My love for writing started from when I was asked to write an article for the Michael Ball Fan Club’s magazine (the West End star not the footballer!) about when I met Michael for the very first time many years ago and reviewed his concert. We just clicked from the moment we met; a special experience to treasure and something that I will never forget! That's why writing the article came easily and felt so natural.

Many fans loved the way I wrote the article, saying they felt like they were there with me, so the Fan Club’s organisers asked me to write other articles about my further 'Michael' exploits. Here’s the link to all my published articles for the Fan Club’s magazine 'On The Ball'.

The idea for my theatre and TV scripts were born from a music video I made with the help of my friend Michael Fletcher, who is a local theatre actor (now Tour Manager/performer at Giffords Circus). I wrote the script, directed the video and felt what it was like to work with an actor. I was inspired by the whole experience, and after the video was well received online, I knew this is what I wanted to do. Subsequently, I wrote a rough draft of my theatre script "Everybody's BITCHIN' about AL”, which is loosely based around my personal experiences living with a severe physical disability. To my knowledge, there are hardly any theatre shows out there focusing on disability right now.

I have honed my script writing skills over the course of a few years, working with James Capel (Sscreenwriter and Founder of Scribe Lounge) in 1-2-1 development sessions and sharing my work for peer review - receiving positive feedback from industry professionals such as Chris Lang, Kevin Sampson and Adam Lavis (to name a few). At present, I have written scripts for a new 4-episode TV drama and the 3-episode prequel, which will not only open your eyes, but open your heart too.

The concept for my TV drama (also called "Everybody's BITCHIN' about AL”) features a disabled female lead with severe Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, and focuses on an intimate relationship with an able-bodied man. The lead and her actor husband revive an old play in order to gain financial security and have a better quality of life. Here is my one-page pitch, if you would like to read it.

The prequel "There's Somethin' SPECIAL about AL" focuses on the backstory behind the original series. The emphasis shifts to the protagonist's needs and wants, then the plot rotates around her reaching her goals. Concentrating on the overall theme of disability and discrimination, I've created the unlikeliest underdog love story that you will ever see. Here's the one-page pitch for the prequel.

I'm really proud of what I have achieved so far. Writing with my condition is never straight-forward. Everything takes longer than it would for my able-bodied peers and I'm often in severe pain, which prevents me from doing new script writing courses, workshops, and training opportunities that I would have loved to do.

Then, my writing exploits have brought me in contact with RAWD (Random Acts of Wildness Disability) who offered me professional development as a creative artist. I have learnt new writing techniques, directing skills and ways to refine the structure/melody in songs I have written. Working 1-2-1 and collaborating with Steffi Sweeney (Artistic Director/Writer) has made me think differently and become a better writer.

I would like to thank all the staff at RAWD for supporting me with my Arts Council sponsored project.

My directing journey begun when I was given the opportunity to direct 2 scenes, which I wrote as part of my Arts Council sponsored project. The scenes were performed by Hayley Sheen, a local actress/singer (who recently made her West End debut), and Andrew Sinclair, a director/actor. I also directed the music video for the first original song I wrote “Everybody’s BITCHIN’ about AL”, which also featured Hayley alongside local performing arts students. I designed a directing toolkit (which was developed and created through a collaboration with RAWD) in order to direct effectively and efficiently like my able-bodied peers without needing to speak or use my computers, which would be too time-consuming.

Having this opportunity has made me more comfortable/confident in my directing ability and understand the amount of preparation required to enable me to be effective and efficient enough with time constraints.

As my theatre writing/directing continues, I'm keen to collaborate with other industry professionals and gain further experience. Hopefully this will help with showcasing my abilities, and will take me one step closer to turning my dreams into reality.

Currently, I'm rewriting my original theatre script “Everybody’s BITCHIN’ about Al - A New Musical”, with newly found skills and techniques learnt over the last 16 months. I’m looking to find someone to collaborate with on it (once I have written a draft), with the hope that new concepts, ideas and expertise will bring it to a production ready standard. The premise is about a musical theatre loving, severely disabled woman overcoming life’s challenges and rising above it all to achieve her wildest dreams and more. Here is my one-page pitch, if you would like to read it.

If you would like to read some abstracts of my work, please click here.