Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a small volume of fiction written by Richard Bach. Some of you have read it. Some of you haven’t. It’s a highly readable novella with a seagull named Jonathan Livingston as its titular hero. The totality of the essence that shines through this story is not just about a seagull and the quest for success. More importantly, one must look at this book as a motif that corresponds to the inner voice of an individual. When I read this book, as a young student of English literature, I immediately associated it with a writer’s journey. I contemplated on the many nuances Mr. Bach, who I consider one of my gurus, must have employed to reveal his own life through the pages of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The reason I considered the possibility of an autobiographical element in this book is that in every writer, there is a seagull.

Those very few successful authors are able to free the seagull engraved in their consciousness by the same creative power that generated their life force. Is it possible to live without consciousness? Perhaps, but think about the quality of life one must be missing under an unconscious state of existence. Every writer goes through stages of evolution. We evolve into being who we are. This evolution need not be biological. It could be spiritual or intellectual. Just like an ordinary person having lost his consciousness, a writer struggles if one does not free the seagull within one.

What do I mean by “the seagull within us?” The seagull within us is our inner voice. This same voice sometimes gives a character in one of our stories, a unique individuality, and the narrative a significant identity. Voice is literature has a different meaning. It is not literally an audible sound. But in a novel or a story, ‘voice’ is the narrative style and peculiar alignment of thoughts and words. In order to achieve a unique and poignant voice on paper, one must achieve the same in life outside the paper.

There may be a multitude of concerns that haunt you each day—electricity bill, water bill, cable and internet bill, food, family, house maintenance or mortgage, etc. Often, these many concerns put a lock in the cage in which our inner seagull resides. This inner seagull came with us while we were born, within the same package that is we.

Once we realize our karma that is the cause of our restlessness, the path that we need to travel, we must take the courage to let the seagull free. Let it fly, away and above, everything we have known and seen; let it find new horizons; let it guide us. Let your inner voice take up thoughts that were, until then, impossible for you to handle, or improbable. Let your imagination accompany that inner voice. This is where fiery books were written.

In the last decade of the previous century, a woman had a dream-like idea. It was highly improbable and senseless. Had she been living in Kerala, her own self-respect might have prevented her from penning down this story. But she lived in Europe, and she took the courage to free her seagull that is in her. In a few years, her book became a phenomenon. You must have heard of her, everyone does. She goes by the name, J. K. Rowling.

About The Author:

Anu Lal is the author of Wall of Colours and Other Stories, Book-1 in the Hope, Vengeance, and History Trilogy. He resides in India. His upcoming book is Clenched Hands, Bloody Nails. His second book You Should Know How I Feel has been a bestseller in Amazon India.

Blog: http://anu-lal.blogspot.in/

Author Page: Here

Good morning, afternoon or evening depending on the time zone.

A few weeks ago I ran into one of my neighbors Kevin. We were discussing then normal issues, weather, taxes, political guffaws and the sort. I could tell Kevin had something more important on his mind, but since I didn't know what it was, we continued with the small talk. We moved on to work related items. He was currently unemployed. He was an OTR. For those who don't know, that's an over the road trucker. Work had been a little slow and he was tired of watching yell and white lines dance in front of the windshield. He had applied for a couple of local jobs at the Opera and sound studios. See, Kevin is an artist at heart. He spent years working on his music and running sound gigs. As he describe some of his past gigs I quietly interrupted. "Hey Kevin, why don't you write a book." His look was of confusion. "Where would I start? What do I write? Who would read it?" I think at one time or the other we've all asked the same questions. My answer. "At the beginning. Start at the beginning." He assured me if he got serious about it, he'd give he a shout for direction and motivation.

Yesterday I ran into Kevin again. Asked him if he'd heard back from the Opera or sound stage. Said he hadn't heard a word, but his fingers were still crossed. Then he hit me with, "Guess what? I took your advice, sat down last night and started writing. I was only going to spend about thirty minutes. Instead I found out I had been hammering on the keyboard for over two-and-half hours. I was shocked." The only advice I gave him was since it's an autobiography of his tales on the road and the shows he worked, be honest. Don't make yourself look like the good guy all time. If you do, readers will question the sincerity and depth of the author. He agreed and scurried back to his house.

Let me tell you something, that gave me a great feeling. Will I make any money of of this? No. Will I be credited with a blooming career? No. I will have the satisfaction of knowing I helped a neighbor in a small way launch a new career. I reflected back to the days I was coaching baseball. I never worried about the win loss record. I concentrated on the boys/girls learning how to properly play the game. If I knew they learned the fundamentals, the W's would follow them through life. I got the same feeling with Kevin.

I will help him and answer any and all questions he may have as he ventures into this new and exciting arena. Isn't that what neighbors are for?
Jeff Dawson on Amazon