I have been writing words that influence others for more than 40 years.

I have been writing words that influence others for more than 40 years. For a while I owned and ran a marketing agency so wrote copy for advertising, print, news releases and websites. I’ve also created names for companies and products. My first book was published in 2002 and as you can see below, I have been writing books ever since.

Taking a year out in 2019 to become a full-time student on the UEA’s creative writing MA course took my writing to another level. It also provided a long overdue opportunity to look at how I spend my time, and the direction I want my writing to take in the future. I’ve come to realise that what gives me the most satisfaction, is the feedback I get from people I have written about.

Trade magazines sometimes commission me to profile leaders in their industry, which is an opportunity to give their readers an insight into the life and motivation of someone they have heard of, but know little about. I also like checklists, and often write ’10 ways to’ columns that encourage readers to see current issues from a different perspective. These profiles and columns are often sponsored, which gives companies an opportunity to build their brand by association.

Every good writer is also a voracious reader, and while I favour non-fiction, I read widely and will sometimes read a book just because it has caught the public imagination and become a best seller. I also enjoy reading books written more than 100 years ago, as they give insights into how life was once lived. I found William Booth’s In Darkest England particularly powerful as much of what he proposed, is now commonplace.