My Story!
As a child, I was obsessed first with dinosaurs, then with cricket, then the Napoleonic wars and finally Doctor Who. I didn’t just love these things; I needed to know everything about them. I’d fill notebooks, question adults, create timelines, stats, storylines. It wasn’t just about collecting facts for facts sake, though - it was all about collecting details to tell better stories. I’d ask: what’s missing? What do I still need to find out to make this story clearer, sharper, more real? Then I’d go and dig. The instinct to research deeply, spot the gaps, and rebuild the story with clarity and care, never left me. It’s the same drive I bring today, to every commission. Curious, focused, detail-led, and I always ask: what does the reader need to understand, and how can I deliver it best?
A good start, but six creativity-killing years at Grammar School followed. An excruciating interlude spent pondering imponderable equations, making waste-of-space metal matchboxes and asking the way to the beach in a comedy Spanish accent. Then, at university I discovered Carl von Clausewitz, who was a 19th Century German philosopher of war, and to me, a revelation.
Clausewitz put me back on track. I liked to gather lots of info, and Clausewitz gave me a way of sorting, ordering, prioritising and connecting it, to reveal what really mattered. Clausewitz’s method stuck with me - a dialectical approach that explores tension and contradiction, always guided by a clear objective. Now, every piece I write, I ask myself three questions: What’s the goal? What’s missing that I need to find? How do the parts connect?
Subsequent years spent teaching and coaching sport gave me first-hand experience of professional environments and the people who work in them. I learned how organisations function under pressure, how professionals communicate (or don’t communicate, in some cases) and what professionalism looks like when it’s tested. I became more adaptable, a better listener and honed my questioning skills with both the recipient and my own objective, in mind. As a writer, I understand how to meet expectations, solve problems and write with the reader in mind.
Over time, I’ve developed a writing style that’s both curious and sharply focused, able to dig deep, ask the right questions, and craft stories that resonate in a wide range of genres.
I’m comfortable balancing the big picture with fine detail, and I’m aware of what’s present and what’s missing. This approach, shaped by years of experience and reflection, guides every piece I write.
If you need insightful, well-researched writing that hits the mark every time, I’m ready to bring your next commission to life.....
