Be yourself, no one can say your doing it wrong.
— Charles M Schulz
Hail Up La Familia
I hope you are enjoying your Weekend and giving yourself
some much needed rejuvenation.
It's strange how ideas come together. The idea for this post of living your truth came about as I was writing an entry in my Urban Fantastic Book Club - The books that had a profound impact on my life. I was writing my thoughts down in relation to a game changing novel
Yardie by Victor Headley that actually inspired me to begin my writing journey. As a side note it seems as if Big Dris - Idris Elba is beginning the pre - production
process of getting the novel to the big or small screen. And that for me makes what I'm saying even more significant.
I remember sitting down with Victor many years ago at a friends place talking about Jamaica, books and life in general. I was rambling on about my plans to copy what the popular and famous British and American writers were focused on. It made sense to me then because that was where the market was headed and because I believed the propaganda that black themes for
novels had no market, I wanted to go there too. He must have recognised my passion for writing but sensed I was heading in the wrong direction.
He said to me.
"Live your truth, rude bwoy. Don't be some else. Tell your story."
It hurt at first and I tried to deny what he was saying to me was wisdom but in time I came to appreciate the truth of that simple statement.
I finished my first novel Dancehall soon after that and to this day It remains the guiding principle for my
writing.
