Six questions; six answers. Anything more you need to know about my writing, or (you got it) me, just hit the red button.

How long have you been writing for?

A long time. When I was a little girl I kept a diary. It was pink and had a lock that required a flimsy little key to open it. I can’t say I know exactly where that diary is now (quite possibly contributing to the landfill) but I remember labouring over the words and making sure it all sounded snappy to my ten-year-old ears. Apart from my age, not much has changed.

What makes good writing?

First you need to want to do it. Everyone can put pen to paper and get something down, but it takes time and patience to make the words hang together nicely, so really, you have to love it. But it’s not just about pretty prose, there has to be thought behind what’s being written. To me, good writing should always be written with the reader in mind – writing is, after all, a way of communicating with your audience. If you’re writing a personal journal, go ahead, be selfish and write for yourself, but if you have a story to tell, a good writer will always be mindful of who they’re talking to and adapt accordingly.

Why do writers always talk about “telling a story”?

I believe that whether you’re writing a three-page editorial, a snappy little blog or a one-page media release (or, ok, a novel), there’s a story to tell. There is always a way to give all the information and still make it interesting for the reader. “Telling a story” is only about giving a piece of writing direction – a beginning, middle and end. I always think about it from the other side (you know, as the reader), that way I can be more objective of my writing and make it work just that bit harder to get people reading to the end.

Where did you learn to write?

A lot of writing is practise. I got my Masters in Professional Writing, which armed me with the tools needed for a career in journalism and writing, but most of my writing has come from practise and learning on the job. Working on Harper’s BAZAAR taught me the importance of really polishing copy so that it’s snappy and clever and just slightly irreverent. It also taught me how to work efficiently and to respect a deadline. Likewise, as beauty editor on Dolly, I learnt to never underestimate your reader. Writing for teens is one of those tricky gigs; they’re such a savvy bunch these days so the copy needs to hit a strong cord or you’ll lose them.

What is your writing style?

Since leaving BAZAAR I’ve had the opportunity to write for different publications and websites and, of course, they all have their own personality to which your writing style needs to adapt. It’s the same with writing for brands. Every brand has a unique personality and the writing needs to reflect that. As a freelance writer I’ve become used to switching tone and making the copy work hard to get the message across. I like to think of it as interval training – it certainly keeps the brain ticking over.

What kind of writing do you do for yourself?

I’m tinkering around with a novel at the moment. I feel like the neighbour who always has his head inside the bonnet of his beat-up car; it’s hard to see exactly what he’s doing but you guess that because he spends so much time on the thing, there’ll come a day when he’ll emerge from his garage with a spanking hot rod. Writing anything more than a couple of thousand words takes a long time, but I figure if I keep going with it, one day the words will finally be written. Steven King once said, “If you write everyday then your work starts to build up.” Can’t say it truer than that.