What is this blog all about?

The self-aggrandisement of these sections aside, what can I really say? I have been writing from an early age. I read a huge amount and tried to translate some of that into my own stuff but always got stuck in the same place. Then I discovered the typewriter. It helped me write a lot more and – more importantly – finish what I started.

Then one day someone asked me what I would charge to do a small piece for her (or pieces) – mostly web-based text like the About and Home pages, an advertising piece or two and a couple of newsletters.

I figured that if one person was willing to pay (and the pay was peanuts because “what did I know”) then perhaps other people would be willing to do so too.

I stay with my wife and two kids in Durbanville, 30 clicks inland from Cape Town. I don’t have a picket fence and the dog isn’t called Rover, though I do have a goldfish named John that has exceeded all lifespan expectations. You could accuse me of genetic engineering but I’m not that clever.

#IAmTheStory - this blog that you're on - is a project of mine, which I love a huge amount. It is a collection of stories from normal people that I meet, those that have a story to tell that is unique to them.

Why? Because every single day you see a person you have never seen before. You may speak to a person you have never spoken to before, or smile and nod an acknowledgment to a person you have never smiled at before. You move on and the person is largely forgotten, lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. You pay them no more attention than you would a piece of paper blown onto your chest in a strong wind. It is seen, it is acknowledged, it is plucked off and it is thrown aside.

To you, that person you saw is a face in the crowd, no more and no less. To them, so are you. But you were born at a time and a date special to you. You lived in a neighbourhood and you had friends. You won some games and you scraped your knees. You went to school and did well at some subjects and not as well at others. You have a job. You pay your bills. You have a home life that no one else sees. You have thoughts that no one else knows. You have unique friends. Some of them know you well and some less. If you are at an average age of 35, you have lived for 12775 days.

That’s 12775 stories that you have to tell. And because you are not just a face in the crowd, you should.

But your story is never told. The stories that get told daily are only those of public faces, the stand-outs, the celebrities and the politicians and the serially bad (or serially good) that do something that the media calls “of human interest”.

Your story is never told and that is a tragedy. Perhaps you have a dream that you fulfilled, or one that you did not. Perhaps you did something at 15 that has always remained in your memory as a high point. Maybe your daily struggles to get through life are going unacknowledged by those around you and you want to scream them to the world. You could be in love, starting a new job, completing a long and drawn out project. Whatever the story, it is your story and it deserves to be heard. It is of interest because it is human. You are not a face in the crowd.

I want to hear your story. Better yet, I want to publish your story. I want the world to hear your story. I want you to stand out.

All you need is to say: “My name is …, and #iamthestory.”

If you want your story told, then contact me via this blog.