Q - How old was I when I first knew I wanted to be a writer?

[Satya]

Katia asks: Fiona, how old were you when you first knew that you would become a writer? Did you win prizes for your writing at school from an early age and were you a child who loved to read more than anything else? Do you have writers in your family and were you given encouragement or were you advised to get a "proper job" lol!!?

Thanks for your questions, Katia! The only thing I can remember 'wanting to be' when I was young was a ballerina, and that didn't last long. I have always loved words, and I can remember making 'books' when I was little by stapling together folded A4. I don't think I finished the story very often, but it was very exciting. I loved writing stories at school too.

I've never won any prizes, although I do have an old school report which praised my writing. Nobody in my family writes, and I haven't felt hugely encouraged to be a writer (I think my dad would have preferred me to be a doctor or lawyer) but I've never felt discouraged. I think above all my family wants me to be happy. And I am!

[Katia]

Thanks for answering, Fiona! Here's another batch of questions, lol!: do you sometimes dream about your characters, and/or possible storylines? Do you feel that your characters have a life of their own in some sense? When you meet an intriguing person in real life, do you ever base a character on that person, albeit in disguised form? Do you sometimes get depressed or frustrated if the writing isn't flowing? Do you ever lose sleep trying to work out a plot or character?