UtenteZimAlDev

I'm 22, from a small town in Devon. I'm a graduate in history from the UEA in Norwich. I recently moved to New Zealand, where I'm a journalism student at a college in Timaru, South Canterbury. I love it here!

I've been a voracious reader as long as I can remember. I had masses of books even as a child. I've always loved writing as well, though I doubt I'll ever make it as novelist- I just write for pleasure. I've tried writing everything from crime novels to science fiction but the results never measure up to what I'd hoped for when I started. Essays for my courses were far easier for me. I like starting with a blank piece of paper and pouring your ideas on to it. And coming back to a piece after a few months and realising "I wrote that" is a great moment.

I admire authors who have big imaginations and the skill to carry that onto the page. Iain M. Banks has phenomenal ability in that regard, China Mieville and Jeff Vandermeer are brilliant at it. I also like writers who can just write damn good stories like Robert Harris (most of the time), Ken MacLeod, GRR Martin and Boris Akunin, though I doubt some of them would want to be compared to the others! Obviously I had to read a lot of history books at university and the best ones are written by people who possess writing talent. I know that sounds obvious, but many historians can't express their ideas very well at all. That's why I admire Stephen Runciman, Orlando Figes and James McPherson so much.