Chris Lloyd talks about his need to write, his process and Occupation

When did you start writing, and why?

I really can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. At school, I’d write long stories instead of getting on with my homework, which often got me into trouble with my teachers. I think I wrote because it was an escape from a routine, from the everyday. They were worlds and people I could make up, even if I never really had any control over them, and I also think that writing created a degree of confidence in myself that I never felt in real life.

I was also lucky in that my mum was a booklover and always encouraged me to read. When I was about ten, she gave me a copy of ‘The Silver Sword’ by Ian Serraillier, and I always think it was that precise moment that I…