I love writing but a very close second is teaching writing, encouraging others to write. We live in a world of elites where sometimes we feel that if we’re not going to be the top dog in any endeavour, then it’s not worth doing. But writing is for all of us—I often get students or teachers to go home and ask their families if they remember at least one piece of writing they’ve done in their life. Without fail, everybody (eventually) can come up with one letter, a speech, a journal, a travel diary, a story written in Primary School or a poem or song they wrote when their girlfriend/boyfriend dumped them.

Writing explains our world, sometimes soothing, other times a call to arms but it doesn’t only belong to those lucky enough to be published.
I’ve been teaching writing for 30 years and there’s nothing like the spark in somebody’s eyes when they suddenly understand that it’s not about how good you are at grammar or how well you spell or how extensive your vocabulary is—it’s more, what story have you got roaming around inside you that bursting to come out.