You know what I find the hardest part when I write something? That people always recognise themselves, even when they weren’t the inspiration in the first place. And that when I write I risk hurting people who aren’t in fact the target.

When I write it’s because I feel the need to get something out, and obviously there was an event or a memory that has been a catalyst for that need, but it’s not that simple. I rarely write anything specifically about one person or event. There’s always ghosts of other people, other memories and other moments.

Writing, for me, is working through flashes that come into my head, but those flashes are often not related to present day. For a start, it takes me time to work through and process things.

It’s like this blog. Much of what I’ve posted was written a long time ago, but it’s only now that I feel ready to ‘put it out there’ as it were. Old journals have been pulled out, dusted off and ripped apart – metaphorically speaking. What has been interesting to me is how little changes, when I was wholly convinced so much had.

So, my message is this:

If you recognise yourself in someone’s writing, relax. Chances are it’s just an apparition.