My co-author Jochen Zeitz campaigns even when he’s in his kitchen
No single skill has shaped my working life more than writing. I began the process fairly early, writing short stories at prep school and reading them out to the other boys when (as some form of class monitor) I was meant to be keeping them quiet in the after-lunch rest period.
I once tried to calculate how many words I had written, ending up somewhere in the millions. The key thing, though, is what impact the words have on their readers. What follows is a brief survey of the books, reports, articles and blogs I have produced, with a sub-section devoted to each. Of these, the books have been the biggest challenge—and the greatest learning opportunities. I truly feel most alive, regardless of what I happen to be doing at the time, when I am in the process of research and writing a new book.
Finally, a couple of images from the earlier version of this website, from inside the walls of the book factory:
Incubator: The back study in Barnes where I have written most of my books to date—and where Julia (Hailes) and I wrote back-to-back for several years. With my encouragement, Elaine has now colonised this study, so I now tend to write in the kitchen and wherever else I can find a comfortable chair.
Wordboarding: A Geoff Grandfield cartoon hangs on our walls, summing it up