Written by Peter Weilnböck
Published on: 2024-06-09
I muse about an unforgotten childhood dream. The dream of being an author.
I am an avid listener of the PenAddict podcast. And recently they pitched a new podcast hosted via the same platform relay.fm.
And this new podcast is Paper Places. It is about a young author working on her fist book, interviewing other, already published, authors about writing and the reality of publishing. Even though it is only in the first few episodes, it is already a surprisingly polished production and not only entertaining but genuinely interesting.
And it once again reminded me of my childhood dream. Yes, when I was small, I wanted to become an author. This earn me a bit of laughter in elementary school, but mainly, because I used the fancy word for it. To explain: When the teacher asked, I truthfully answered that I wanted to become an “Autor” (german for author) when I grew up. The other kids laughed about me wanting to become an “Auto” (german for car), until the teacher explained to them what an “Autor” was.
But, as it so often happens, things change with time. In junior high school I struggled with languages quite a bit and I always was close to failing the English and Latin classes. (It was a language focussed junior high school) So, when the time came to decide on my further education, I chose an engineering high school instead, since I really did not fancy adding another language to the mix. And math and engineering came easy for me.
So I learned about electronics, and a bit of programming and later went on to study theoretical physics at university.
Now I work as an engineer in the R&D department of a company selling railway maintenance machines.
But deep down the dream of becoming an author never really left me. It just got pushed back again and again. No time, or simply not the best use of my time.
I am also a realist. I would not expect myself to produce bestsellers, and even if I did, authorship is not known for being the best financial choice. My current job allows me to lead a rather comfortable life, but it also consumes quite a bit of my time and mental capacity.
Still, the podcast inspired my to maybe try writing again. At least to try to hone the craft.
There is a lot to train and learn. And who knows? Maybe I stay inspired and motivated for long enough to actually write a book.