Fiona Gibson

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Fiona Gibson, and I am a freelance writer. I have written for national newspapers such as the Daily Mail, Express, Guardian and Observer and had a weekly column in the Sunday Herald which ran for seven years. I also write for women's magazines like Marie Claire, Red, Top Sante, Zest and Sainsbury's and John Lewis magazines. Freelance writing takes up about half of my time - I also write novels for adults and my first children's book is out this summer.

Journalists are often seen as aggressive and manipulative. Where does this reputation come from?

Although I've never worked in that environment, certain tabloid journalists might have this kind of reputation - it's an extremely competitive market with newspapers constantly chasing sales which can be boosted with salacious stories. Certain columnists set out to be controversial and upset people - that's just their style. Celebrity reporters are often accused of making things up but to be fair, they are often fed stories from celebs' PRs - everyone just wants to get the best story they can. It would be a very dull world if everyone wrote only 'nice' pieces.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to be a Journalist?

Contacts count for such a lot - if you can get an internship (or even a couple of weeks' work experience) you might be able to start writing short pieces whilst building up relationships with commissioning/features editors. Get to know the publications you'd like to write for in extreme detail - then pitch some ideas by email. I didn't do a journalism course, but was trained 'on the job' when I left school at 17 and started work on a teenage magazine. Applying for junior writer or editorial assistant staff positions can also get you in.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Features ideas are often triggered by items in the news, or things that have happened in my own life. I'm constantly surfing news sites for features ideas, and reading piles of magazines helps to spark them too. A friend and I email each other regularly and chat about ideas - it's good to have someone to talk them over with and it often helps to hone an idea and make it more grabby and original.

What was the most bizarre feature you ever had to do?

Many years ago, I was sent by the magazine I worked for to interview Simon le Bon, lead singer of Duran Duran, in Stockholm. I was kept waiting for ages, and when the PR finally took me up to his hotel room, he was naked (face down, I might add), having a massage. He put clothes on to do the interview, though. Thankfully.

If you had to take one book/magazine to a desert island, what would it be?

One Day by David Nicholls is completely delightful. It made me laugh and cry and I'm waiting for a bit of spare time to re-read it.

Fiona's latest novel, 'Mum on the Run', is published by Avon, and her first novel for children, 'Life, Death and Gold Leather trousers', is out in summer 2011 (Scholastic).

Find out more about Fiona Gibson at www.fionagibson.com