Writing found me when most had written me off.
At school, my exam results were pinned to the board like badges of shame – permanently ungraded.
The establishment had marked me as a lost cause, a late developer they said with thinly veiled disdain.
I left school with two O-levels – Politics and English, both C grades. Hardly the makings of a writer according to conventional wisdom. But conventional wisdom is often wrong.
You don’t need to study the classics or get validation from writing institutions.
Look at the history of punk rock – raw, untamed creativity that changed music forever.
The establishment called us medieval brigands and the great unwashed. Sound familiar?
The privileged, entitled ruling class and their sycophants want to keep the gates closed.
They want writing to remain their exclusive domain. But words belong to everyone.
Despite academic failure and personal struggles including addiction (now over a decade in recovery), I found my voice.
When people say you can’t write, that’s precisely when you should start writing.
Can’t get words onto paper? Pick up your phone. Open the voice recorder. Start speaking.
Your thoughts matter. Your story matters.
The world needs voices that haven’t been polished and sanitised by creative writing degrees.
Your cluttered, chaotic thoughts can become dynamite that changes minds and moves hearts.
The ‘proper’ way isn’t the only way. Sometimes it’s the worst way.
Write your truth. Break the rules. Make your own path.
The gatekeepers don’t own storytelling – we do.
Every voice deserves to be heard, especially those they try to silence.