From the Writers Block
November 02, 2011 by Artcha James
Exclusive Alexander Jackman interview for 3meworld.com
Artcha managed to get an exclusive audience with Alexander Jackman to discuss life, love and politics. Well, they definitely managed to share thoughts on various topics.
3meworld.com. Greetings Mr Jackman. If you were told 10 years ago, you would have a published book, would you have believed it?
10 years ago I was at University (got to be careful not to give away my age) and the closest I had to believing anything was when Liverpool won the UEFA Cup Final. That was a dream come true albeit the dreams of football players but I felt very much a part of that dream. Personally I have to say with much disappointment my answer is no. I do believe that at the time I still had the words of my A-Level English Teacher echoing in my thoughts “You will never be good at English.” Time will tell if he was right or not.
3meworld.com. Why ‘I AM’?
It is the greatest affirmation that will ever live. It refers to one person and all people at the same time. I wanted to find my connection with the greatest question of all time. Who Am I? I have fleeting moments when I believe I know the answer and other times I just accept that I AM who I AM which is much better.
3meworld.com. Talk us through the creative process. Concept to product.
How long do you have? Ha ha. When you want to tell a story it is important to know the purpose of telling it. What do you want to achieve, what do you want to explore. Writing a story is honestly a self evaluation exercise; a writer pours his entire belief system onto the page. We are Gods of the literary world, we create a universe where we make the rules and predetermine its ending. We are the creators and destroyers of the world we imagined. So once this has been established the first thing to do is start and the second thing to do is finish. I don’t write stories from the beginning I start somewhere in the middle, get an idea of where it’s going then I allow the story to decide its beginning and end. This becomes your manuscript so long as it was committed to paper, (I don’t take for granted many of us have stories written in our head). It is important to have and pay for a professional editor; I did this before I approached a literary agent. This process should not go unnoticed it is the confidence builder, we get to learn everything about writing right here.
3meworld.com. I’m sure aspiring writers would love to know how you got your ideas published. Care to share?
Passion, drive and determination. <---- these are not just words people it is the essence to getting things done!3meworld.com. You seem to have defied limitations attached to the inner city or urban community. How do you see it?
I don’t believe there are limitations in the inner city or urban community. If there are, I have never physically seen or witnessed or touched these limitations in my experience. In the past I may have believed it existed however I was not being true to myself I was looking for an excuse and a way out. If you are speaking about our own limitations and our propensity to listen and believe in the limitations of others then that is a very different thing altogether.If you say to me, that wall over there will stop you from crossing over to the other side I might accept it as the truth. Many will, but then we all have a choice whether to find a way of scaling the wall for ourselves. Mankind has done this for centuries by building a boat, an airplane and a space shuttle.
Nobody yet has physically restrained me from doing anything I do not want to do so rather than defy limitations I can say that I have exceeded my own expectations. Really and truly there is no such thing as limitations.
3meworld.com. A lot of ‘I AM’ reads as quite a personal account. Is this a reflection of your life?
It is a reflection. A very important one too, I needed that.3meworld.com. What did you want to say with this book?
I didn’t want to say anything with this book I just wanted to explore my experiences it was friends that convinced me to publish it. I mean the subject abortion is very heavy. In hindsight however I believe the book is saying that it is important to be brutally honest with yourself.3meworld.com. How important are books in this digital age?
I believe the importance of books in a digital age is yet to be decided. If you asked me how important stories are I can tell you that the art of story telling will never die. We are all story tellers but maybe we just don’t know it. Comedians tell funny stories, we gossip about other peoples business and they are stories, we lie about where we have been and create a story to embellish it. You interview me and ask for my story.3meworld.com. What has the reaction been from your peers as well as critically?Readers of “I AM” cannot wait for the next instalment, they have thoroughly enjoyed it. The feedback has been amazing. There is one comment on Amazon that stands out for me and I have to read it over and over again. It gives me a good feeling. The reader said:
“Very rarely does someone have the courage to lay down their truth so bare and exposed. To do so in such a unique style was breathtaking.
After reading Papillon I strove to never give up, after reading the Alchemist I swore I would follow my dreams. When I set down Jackman's I AM, I felt all these things, but more than that I promised to be brutally honest to myself in all I experience and do.
Because "Feeling beautiful is never too late!""
I think it is too early to speak about critical recognition. This was my first title and quite an unconventional one at that. I guess when I release the novel everyone will see what I am capable of writing. This is only the beginning I am in it for the long haul.
3meworld.com. What sorts of opportunities has this book opened up to you?
The book has allowed me to create a link with schools, colleges and universities. I travel as well giving talks and doing workshops. My experiences in Boston and Gambia are the most notable so far.
3meworld.com. What’s next?
I AM Volume 2 and the novel, but ever the perfectionist I have to get this right before a release.
I AM Volume 1 is available for purchase from all good retailers.
