A Note from me
Hey – if you’re reading this, thank you. Honestly, not in a million years did I ever think I’d write a couple of books, and as someone who’s always been quite private, I certainly never imagined I’d have a website sharing bits of my life!
I hope my experience might encourage others. Many of us ladies and gents of a certain age have plenty of life experience and stories worth telling. I’ve recently retired, but I actually started and finished my first book, 13, while I was still working.
I’ve lived most of my life wrestling with dyslexia, and throughout school that meant endless frustration. I was a bright kid, but labelled as “lazy”. Every report said the same – great at sports, not much good at anything else. My biggest struggle was with numbers; algebra and equations might as well have been rocket science.
One of my lasting memories from maths class was when the teacher filled the chalkboard with a complicated equation – and the answer. Somewhere in the question there was a mistake, but the answer was correct. The clever kids in class were stumped. The teacher looked smug until I raised my hand. Suspiciously, he asked me to stand and give the answer. “Sir,” I said, “you’ve written it on a slant!” And he had, the whole thing was sloping down from left to right. The class erupted with laughter, and the teacher dragged me out by my newly grown adolescence sideburns while whacking me with a massive wooden triangle.
Numbers have never been my thing. Even now, when my bank sends me a six-digit code, I have to write it down or I’ll forget it in thirty seconds. When I write I have a few problems and my spelling and grammar were pretty awful. Thankfully, modern spellcheckers and software have been a godsend throughout my career.
So, no excuses! If you’ve ever wanted to write a book, a story, a poem, just do it. There are so many tools out there now to help you.
What’s Next!
At the moment, I have several early ideas. The obvious one is a sequel to 13, which left an opening for the characters to continue their journey. This would be a large undertaking for me, as it will involve quite a bit of research, new ideas, and a complex storyline.
The alternatives are maybe another doggy story, possibly featuring me and my new best mate, Bailey the Cockapoo. I honestly don’t know which direction I’ll go and that’s the exciting part. My head can fill with thoughts and imagination, and hopefully, in the very near future, I’ll start again with my idiot boards and see where it takes me. I’m itching to
start writing, but I’ll only begin when I have a solid plan of action and, most importantly, confidence in my ability to produce something I’m happy with.
I live the stories and the characters day and night once I get going, so it has to feel right. I’m a novice author, untrained and just having a go, so I have to do things that work for me and my own weird and wonderful processes.
Whichever path I choose, it’ll be another adventure. Whether it’s exploring the darker twists of 13’s world or wandering through the humorous, heartfelt chaos of life with Bailey, one thing’s certain: I’ll be back at the keyboard soon, chasing ideas, voices, and stories that refuse to let me rest until they’re told.
A Final Word
The whole point of me sharing this is simple: to encourage others to write. If I can do it, honestly, anyone can. My long-time friends and family would all say the same thing I did at the start – “not in a million years” would they have thought I’d end up as an author.
So, if you’ve got a story inside you, tell it. You never know where it might lead.
The scariest moment is always just before you start.
Stephen King
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME
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SHAUN DRYDEN
North East, United Kingdom