In reply to Ellie’s question:
I wrote with passion and sincerity from the ages of 7 to 13. I loved it and could never get enough of bending my imagination with pen and paper. I used to win comps and awards for poetry and creative writing…but all of this got knocked back when I was 13. My English teacher at the time gave us the opportunity to write creatively and with no constraints then proceeded to tell me off in front of everyone after he realised that I’d written a sci-fi piece. I’m embarrassed to admit that the experience put me off writing and I stayed away from it for the rest of my school years. (Of note: I don’t think the teacher was being vindictive, he was merely old school).
It wasn’t until I was 26 that I picked up the pen again and rekindled my love for the game.
All the funkiest,
Mx
(Whoops! Let me add the Marcus moral of the story – if you love doing something, pursue it regardless of what others might think!)