Remember To Write For Yourself, Not For

That's What Sailing Is, A Dance, And Your Partner Is The Sea. And With The Sea You Never Take Liberties. You Ask Her, You Don't Tell Her. You Have To Remember Always That She's The Leader, Not You. You And Your Boat Are Dancing To Her Tune.

I Spend Months, Sometimes Years, Doing What I Call Dreamtime, Weaving It Together Inside My Head. But When I Actually Feel That The Egg Of My Story Is Ready To Hatch, Then I Can Write It In Three Months. Then I Know The Landscape And The People Well And From The Inside, But I Don't Necessarily Know Where The Story Is Going To Take Us.

There's A Mouse In Here With Me. He's Sitting There In The Light Of The Lamp, Looking Up At Me. He Seems As Surprised To See Me As I Am To See Him. There He Goes. I Can Hear Him Still, Scurrying About Somewhere Under The Hayrick. I Think He's Gone Now. I Hope He Comes Back. I Miss Him Already.

Elephants Are My Favourite Creatures And Have Been Since I Was A Boy And My Mother Read Kipling's The Elephant's Child To Me. It Was Loving Elephants So Much That Made We Want To Write My Own Story With An Elephant At The Centre And Its Bond With A Child.

Encouraging Young People To Believe In Themselves And Find Their Own Voice Whether It's Through Writing, Drama Or Art Is So Important In Giving Young People A Sense Of Self-worth.