2009
I have been living this adventure for so long now that it sometimes seems I am destined to do so until I die. With so many people in this world struggling against poverty and ill-health, I consider myself lucky. In many ways, my fate - homeless penury - is the nightmare that haunts millions of hard-working people around the planet. Perhaps the reason that I do not feel disadvantaged is because I chose this life as a strategy and not as a last resort. Sure, it's tough, but I do have a focus and a reason to continue working. The freedom to follow our dreams is worth any uncertainty and the occasional bout of discomfort. Indeed, in denying myself the luxury of a home and easy communion with family and friends, the simplest of pleasures become rich with an intensity that is often masked by our comfortable existence.
However, for all my freedom to work, the constant motion of my life makes writing a never-ending challenge. The hundreds of beds, floors, sofas and wild camping spots do not lend themselves to routine. When you are trying to keep warm, when your tent is shredded in the maw of a storm, it is hard to maintain the flow that all writers need.
With that in mind, I have set myself the challenge of making 2009 the year I set this adventure on a new course. Ideally, I would like a publishing deal so that I can concentrate on writing. However, living and working from a tent, it is difficult to follow submission guidelines and so my emails are often ignored. No one has read Dreamwords yet. Frustrating as this is, I do not blame anyone. No one asked me to write. No one asked me to risk my life as I have. No one owes me a living.
But, for all the disadvantages, every challenge is matched by an advantage. Over the last six months, I have captured my struggle on film. I am told that the result is very watchable and that the imagery is - at times - beautiful.
In the coming months, I will lay the ground for a unique experiment in publishing (an idea that I will hold tight, for now). As I do, I will film my efforts in the hope that people will enjoy sharing the journey as I have lived it. An initial approach to TV people is encouraging. Perhaps I will attract a producer. Perhaps not. Either way, I will get it out there.
Here's to 2009 and the birth of Dreamwords.
However, for all my freedom to work, the constant motion of my life makes writing a never-ending challenge. The hundreds of beds, floors, sofas and wild camping spots do not lend themselves to routine. When you are trying to keep warm, when your tent is shredded in the maw of a storm, it is hard to maintain the flow that all writers need.
With that in mind, I have set myself the challenge of making 2009 the year I set this adventure on a new course. Ideally, I would like a publishing deal so that I can concentrate on writing. However, living and working from a tent, it is difficult to follow submission guidelines and so my emails are often ignored. No one has read Dreamwords yet. Frustrating as this is, I do not blame anyone. No one asked me to write. No one asked me to risk my life as I have. No one owes me a living.
But, for all the disadvantages, every challenge is matched by an advantage. Over the last six months, I have captured my struggle on film. I am told that the result is very watchable and that the imagery is - at times - beautiful.
In the coming months, I will lay the ground for a unique experiment in publishing (an idea that I will hold tight, for now). As I do, I will film my efforts in the hope that people will enjoy sharing the journey as I have lived it. An initial approach to TV people is encouraging. Perhaps I will attract a producer. Perhaps not. Either way, I will get it out there.
Here's to 2009 and the birth of Dreamwords.
posted by Paul Story at 8:59 AM
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