Pride and Determination

When I designed "The Chicken", I set out certain criteria which I was able to follow, ensuring that the finished product was acceptable to as many classes of people as possible, that is, elderly, infirm, young and so on.

I kept the tales short and I used the only language style I know - simple and uncluttered by any high flying literary concepts, if only because my mind is not capable of such. Simplicity in the writing, simplicity in the reading.

This has proven to be a success, much more than I ever expected, because there is another group that I did not even consider, members of which have bought or have read "The Chicken" with great pleasure.

I speak of the illiterate, or those to whom reading is a pain, a labour, who would normally think of buying and reading a book in the same way as they would plan a flight to the moon.

Since the book came out, I have learned of several such people, young and old, who have struggled and persevered with reading it, much to their great pleasure and joy. This makes me proud.

Now, just the other day, I was accosted by one young man, in his thirties, who confessed that mine was the first book that he had ever read cover to cover. He explained that he simply got lost in the myriad of words and was unable to associate the concepts created by the authors.

Mine, however, being simple and covering things of which he knew a little - local geography, history and so on, he was able to relate. He asked when the next one was coming out, as he wanted to buy a copy, as he had done previously.

Now I know that many people cannot grasp this, for we (I include myself) take for granted this ability to see words on a page and to translate those words into the images described by the author.

This young man of whom I speak, went on to ask a strange question - Will I be putting in end-of-chapter markers, as before?" Those who kindly bought and read "The Chicken" know, of course, that I included little picture images at the end of each story, as near as possible relating to the tale just related.

I asked the chap 'why?' and he explained. It seems that he has so much difficulty in reading and he struggles so hard, trying to complete the task and after a short time that "my brain explodes", he said. The end pictures, he said, told him when to stop struggling as there was no more of that particular story and he could take a rest until next time. Without that enforced break, there would not be a next time.

Here's the question I have to pose. Is this a common phenomonen amongst those to whom reading is not the easy, second nature thing that we others enjoy?

"Will Tomorrow" is in the review stage right now and will be ready for publication in a few weeks, and I'm considering placing end-of-chapter symbols in there, specially for those such as this young man.

I'm immensely proud that my book has introduced some to the magic wonderland of books and to reading and I would like it to continue. In fact, as I began to formulate this post in my mind, another youg man, a friend of one of my lads, has asked for a copy of "The Chicken" for himself. He told me that he only ever read ONE book in his 30 years, but this one is a MUST.

In this light, does anyone have any observations they might offer, as I'm determined to help such as these people.