AUTHOR'S CORNER;

THE SEVEN DEADLY READERS

It has come to my attention as I was on my routine exercise walk this morning, exactly what it is that is making me feel a bit down and gloomy.  You see, I am a thinker; by virtue of being a writer, and tend to use my walking time not only as exercise but also a time to think, to contemplate, to reason and come to terms with those small nagging worries that seem to dance in the back of my head and plague my fragile mind.  

I should by all reason, be happy and content, as I have just had my second novel published.  Though not exactly rolling in fame and fortune, the mere notion of me, me, being out there in the book market, should fill me with sheer, unadulterated happiness.  Yet I find myself quite depressed and quickly fading into self criticism of the vulgar variety!  I have asked myself why many a time before; I have berated my ungratefulness and gave myself a strict telling off for not basking in the glory of my achievement.  The answer up until this morning had eluded me!

It is not the lack of international fame or the absence of insurmountable fortune that has depressed me; all writers start off small and it takes almost forever to get known properly (I have done very well so far) or even have priority on major bookshelves. It is not even the difficulties in finding a book store willing to give you a book signing; times are hard and even well known writers don't get the turn up they used to!  So what was it that was giving me such blues and rendering me sleepless?  It occurred to me this morning, and through thoughtful contemplation I was able to reason that probably most writers have encountered this strange phenomenon; I call it .....  THE SEVEN DEADLY READERS!   Let me explain; friends and family are there to give you moral support and encouragement, constrictive criticism and guidance, right?  the other group (The Seven Deadly Readers) are a set of people that you might have known before or on the onset of publishing your work.  They go under the guise of friendship and attach themselves quite closely to you.  There main purpose is not to love and cherish you, as friends should, but to put obstacle in your way, to diminish your confidence and put doubt in your mind. They are basically to writers what demons are to mankind.

OKAY, LET ME EXPLAIN ABOUT THESE WONDERFUL CREATURES!

The Critic:  This person will critique all your work, under the guise of well meaning, helpful pointers!  He/she will find fault in almost everything you write, everything you think, everything you say and definitely, everything you do!  Soon you too will find fault in yourself and hate the sound of your own voice!!

The Well Read: Basically this is a person who has read an awful lot of books, from the complete works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Earnest Hemingway, and most contemporary writers, and loads of factual books to add to the mix. Not to mention self help, religious and new age philosophy, and can WE discuss please????  Soon you will feel like a dumb, dumb, idiot!



The Delusional: This person reckons that you are far more famous than you think you are, you are sooo sexed up in your real life because your books contain some romance, you are quite a bitch really because you have some swear words in your books and you are in actual fact writing about actual situations you have been through. You are also probably, very possibly writing about them!!!  Soon you WILL doubt your motives!

The Jealous:  Yes, this particular 'pretend' friend is actually jealous of you.  They don't hold the slightest bit of admiration for you and they only really wish to see you fall!  They do very, very little to hide their jealousy.  Soon you will feel apologetic for even existing!




The Snob:  This person does not believe that someone like you can actually obtain such heights as say- publishing a book!  He/She will seek to find flaws in your character, background or even ethnicity in order to validate their reasoning!  Your name is too foreign, your education is too inadequate, your hair is too blonde!!! Soon you will try to attain a higher standing in life by pretending to be 'posher' than what you really are.....that's when your downfall begins!


The Competitor: Usually, this is a person who is also fond of literature and also dabbles in writing, though not on a professional level.  They will seek to compete with you in everything else you do in life.  If you buy a new outfit, so will they, if you cut your hair, so will they, if you go to the cinema, so will they.  They will shadow your life completely and turn up to rain on your parade when you least expect it!  Soon life will become a drag, and the things you enjoyed doing will be meaningless!




The doubtful:  This person will make it their business to put doubt in your mind. They will look at you doubtfully when you tell them that you have just gotten a review for your book.  They will smile at you falsely when you say that you are writing a new novel.  They will ask you questions like, 'Have you had it proof read?' when you mention your book is out.  They will mention in passing that they are reading your book, then just stop short of telling you their opinion. Soon you begin to feel that maybe, perhaps, you are not as good as you thought!


SO WHAT HAVE I DECIDED TO DO ABOUT IT?  Well, just like with the seven deadly sins, my challenging nature has got the better of me and I have decided to indulge a little, court them, play with them and see if I can get away unscathed!  LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!