How has my life influenced my writing?

As a writer everything I see and do will influence what I write about. Born and bred in London with a paranoid mother I've been inbuilt with a subconscious skill of noticing almost everything that is happening around me; cautious of everyone and everything. I’m quite sure if i didn't have my friends I would be as much a recluse as the great Emily Dickinson once was ... although for very different reasons. Dickinson’s surroundings, and the things she read are clearly shown in her work. She struggled with a depressed mother, possibly fighting with depression herself, and battled with feelings for her brother’s wife; all of which had a large influence on her poetry.

History is a huge influence on my writing. After being forced to watch countless documentaries with my mum and grandma about various events in history, I started to develop a real interest for it; In particular Victorian London. Some of the greatest novels have been set in the streets of Victorian London, one major example of course being Sherlock Holmes. With so much history coming from just one city the possibilities are endless. The same story-line can have such a different outcome simply by moving it through the strong divides of the class system that were more prominent at that time.

I definitely believe that where you are from, what you read and what interests you have has a huge impact on what you write. Without those influences I’m quite sure today’s books and films would not be nearly as interesting.