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Josie's Writing Page

Silence | Seven Days | MA in Writing | Writing Porfolio | Online Writing | Casting Pods

I am a published writer having fiction and non-fiction in magazine and on-line format. I also have poetry published, and have had scripts made into animations as well as creating my own animations and games. Seven Days is my first book publication. I have a large portfolio of short stories, four unpublished novels (one due to be published soon), several feature scripts and am currently actively seeking an agent.

My novel Silence is due to be published by Legend Press in July 2008. For more detail click here.

I am a member of several Writers’ Forums online (see my Online Writing Page) and have posted my work in many disparate places. I decided it was high time that I made a list of links to my web-published work so have created an online portfolio.

To anyone who asks me what is the best book to read if you want to be a writer, I would reply ‘all books’. The well-written books will help you find what you want to aspire to and the poorly written books will show you what to avoid. Also, reading a lot within and outside of your chosen genre, imho, is a much more fun method of absorbing the basics of grammar, plot, characterisation and technique that learning them dry. But if pushed further to recommend a writing manual, I would give the following two:

• Stephen King's On Writing - part autobiography, part writing manual. A very interesting insight into his writing techniques and his life. Not necessarily solely for horror fans, this is the only Stephen King book I’ve read.
• William Goldman's Four Screenplays - taught me everything I know about scriptwriting. Includes Butch Cassidy, Marathon Man, The Princess Bride and Misery. With a very useful introduction.

I'm a writer no matter what subject, genre or format. I mostly work straight onto the computer (having a desktop machine and two laptops in the house). But wherever I go, you can guarantee that I'll have a pen and paper at the ready in case inspiration strikes! Here I am jotting down notes - on a beach in Benidorm, December 2001.

I see myself very much as a ‘jobbing writer’ and approach it with a business head in the same way that I approach my web design. I could erect a sign with ‘NO JOB TOO BIG OR SMALL’ like a plumber. This does not mean that I’m an untalented hack, or that I don’t have literary aspirations, but that I live in the real world and understand that only those who are able to sell themselves are likely to get anywhere. Examples of my entrepreneurial approach to writing can be seen on my Portfolio.