I’m Ian Skidmore, and I’m a writer (amongst other things).

A number of years ago, I was on holiday near Ross-on-Wye with my wife and three sons. We’d taken our dog for a walk in the woods near where we were staying, and as we followed one of the footpaths we came across an old wooden gate, locked in place, whatever path it guarded now long returned to the undergrowth. For the writer in me, it represented any number of possible stories – who had installed it? where did it lead? why was it now in this neglected state? what would happen if I opened it?

After we came home, I started noticing other gateways – some real, some imagined; some unused, some merely potential, all of them opening onto possible new worlds. I’ve collected some of them as images, like the one on the home page of this site, which was captured by my wife Denise. Some of them have directly inspired words on the page, others lurk at the periphery, waiting for their moment. I’ll share these images alongside the words as I start posting here.

I’m restarting my writing life after a ten-year hiatus and a number of false starts in the intervening period. I’m going to use this site to write about what I’m writing, share any advice which I’ve found helpful, and shout out to other writers I’ve met along the path.

I mainly write speculative fiction, but in the past I’ve created and performed work for the theatre, as well as the occasional piece of poetry. At this point, I’m not really sure what this new phase will bring – possibly new short stories, or finally completing the novel I began writing nearly twenty-five years ago.

Until I open the gate, I’m not going to know.