I beg to differ, no… anybody can’t write a book. You will note that those who say that loudest haven’t written anything. Any and everybody may be trying, including me, but everybody cannot write a book. Education, training, or tutoring enables but does not produce an effective writer. Oh, I believe as others that there is a book in all of us. The problem, as you might imagine, is getting it out of a person. There are numerous reasons why people can’t write fiction, current events, spiritual awakening or their life story.
We are all different, some raised in similar neighborhood environments, by parents (single or other family members) that bring their habits and mannerisms to the adult to child relationship. How many times have you heard a guardian start a stern warning with, “When I was a child, my mother or father,” People act in certain ways based on their life experiences. And make no mistake about it, as much as we say we will not repeat the same rearing mistakes our parents or guardian did, we always find ourselves repeating some words. Words, warning, or advice that directed at us by the same people we are trying not to emulate.
Yes, we are all impressed by someone in our childhood. Be that a parent, grandparents, aunt, uncles, or the old man or woman around the corner. All of us remember the advice given by many. And unfortunately, especially nowadays, some have never heard or listen to any of it. They also have a story. Some have told it from a jail cell; others didn’t get to tell it because their lives were cut short by the opposition, police, or another prison inmate.
Then there are those who have lived the American dream as portrayed in books and the movies. Some were raised by the privileged in this country. They came from homes like the old television series, Father Knows Best, Eight is Enough or even The Cosby Show. The offspring grew up to be successful, wealthy, and live happily ever after. Some from that environment strayed or failed because they did not know how to handle the stress of not being as successful as their parents.
So yes, there is a book in all of us. However, everybody is not a writer. Or for that matter, everybody cannot tell their story accurate enough with all the emotion needed for interpretation by a ghost writer. Readers will be able to tell if the story is unique, no matter who wrote it. And they alone, are the ultimate judge if you have a story worth their time.
There must be some reason that people will read the story in the first place. First of all, the story or subject must interest your targeted readers. Creativity must be present, flow constructively and cause a person to reflect on their or others around them lives. Every author, aspiring author and I know and understand the deep and subtle meaning behind those words. All authors have a story to tell, regardless if the book is successful or a downright failure. I’ve had three with the latest being Remember Moz. That simply means that I’ve written three books whereas I had something to say to any and everyone who will read the books. As previously stated readers will be the judge if I’ve succeeded in my quest.
In my latest, Remember Moz, Gracie & John Hampton’s First-Born, I wanted to tell the world about a unique individual. Not because he happened to be my father but to explain who he was, where he came from, and how he evolved into the man he became up until his death. That is why I go all the way back to the Civil War, following his people’s roots up through his birth in the heart of Jim Crow country. Why I take you through his growth as a responsible human being and why he had to take on that type of responsibility at a young age. Through it all, I show you the humorous side of a serious individual who always made an effort to enjoy life as he lived and worked in it.
Everybody had a father, mine was just one of a billion or more, but oh what an impression he made on those he touched during his lifetime. That is the story I tell in Remember Moz. A story, anybody and everybody should read just to see who this man was and if I did him justice in representation. A story that should be read by all who think that being a black family man and father in this country is ordinary. This book will point out how presumptuous and simply wrong an opinion can be. There are numerous issues that come up daily and demand a black father’s attention because of the way the declining majority attempts to divide this country by race. Issues that most other races take for granted, black parents must use as teachable moments in preparing their offspring to succeed and indeed survive in the United States or America. No matter what they say, you and I know it is not equal.
Not all black man know the formula for allowing successful childrearing while providing an environment of love, understanding, protection, and neutering to facilitate confidence in our children. My father knew even though he may not have been sophisticated enough to articulate that knowledge. He got his point across by living the life and demonstrating how one should live, play, and love. Towards the end, he also revealed the weakness in human nature of searching for ways to cope with a major love and companion lost. All in all, that weakness for coping did not diminish his personality or who he was throughout his life.
Peace, make it a day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,
Codis Hampton II
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“In my latest book, Remember Moz, Gracie & John Hampton’s First-Born, I wanted to tell the world about a unique individual. Not because he happened to be my father but to explain who he was, where he came from, and how he evolved into the man he became up until his death. In doing so, I wrote of his ancestor’s roots back to and through the Civil War. The inclusion of his birth and upbringing in the heart of Arkansas, or Jim Crow country, add southern reluctance to learn why our country involved itself in a bloodthirsty four-year exercise in the first place? Then you begin to understand why, our parents behaved the way that they did. See if I captured the essence of this paragraph.” Get the book via the Authors Page at http://outskirtspress.com/webPage/isbn/9781478766056
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Copyright 2011 Codis Hampton II, all rights reserved. A bi-weekly blog for your enjoyment
Hamp's Corner of America 