The Authenticity of Creativity

The authenticity of creativity seems to be found in the fluctuations of its creator's mind.

I would like to forward an argument for the quality of work from writers who second-guess the strength of their work fifteen times a day. Doubt may not be the most pleasant of drives but it is a form of motivation nonetheless. It is not without its pit falls however. 

Doubt without desire leads to submission. When a creator doubts themselves, it is really no more than an opportunity to test their determination. It's easy to concede but much harder to fight through the pull of this famous insecurity and relocate your confidence... but those that do... those that doubt themselves continually but find the drive to remember why they believe in their work, should never be doubted themselves. For it is in these people that we find the most heartfelt and detailed works. The silent self-defacing voice they hear simultaneously engages inspiration and originality in the most wonderful of ways. 

So if you're like me and resort too quickly to doubt... try and remember that it is both a curse and a GIFT! 

Famously Unreal Readings – A Second Dose Of Alan Rickman

So there I am... trying to figure out ways to promote my first novel. How do I create some awareness? I’m pretty confident people will enjoy it… but how do I get it in front of them?

… and then I receive a message... not a heaven sent one... a rather more earth-bound communication. I look at my phone and it turns out to be a WhatsApp voice memo. As the message starts to play, the unmistakable tones of Alan Rickman make me chuckle. A particularly convincing impersonation… but unfortunately not the man himself!

The message was from a good friend (Benji (which is actually his last name… but that’s a whole different story)) who has quite the knack for impressions. He’d read a passage from one of the chapters and even added a “This is an Audible recording of The Carpenter’s Moons”. It was so impressive my wife and I even had a debate about how he’d managed to create the Audible sound element (turns out he’d also just put on a voice… I’ll avoid advising whether it was my wife or I that got that part right…) It made us both laugh and provided me a healthy dose of optimism.

That night I continued looking for ways to promote The Carpenter’s Moons while playing a decidedly one sided game of fetch with Phoenix (my two and half year-old German Shepherd). She loves her bouncy blue ball… so much so that she prefers to keep it to herself! While waiting for a rare opportunity to snatch the ball, my mind wandered back to Benji’s message and suddenly inspiration struck!

It occurred to me that people are probably far more likely to want to listen to a great impression than start reading a passage from a (currently) unknown writer. Fortunately, Benji is a great fella and was more than happy to assist… thus Famously Unreal Readings was born!

The first episode was received pretty well. Getting it in front of people still seemed to be a challenge but it did receive a number of strong responses from random people. With just a couple of passages and only a minute long it was however pretty short – Famously Unreal Readings: Alan Rickman - The Legend of The Dunes

The success of the first episode, combined with the fantastic willingness of Benjtheman to further assist led to a realization that Alan Rickman reading the Prologue would work as a great way to give both existing and new potential readers a nice insight into The Carpenter’s Moons.

 … and so we arrive. The 2^nd episode of Famously Unreal Readings: Alan Rickman reads The Prologue from The Carpenter's Moons. You can watch the result here - Famously Unreal Readings 2: Alan Rickman reads The Prologue from The Carpenter's Moons

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy the sublime stylings of @jamesbenjamin5

See you soon in The Wholeverse!