What I Love Most About Writing

Becoming a published author has been a dream of mine ever since I can remember; well, ever since I realised that having two left feet wasn’t going to help me to become a footballer, anyway. OK, I wasn’t that bad, but I wasn’t very good either. As I turned 25 and came to the realisation that no academy was going to take me on, my laptop became my solace when I wasn’t at the store, in the office, on the building sites, or at any of the copious other places I’ve called work since. Yes, 25 was an exaggeration when it came to the age that I grasped that football wasn’t my thing, but that was the time I began to think seriously about being a writer.

The evenings that I’m able to pick up my laptop can be my favourites on any given week, alongside spending some quality time with the wife of course (she does read these, I’m told – so this is a little test for her). The day job is complete until tomorrow, the kids are in bed, tea is eaten and it’s just me and the plethora of thoughts that bounce around my head like the ball in a pinball machine, each charging to the front in a bid to be the first one added to my page. Those closest to me may say, in jest I hope, that this in itself is a scary thought; and sometimes, quite frankly, it can be.

When I say scary, I do not mean that it is dark in any way; just that there is a lot going on, and not enough time to get it all down – therefore much can find itself lost in the ether, a bit like the memory vault on Inside Out 2 (I only watched that with the children, honest). I know I half-joked in the last paragraph about spending time with the Mrs, but that is genuinely a vital part of my process. It’s as much a necessity when it comes to my writing as it is an enjoyable part of the week in its own right. It allows me a precious time with the woman I love as I relax, refresh, and avoid burnout, generally with a TV program or film. There needs to be some productivity alongside it if I want to make a career out of it, however. Like everything, balance is key.

Speaking of TV and film, I’ve had friends look at me like I’ve grown a second head or suddenly started speaking fluent Mandarin when I say that I’m not too bothered about action on TV. The battles, the explosions, the crashes, the killings etc are all well and good, but I’m all about the story. It’s the pathway from A to Z that most intrigues me, not necessarily the specific events of C, I, and P. OK, I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent here, but if I bring it back to one of the more popular TV series in Game of Thrones, I will say that events like the red wedding and the Battle of the Bastards allowed for breathtaking viewing, however my excitement derived more from what led us there, and where it would take us. What would happen to the North and to characters like Sansa Stark? How would Jon rally the people of Westeros to fight against the White Walkers?  Although my biggest question from the Battle of the Bastards was around how Jon survived all of them arrows coming at him at once? Plot armour, eh?

It seems an obvious thing to say, but the love for story creation is what I find most compelling when it comes to my writing. I love picking up an idea from my head and expanding upon it; like planting a seed and watching it flower. Be it one of the children’s books I’ve written (many not yet published) or the planned-out novels I’m hoping to get around to over the next few years, I am enamoured with the whole process. It’s too bad that we have bills to pay and my time with the laptop is so limited, or else I would forever be travelling from world to world, spending as much time exploring each as humanly possible (not that they don’t enter my mind as I am doing my actual job).

My foremost enjoyment comes from taking parts of the books I’ve read and developing my own ideas from them. The reading can be as gratifying as the writing, sometimes even more so with the right book – and it requires less effort and brainpower, most of the time. This is by no means my only source of inspiration however, and when it comes to my children’s book series, most of my ideas have been generated through having fun with my children (There’s a Monster in My Tent came from literally playing ‘monster’ with my then two-year-old in and around her Princess tent). As they’ve grown and I’ve watched them play (or played with them), I have been exposed to much material that I’ve just had to put down on paper. It brings an extra dynamic to our relationship and it’s nice to be able to give them some credit.

I’m sure many authors (or amateur writers for that matter) would say this, but writing is a kind of therapy for me. When I’m annoyed or a bit down, when the kids have been playing up at bedtime or when work has been difficult, it’s nice to be able to open up my laptop and escape for a while. It’s especially good when it’s a world I’ve created myself, whether it’s the small world inside the ‘little girl’s’ tent or the bigger worlds that currently only reside in my own head (or in part on Scrivener). It can be a pleasure to get out of the real world, if only for a short time. I sometimes do wonder what it was like for authors (or aspiring authors) before computers and laptops, though. Needing to use pen and paper (which I’m sure some authors still prefer) seems like such as hassle to me; I’m just not sure I’d have the patience. Whereas typewriters I feel would be a little too long-winded to use, and the drama of how unclean it would be when a writer would make a mistake hurts my head a little. No, I’m more than content sat on the train, in my office, or rested anywhere really, laptop out and to be type type typing away.

By Calum Dewsbury