Taking the steps to becoming a professional writer were some of the most important I’ve ever taken in my life. Actually getting moving was tricky, but knowing that writing was the direction I wanted to move in in the first place was even trickier.

I’ve always felt a need to be creative and this has manifested itself in lots of different ways. Previously, I’ve written poetry and music as means of tapping into my creative side, both to my embarrassment and the horror of those who had to be a part of it.

I won’t subject you to my poems too much but just to give you a little taste:

“The boy paused…

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Actually, it’s a bit long that one so I’ll come back to it at the end. Another was:

“You know what they say

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Which is why the mortality rates in orchards are through the roof”

And my personal favourite:

“I’m not happy

Said the happy man

Another one of his lies”

My music career was equally as tragic. Up until the age of 18 I played in a band with some friends. At first we were called The Press but that name was taken so we changed it to Press but decided we didn’t like that one so became The Fourth Estate but that name was taken so changed it to just Fourth Estate before deciding we didn’t like that one and eventually settled on Paragon City.

Our band had 4 members, which consisted of one drummer and three guitarists. We didn’t have a bassist because none of us thought the bass was cool and there wasn’t enough room in the car for a fifth member. We would lie to people and tell them that we used the lack of bass and increased guitars to our advantage but really, we just played incredibly tinny Arctic Monkeys covers.

We didn’t stay together long. The day I realised the band wasn’t working was the day I received a comment from a drunk guy at a bar and it dawned on me that it was the only compliment I had ever received. He said, “when you first went up there, I thought you was going to be bad, but you weren’t that bad.”

One day I told a friend that story and they laughed before saying I should write about it. I did, which I loved doing and so have continued doing ever since. Even whilst experimenting with different genres, different jokes, different narratives and for a variety of magazines, marketing companies and blogs, all I’ve been focused on is writing.

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Some would argue for too long.”