I’m a mixed-race (half-Sri Lankan, half-Belgian) British gay man. I work as a Clinical Psychologist specialising in digital mental health. All of these things influence my approach to writing: the perspective I take on it, the issues I want to address, and the stories I want to tell.
After working as a Clinical Psychologist for twelve years, the extra time at home provided by the COVID-19 Pandemic prompted me to finally take up creative writing alongside my work.
Generative Creativity
At first, learning to write was a way of combating the Groundhog Day sense of everyday being the same and never moving forward, by developing a skill, and then using it to produce something genuinely new.
How did I learn?
I listened to Tim Clare’s 100 Day Writing Challenge podcast, and attended short courses by The Arvon Foundation, Curtis Brown Creative, and Faber Academy. I graduated from the HarperCollins Author Academy. I also read a lot of books about writing, such as David Corbett’s The Art of Character, Tiffany Yates Martin’s Intuitive Editing, George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, and several books by James Scott Bell.
Learning about, and improving, the craft is an ongoing process, so I keep reading, and attending courses when I can. Feedback is vital, so I am a member of my local critique group, and have a number of early readers who have been kind enough to share their thoughts about early versions of my manuscripts.
More than an outlet
Now writing has taken on a life of its own! I am delighted to becoming a published author (whilst still keeping up the day job at present).
I’m based in London, England. I’d love to trade in the big city for somewhere greener and quieter, but I can’t seem to get away from the transport connections, amenities and people I know!