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How far do you need to be able to see to live your life, or even do your job, well?

Today was a big… an important day for me. Today, I left our village for the first time in nine weeks. You are probably assuming that the reason is Covid or even a disability, but that is not the case. The simple fact is that there is no village bus service any more, and my wife no longer feels strong enough to take me and my 120 kilos on the back of her motorcycle. The only other way out is Shank’s Pony, but the nearest town is 13 km away.

Yes, I know… great exercise… until you have to do it yourself.

Horizons

However, the reason that I am bringing this up is not to complain about the lack of a local bus service, my wife’s lack of physical strength, or even my inability to walk 26 kilometres.

I just want to say that, as a writer, it is easier to draw inspiration from a vast array of experience than from a narrow one.

I have written 50-odd novels, mostly in this village, but not inspired by this village. A village is great for writing in, but not for writing about.

I have used instances that I have experienced here in my novels, but nothing that I have undergone here has been enough to write a whole book about. It takes a lot to write 80,000 words on a theme.

What I am saying is that, although one can write a book about one’s internal mechanism or strife, how many sequels can you add to it?

Village Life

A village is small for a writer… or it is for me… or perhaps it’s because, not being Thai, I don’t know everything that’s going on around me.

It is true that village life is a microcosm of that in a city, but people are more constrained by their family in a village than they are outside it. Males and females alike, but especially females.

I know that people will understand what I am talking about, because youths have always flocked to towns and cities from villages for centuries.

It is for the same reason… in order to be able to experience more (OK, and make more money).

I need to get out more in order to write more. I am being stifled here… It is no-one’s fault, but it is a fact.

The farther you can see, the better the chance you have of understanding more… and the more you have to write about.

It is all a question of horizons.

Best wishes,

Owen

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