Over the next few years I developed an increasing interest in filmmaking. However, I didn’t consider writing or filmmaking as a career since both seemed too risky -- and I had always chosen the safe option in life. Instead I went on to study for a degree in computing and information technology.

During this time I felt increasingly restless until I finally accepted that the normal nine-to-five routine was not for me. I spent some years floundering around, trying to work out what I wanted to be: filmmaker or writer.

For a while I worked as a runner for a video production company and in 1996 I completed a nine-month course in video production and film studies. However, I had come to the frustrating conclusion that, although I had successfully made four short videos and enjoyed every minute, my rather quiet personality was better suited to my first love: writing.

So , as a first preparation for a writing career, I took  a correspondence course with Writers News until 1999 and then took the plunge into trying to earn a living from writing. It has been very hard, but it is worth it.