About

Simon Whaley cooking up another idea at a writers' circle - Photo credit: Mike White

I began writing in my early teens and a couple of years later saw my first published piece in October 1989. Hooked from then on in, I spent as much of my free time writing as I could. Fifteen years later, in January 2004, I did something that every writing book on the planet tells you not to do – I jacked in the day job and became a full time writer. Well, if you don’t try, you’ll never find out will you?

At the age of 14 I wrote to several famous writers asking for their advice, which included:

● Don’t – become a brain surgeon instead, it’s easier. (Alan Bleasdale)

● Never give up. (John Sullivan)

● Draw on what’s around you. (Alan Ayckbourn)

Looking back, I wholeheartedly concur will all of those. Becoming a Brain Surgeon would probably have taken less than 15 years.

 Nor did I give up, which is how I came to get my first book published. (Nothing surprised me more than when the publishers of my first book, 100 Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human, were forced to print 100,000 copies in the run up to Christmas 2003, such was its success.) And I’ve certainly drawn upon what’s around me – how else do you think I managed to write a book about banking, applying for community grants, running a writers’ circle and walking in the Welsh borders?

Simon's nameplate at Barclays Bank

After spending 8 years working for Barclays Bank in south-west London, the Welsh borders beckoned, where the summer of 1997 was spent settling in. The final months of that year saw me employed in the local offices of the DSS for three months, before moving on to the Rural Development Commission for six months.

From there, the Community & Economic Development Unit of Herefordshire Council beckoned between July 1998 and January 2004.

In the meantime I kept sending out the articles and other ideas, with more and more success, becoming a regular contributor to Country Walking magazine’s ‘Down Your Way’ section.

 In September 2003, Hodder & Stoughton published 100 Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human. Re-organisation at Herefordshire Council at the same time seemed to be fate suggesting that perhaps now was the time to have a crack at this writing game full time. So, in January 2004, I did just that.

Even writers look silly wearing Christmas cracker hats! Photo credit: Mike White

One of the best things I did when I moved to Shropshire, was to join a writer’s circle near Telford. I joined in February 1998, and in January 1999, they elected me as Chairman (I can be so naive at times). I survived the role for 4 years and, despite standing down in 2003, there are still some members who seem to think I’m still in the job . I also go to a writers’ group in South Shropshire, which stretches the definition of the name to its extremities (for little writing gets done), but I have some good friends there, so it’s always a laugh.

So there we have it. My writing journey so far. And like many writers, I couldn’t have got this far without the help and support of a couple of other organisations, including the Society of Authors and the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild.

The Society of Authors

Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild