My business card says I’m a writer. Sometimes the word ‘author’ is used to differentiate the type of writing in which I indulge. But I prefer to call myself Story Teller; in that grand old tradition that predates the invention of writing. - That ability to take an audience and spin a tale so gripping that they hang on to every word and let their imaginations run wild. I’ll let others determine how successful I am in that endeavor, but it’s what I strive for.
Still, that leads to a question, which I get asked quite a lot. From where do these stories spring?
It’s been said that I have an inventive and overactive imagination, but I think that gives me too much credit. Because I don’t feel that I am the creator of these stories, any more than a news reporter is the creator of the story he is covering. To me, the stories already exist, and did so long before I came along. I am merely here to report.
I was watching a science program about the creation of the Universe and the latest theories on what caused the Big Bang. Many scientists now subscribe to a Multiverse theory, and that what we know as the Big bang occurred when two universes collided. The collision tore a hole in our universe and allowed matter to pour into it; much like a car crash (which would surely prove that insurance company denial of claims predates the Big Bang).
In this theory, of course, there are many universes out there beyond our ability to observe them, no doubt including the one that holds Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. So I guess we should ask Terry how he observed it and award him a Nobel Prize for his contributions to science.
In similar manner (getting back to the topic at hand), I have a theory that that is where stories come from. They already exist in an unseen universe. Occasionally that universe collides with ours and stories leak through the hole and into our heads. If my theory is correct it would be wrong to call me an author, for I did not create the story – it found me. Like Dark Energy, which (again, according to theory) accounts for 74% of the mass-energy in our universe, even though we can’t see it, stories are in abundance in our Universe, all around us, floating freely in and out of our heads. Occasionally, one of us is intrigued enough by a particular story to tell others about it. We are, in fact, stenographers. Ask any writer why they do it. The answer is they are being forced against their will by the laws of physics.
So when the stories escape into our universe, using me as a conduit, one can also conclude that I have no more of an idea of what the story means as does anyone else. That is where they are clever, for they force themselves onto an unsuspecting public and when questions are raised, we blame the writer. Many, seeing the danger of this continued invasion of fresh ideas into our Universe, are working diligently, In Hollywood, TV Networks and Publishing Houses, to figure out a way to plug the holes and stop any new stories from entering. Let us hope they can come up with a solution before it’s too late.
Tom Weston is the conduit for the Alex and Jackie Adventures: First Night and The Elf of Luxembourg. For further information, you can visit him at http://tom-weston.com, where he will continue to deny any responsibility for his actions.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% mine. If you purchase a book using my Amazon or Barnes and Noble link, I will receive a small portion of the purchase price.
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