By Elliott West
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.
Nelson Mandela
Introduction
Sometimes I have to pinch myself how for how far I come in life. An only child who dared to dream but who was always too scared to step out of his comfort zone. Perhaps that sense of loneliness and loss has held me back, preventing me from achieving my full potential in life, being blind to my star qualities, and always seeking reassurance from others. A dare to dream that I have only really started to explore in the last few years. I thank my girlfriend, Natalia for her love, support for encouraging me to write again and creating my website. My pride and joy are my two daughters Naomi and Jasmin who have been there for me for so many years, my rock and inspiration in life, always giving me unrequited love. They are my rock and can not thank them enough for being there every step of the way.
Yet beyond these fading eyes and greying appearance lies a man who wants to achieve more in life, an inner fire that still burns bright, motivation and desire for creativity that I have found in writing. A gift that I have been blessed with and one that just keeps giving. It’s hard to explain what motivates me to write, perhaps words of encouragement, praise and respect but more so the constant need to test my skill and produce pieces that I can look back on and be proud of. I find writing easy to do. It comes naturally and I very rarely have a writer’s block moment. Writing drives me, tests me, expands my knowledge and gives me purpose.
The Light Bulb Moment
The art of being able to write well is a rare skill and I thank every day that I have been blessed with it. It doesn’t matter where I am and whatever time of day it is, the core of a writing piece, the idea can come into my head. I don’t ask for it, it just happens and when it does, the cogs in my brain begin to turn, visualising the piece before writing it down. The idea is followed by a title, one that sells the piece to the reader and encourages them to spend a small section of their day, reading my words. It’s like a shot of adrenaline has been injected into my body, a boost that fires my mind and soul.
I have the gift of being able to create a piece in a short space of time, I visualise the words and then type them. Like an artist, I create a piece of art from a blank canvas and whatever I write I try to resonate with the reader. The art of any good piece is to make the reader feel that they are part of the text, witnessing the subject matter and keeping the people reading it, submerged until they finish reading. I am lucky that I have a large vocabulary and can argue, empathise and describe using the power of language to mesmerise the eyes viewing it.
Thanks and Praise
People often say to me that I am a brilliant writer and I must say that I feel very humbled by the compliment. I just do something that I feel I am good at it I have brightened up a person’s day as a result of reading what I have written, and then I have achieved and exceeded my goal. My readership is broad, spanning many age groups from the unknown to some famous faces. I take all comments seriously, especially when I have made a factual mistake or typo in my piece. I love when someone returns to my writing, reads another new piece or simply goes back to an old one. All fill my heart with joy and I give thanks for being blessed with talent.
The Next Stage
With one piece on Alex Higgins achieving 1.1 million views. I know that my writing can be very successful. The rush you get when you achieve that many views is amazing but whether I get that many of just one view, it proves that I can captivate an audience and create appeal. I do feel now that I am very close, within touching distance of my break into writing. To be a paid journalist or a writer would make all my dreams come true once. I love writing, it is my passion but it gets to a point where you need to be recompensed for your work and not laughed off when you mention money. I don’t care about power and influence, just bring joy to my readers through my words.
The Key to Sucess
There are millions of writers out there buy in order to succeed, you first have to believe in yourself and the power of your writing. Only then can you take the leap of faith and progress. The break itself will probably come when you least expect it and like many of my opportunities have come out of the blue. Someone influential has read one of my pieces, liked and reached out to me. Never give up because you will sauander that beautiful talent that have, putting it away in a box to gather dust and denying people the opportunity to appreciate it. Only you can change your course in life and writing not only empowers you but you give your readers a personal gift, emotive and satisfying. A rare gift and talent that should be shared.
