I’ve never known what I want to be when I grow up. I’ve had a thousand ideas (show jumper, singer, vet, actress, astronaut, dancer, journalist, zoo keeper, musician).  I’ve even managed to have a go at some of them (teacher, library worker, typist, sponsorship officer), but so far I haven’t found ‘the one’.

If I stop and think about all of my favourite things, the majority have something in common. I love books, songs, films, theatre, pictures and chatting with family and friends. What ties them all together? Story. I love stories.  When I was young I spent hours writing stories and making up adventure games to play with my friends. As a teenager I turned to poetry as a way to make sense of what was happening around me. At college I threw myself into drama and performance. When I went out into the real world, life took over and most of my stories came from other people. My participation was largely passive – books and films.

Then, out of the blue, came an email from my old college. As an alumnus I was entitled to a discount if I took a post-graduate course of study. Well, it would be rude not to look, wouldn’t it! The taught MA in Writing for Children looked brilliant and so I applied.  Now I have graduated and I think I might have found ‘the one’. It’s hard going without the constant pressure and support of my lecturers and classmates but, when I grow up, I’m going to be a writer. With luck – and a lot of hardwork – I will write books that children want to read.

This blog is a way for me to flex my writing muscles and, probably, have an occasional rant. I’ll be writing about my progress towards becoming a published author as well as some of the other thing that are important in my life – my family (2 & 4 legged), cake, space, chocolate, naps – all in stories of just a few hundred words.