Recently my book was reviewed by the Wisden Cricketer. For a cricket book, this is one of the most important reviews. As it will be the main magazine and online (reviews are put on cricinfo) review that most people will see. The review was fairly positive, 3 and a half stars, and the reviewer said that he would like to read the next instalment, which is always a good sign. His biggest problems were that the book had too much swearing (fuck) and was badly proofed (just found out that there was a problem with the proofing).
He mentioned how my writing appeared to him, “His writing style was forged on the internet, free of the shackles imposed by fussy sub-editors or cautionary lawyers. He gets quickly and robustly to the point, the page is liberally sprinkled with industrial language, and he sees no need to conform to the niceties and conventions of the embedded press corp.”
I spent a few days thinking about this. This is my first real review, and it meant something to me. He says way nicer things about me in the review, but this is the bit I like best. He says my style of writing is free, that I get to the point, and I don’t feel the need to bow to other people’s morals. These are all things I am proud of.
I look at my writing in a basketball sense.
Most NBA players learn the basics in their school, then they go to a good basketball school, learn how to run the plays, where to stand, get taught defense, and have coaches looking after them. Then they get drafted, unless they are top draft picks they either sit on the bench or become role players. The best players then stand out in the crowd while the rest just fill gaps in various rosters.
My writing is more like street bastketball. I learnt by playing. There was no coaching, I had to make a name for myself. I learnt from losing to those better than me, from experience day in day out, from fighting with those who disagreed with me. It made my game harder than those who came from the school system, but also less rounded and thought out. Mine is instinctive and crude, theirs is thought out and polished.
Fewer coaches would take a risk on me, but I am different.
It is the harder way to make it up. Even now I have written for Wisden and the Times, I am still seen as a maverick who could snap at any moment.
When talking to someone who was treating me the way you might treat a terrorist, I said, “it is ok, I am house trained”. I doubt a traditionally trained journalist would have to say the same.
More and more writers will make their way like I have, as people did before me. It isn’t the easy way to the top, but there is also a bit of satisfaction in knowing what you have is because of what you have taught yourself, and not because you sat in a class listening to others.
Although, like most street bastketball players who grew up playing affected by the wind, I’d prefer a better jump shot.