I didn't study journalism at university but was always writing. I have a historical website about the Orkney Islands where I live. I was always writing about local legends and mysteries. This helped me get my current job. I work for a small newspaper called 'The Orcadian'. We mostly write about local stories. Most people on the islands read our paper so we must be accurate.

If you want to become a journalist, my simple advice is 'Write! Write! Write!' Work for your school newsletter or start a website. Even blogs help because everybody, including future employers, can see them. It's better to find a topic which interests you than just talking about your daily life because other people will have the same interests.

Interviewing people is a skill. The most important thing is to put anyone being interviewed at ease. Chat to them and drop your questions randomly. Firing a list of questions off at someone doesn't produce the same results.

I do a lot of research for stories. I keep lots of old books, papers, articles and hundreds and hundreds of scraps of paper and newspaper clippings. I keep everything, simply because I've found that what might appear irrelevant, or insignificant, one day, could prove invaluable the next.

My website (http://www.orkneyjar.com/) is a labour of love. I research and write about local history and archeology. I also enjoy taking photos and publish many on the website. Here is one of standing stones in Orkney. They were put up in a circle thousands of years ago to worship the sun. We don't know much about how they worshipped and why this belief died out. I love finding out!