In Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower series - there is a phrase that describes disgrace, shame and not being true to yourself. It is “He had forgotten the face of his father”
I love writing.I always have. It helps me to formulate and process ideas and feelings that seem beyond my capacity or ability to say out loud. For many years, I denied this love and in so doing, cut off my main release valve for dealing with the world and the challenges that it presented to me.
I ran away from who I was and what I was capable of. I had, in many ways forgotten the face of my father, not in literal terms, but spiritually at least.
All that pent up rage and confusion had to go somewhere and eventually it did. My life spiraled out of control for a little while and it was only when I started to write things down and start to sort through the swamp that my mind had become that I began to right the ship.
Today, I write for a living. I provide content in various forms for a number of small businesses and although not terribly inspiring, it pays the bills.
What I love doing though, is finding the time to write down what I’m thinking and feeling about a variety of subjects. I’m still processing exactly what happened to me and I tend write about that from time to time as well as writing about subjects that genuinely interest and excite me.
That process has led me to collate a series of personal pieces detailing my difficulties in coping with a variety of emotional challenges.
I have tied them together using various song titles from a band that has been a staple in my life since my early teens. That band is Deep Purple. Their music has helped me to make sense of the world when I was in all sorts of bother.
The result is Postcards From Hell. Copies are available by visiting http://markhodgetts.com/music-writing-and-me/