Michelle Morris Interview

Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Michelle Morris. I'm seventeen years old, eighteen in June. At the moment I live in Wales, the smallest country in the UK, however, I hope to move when I am slightly older. I was in education studying higher tier levels in English, Media, Drama and the Sciences, while I was working part time as a dancer. Sadly, due to a very recent bout of bad health and having been diagnosed with a life threatening illness just over a week ago, I've had to give up both aspects of my life. This reason alone has made me so glad that I can write - It's something that I will never have to lose. One of my biggest ambitions was to set up my own Pole Dancing Studio, to promote the Dancing Style as an Art, and not a sleazy sex show. I still hope to do that, just using other Dancers to take the classes.

When did you decide to become a writer?
I started writing years ago, when I was nine to ten years old. I started writing because I was being bullied in School. I felt I had nobody to talk to, and even if I did, I believed nobody would understand. So,I turned to writing. During those years, writing poetry helped me deal with my pain, confusions, frustrations and all my ill feelings. When the bullying stopped, so did my writing. But then, months later I decided I wanted to start again. Only this time my inspiration came from writing about other people's situations and the traumas people see every day that were rarely spoken about. I progressed from not just writing poetry, but short stories too, and even novels now.

What was your first published work?
when I was about twelve I started publishing online, then throughout the years I bgan publishing in magazines and e-zines. Which I do still do. My first book however, was a poetry book. My next two are novels.

What is your dream as a writer?
I write about subjects people are still too afraid to discuss. I do this for a few reasons. To acknowledge and get other people to acknowledge the problems we try hard not to see. If people know about something, they can go about changing it. I also write about things people do not understand, and one of those things will be the illness I have just been diagnosed with. If people do not understand something, they choose to judge. I hope, as a writer I can stop just one person doing that.

What writing avenues are you currently pursuing?
At the moment, I am working on my third book.

Is there anything you wish you had been told earlier in your career?
Not particularly. Writing and publishing has been a hectic but enjoyful experience. I have made mistakes, but learned from them to. I have succeeded in more than I had planned to. Writing has been a massive learning curve in my life, and I feel blessed to have had the chance to embrace it.

What advice can you offer writers just breaking into a serious writing career?
Writing requires time, dedication and committment. You also need patience. It can be a hard and enduring proccess, but worth every ounce of energy to see your name printed, and knowing you have contributed to a world people can venture into for years to come.