Why do I write? Because I have to

[John Dean]

I came across an essay by George Orwell the other day, in which he said: “From a very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer. Between the ages of about seventeen and twenty-four, I tried to abandon this idea, but I did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books.”

I reckon I was also five or six when I knew that I wanted to tell stories. I was lucky - my folks encouraged me and I had two teachers, one at primary school, Judith Kent, and one at secondary, Tom Cowley, who helped me chase my dream.

But it would not have happened without the desire burning deep down within me. Why do I write? Because I have to.