AUTHOR'S CORNER;

ONE FOOT IN WONDERLAND

The trouble with writers is that we seem to spend most of our adult life in delusional fantasy.  Not only have we convinced ourselves that we can write well, but we have deluded ourselves into thinking that we be the greatest writer in the world, that our words will change humanity and our wisdom is second to none; our pen is our magic wand and if we wave it, all things good must come to pass!   We spend many nights in solitary depression wondering, (marvelling at the stupidity of humanity) asking the universe the same question over and over again; why have I not been recognised yet?  We look down upon those illiterates who refuse to read our books and laugh at the narrow mindedness of critics when they venture to tell us where we are going wrong!  

Within the walls of our minds we can hear our story resound over and over again and we know we are right, we know our words ring with the clarity of a bell and our wisdom is unblemished!  We can hear our imagination and it is good and deep and twisted and it is as if the thoughts have been sent from the heavens!  And we know that if we just share with enough, if we just impart the magic, then our fire will tame and the burning desire in our hearts would calm down, if we could only share.  

We are not deluded, we are just trying to hold on to hope ,

hope that sustains us, that keeps our sad little hearts beating, that otherwise would whither and shrivel in the stark light of day and leave us small and exposed.  We are holding on to the only thing we have; our words.

We are nothing if not our books, then what else is left if we were to admit that our books were nothing?  

They say every author has a victim, someone who is always chosen and read bits of unfinished work to.  If you happen to be that victim, you should think yourself lucky, think yourself honoured, for you are our lifeline, you are the ears by which we judge our work by, yours is the expression by which we measure our worth by and your eyes are the glimmer of hope that we hold on to as we watch for your reaction when we read to you.  

And yes, we may be slightly deluded, we may be slightly over confident, and grossly mistaken, but so sadly alone in our plight and sometimes so forsaken.  We may come across as a bunch of heavy, conceited, arrogant, over opinionated, know-it-all middle-aged farts.  But scratch the surface and you might find fragile, frightened, self-doubting, struggling writers who have nothing to offer other than the imagination which resides in their minds and a the skill to be slightly clever with words.

Having hope is key qualification to being a writer, for without it many a writer would have given up within the first few years of trying.  So the next time you see a rather stressed, rather nervous new author book signing at your local bookshop, please don't just ignore them, don't shrug and walk past them, don't act as though they are an irritation.

They don't even expect you to buy their book, all they would really like, all they really need is a little bit of acknowledgement and interest shown in their book.  Stop at their table, take a look, (it won't kill you) let them introduce themselves to you and give them the satisfaction of recognition!

Give them a little hope and perhaps they in turn might give you something wonderful; they might give you a best selling novel one day!