Loneliness of the Long Distance Writer

     With apologies to Alan Sillitoe for the title of his classic 'Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' it would seem that things relating to self expression and performance are very personal and very lonely.

   Just ask any of my fellow authors Kathleen O'Dwyer (Simply Brilliant Budgeting), Elaine Ouston (The Mystery of Nida Valley), Clancy Tucker (Gunnedah Hero) and John White (No Bars Hold) and you'll most likely hear that it is a very lonely process. In the end though it's very rewarding, it's your thoughts and ideas all neatly laid out in some sort of order that makes sense for anyone to see.

  In the words of Carlos Fuentes, Author, Scholar & Diplomat of Mexico, in 2006;

     "You must have discipline for your writing. It is not an easy task. It is very lonely. You're all alone. You are not in company. You are not enjoying yourself in that sense. You are enjoying yourself in another sense. You are delving into your depths, but you are profoundly lonely. It is one of the loneliest careers in the world. In the theatre, you are with companions, with directors, actors. In film. In an office. In writing, you are alone. That takes a lot of strength and a lot of will to do it. You must really be in love with what you're doing to tolerate the huge loneliness of writing."