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The original manuscript for A Different Class was written in its rawest form. It wasn't a novel it was merely a statement of facts, warts 'n' all - with names and locations changed for the obvious legal reasons. The fictitious element surrounded the characters which were often a combination of several people and this was purely for simplicity.

I didn't anticipate any problems at the time of writing because there was never any real motivation to publish. The work was simply a self-analysis, a longing to know how and why I became the person I am. Encouragement from others led to the publishing but then the first problem arose. Genre. I pulled no punches and whilst there was nothing explicit, there were several implied sexual situations. Again, simply a statement of facts.

When analysing the manuscript I saw that the focal point was largely the bullying that went on. It then became apparent the book, if it was to serve any purpose, should adapt to cater for the group affected by these issues. I cut out the swearing and the implied sexual content on these grounds and was then told replacing profanity with an acceptable word (most notably 'fudge') made the text farcical. I then worked around that by omitting dialogue in which profanity was used, using instead something like 'he swore'.

This is the work in its latest form and whilst still evolving (there were many omissions that will be added during the course of time) I feel this incarnation suitable for a YA audience. Bullying is just one kind of abuse however, and this book also highlights other kinds which I have handled as delicately as I am able.