What I do all Day

Ever wondered what writers really do? Well, here's my answer - or part of it.

I spend a lot of time writing, of course. Sometimes I do it on the computer, and sometimes I use pens and paper. I visit schools, too, and talk at conferences and book festivals. But that's not the whole story. Being a writer has led me into much odder experiences. Among other things, I've

opened libraries
quizzed someone at the Ministry of Defence about making bombs
been taken into the wolf cage at London Zoo. (There were about seven wolves in there at the time. If you want to know what it was like, you'll find a description in Wolf.)
been involved with a musical
had my face stroked by an elephant's trunk. (She stroked my coat as well, all over. It was nice, but very embarrassing - because I had to travel home on the train, and I reeked of elephant!)
been on location with a television crew
put on a virtual reality helmet and walked into a room full of fish swimming all round me.
had the Blue Peter team in my kitchen
interviewed a goat
slid feet first up the stairs

That's just a handful of my experiences. Other people will have completely different ones - but I expect they're just as odd and varied. (Maybe we ought to run a competition for the most peculiar one . . . ?) When you're a writer, you never know where the next book will lead.