I Have a Secret...

tchristofer.com

I'm gonna share a secret with you about me. I am an undiagnosed dyslexic. It's pretty obvious given the plethora of information out there, but I grew up in a time this was seldom spotted (even by my neurologist father).

School was difficult for me. I didn't lacked the IQ, only the capability to disseminate information through reading comprehension. It was near impossible for me and my grades showed it. The standard educational formula never worked. Don't ask me to read and understand complex instructions without verbal discussion or a visual explanation. College saved me with the lectures, as Youtube saves me now.

It's not that I don't read at all, I can and will read, even enjoying it...if I am motivated. It just requires a different kind of drive to get me to do it. It might be an interest in learning something, or seeing a film I adore and wanting to know more details or further story. It is never out of need, ONLY desire. I have an entire collection of Star Wars saga books. The old ones (after the Timothy Zane trilogy). Sorry, the formulamatic Disneyfied version today is a little predictable and boring. I've read them all, multiple times.

What offends me most because of my experiences is the generalization that authors MUST be voracious readers. I believe stories can be told in many creative venues (books, graphic novels, film, music, and art to name just a few). Maybe if you are a teacher, journalist, or editor that makes sense to read et mass. But the assumption no one untrained can tell a story, and tell it well, really gets under my skin. Many of my teachers condescended to me as a young person. It destroyed my desire to express myself in my writing, I turned to art instead where you were never criticized for going against the norm. If it hadn't been for my writing colleagues I might never have attempted to learn the craft and tell my stories. Their encouragement keeps me going even today.

I am on the trail of my comps for Amrit. This has motivated me enough to read again as much as I can physically accomplish in my packed 24 hour day. I feel I've found several good ones which I plan to review in the future. Unfortunately, I found a lot more awful ones. But that will have to wait for another rant.