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USING A CREATIVE BRAIN
My writing journey first started from youth – my teens – a perfect storm of dyslexia mated to desire, writes subscriber Chris Clarke.
Dyslexia – like others – crippled my learning during my schooling years, or more precisely, my ability to convey the extent of my knowledge.
Then something happened, I met a girl, a girl that I remember was called Helen. She so moved my thirteen year old heart that I felt compelled to write her a poem, which I did, handing it to her during an opportune moment at school. It wasn’t until some time later that I realised that in expressing my emotions I hadn’t encountered the same obstacles I did when attempting to convey basic information. This started a decades long endeavour that led me on a journey through poetry, to short, literary fiction, to longer stories with more of a mainstream edge, to now, where I no longer suffer the effects of my affliction.
I believe – like a stroke sufferer losing the ability to speak, but discovering an ability to swear – that poetry uses a different, creative part of my brain, and I’ve recently read of others with a similar tale to tell.
The sense of achievement I feel each and every time I read a new review of one of my books is palpable, helping to heal deep scars left from my past.
The Puppet Tearsand The Art Of Killing hitting the shelves marks the end of a struggle to let who I am out. A second creative outlet to the special effects/animatronic work I do on a daily basis.
My third novel – Hobswyke – is to be released early this year. It was in fact the first book I ever completed, so, of course, that will be a very special, poignant moment for me.
My books tend to be dark and relentless. My partner – Zoe – jokes that if I sat to write a rom-com, I’d soon discover a bleak avenue to send it down.
But The Art Of Killing is the book I’m most proud of, with a sequel soon to follow, and many more after that…
GOING BANANAS
I enjoy volunteering at the town’s charity library, writes subscriber Cynthea Gregory.
Not only can you chat to the locals about what they enjoy reading and why, but I also delight in seeing young readers engrossed in the library’s collection. The place may be small, but there is an excellent range for all kinds of bookworms – anything from toddlers’ picture books to novels for young adults.
One day, curiosity led me to s
