During a recent conversation with someone who has enjoyed all my books, I was asked what writing had cost me. This wasn't meant in a financial way, more in terms of what social or personal changes I may have experienced.
As
a child, books were always my best friends. I’m not sure if this was the result
of being an early reader or the fact that being an army brat and constantly on
the move taught me very early on the pain of parting from friends. After the second or third posting, I didn’t bother trying to make them and kept pretty much to myself. I became an observer rather than someone who participated in whatever was going on.
The bonus, though, of each new school was discovering its library and
there, I excelled
In
my early teens, I switched from reading to writing. I was absolutely convinced
I had what it took to be an author. I tinkered with writing, gaining on the way prizes for essay
writing at school and good passes in English Literature and Grammar (taught as
separate subjects back then) in my GCE exams - this, I think, would have been the equivalent of graduation.
Once I was married and had a family, I was always writing
something, from annual reports at work to stories for my kids. But then I decided to
write a book for my daughter. It took me
two years to complete but it satisfied me in a way that reading did not. Writing days were
Over
the years I know my writing has set me apart, a little. The days when I’ve said
‘no’ to this or that proposed outing because I wanted to write has caused
coolness in some friendships and ended others. The times when I have been
uncommunicative because I was deep in my story have not necessarily been
understood, either. Joining a writing group was the best thing I ever did because being with other people who ‘get it’ is a great place to be.
Overall, writing has
given me much more in terms of satisfaction than just about anything else, so
for me, there has been far more reward than cost.
