing for clients.
After decades of writing news releases, case studies, articles, advertisement copy, web copy, award entries, major bids, mail shots and newsletters, I started writing for myself again in 2020.
My writing process
Have a germ of an idea; make copious notes over long periods; throw it all into the laptop.
Have many restless nights, waking up with amazing ideas to use in the draft, then forgetting them by morning. Leave a notebook and pen by the bed; write down my overnight ideas and fall asleep again; wake up excited to see what I had written down, then realise it's either gibberish or indecipherable. At least I get some sleep.
Eventually realise I have enough material for at least three books in a series and set to work. Bang out the first draft; edit and remove around 10,000 words; bitterly regret the time wasted writing those 10,000 words in the first place.
Revamp the second draft, check grammar, tighten paragraphs, then send out to a handful of beta readers. Incorporate relevant comments into the third draft; leave three weeks then final read through and edit before formatting for print and digital.
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