Reading time: 1.25

335 words

Hey Reader,

^ This is part of a bit from my standup comedy set, about how horrifying and awkward I find it to pass as a normal human in a group setting.

I could have chosen to do anything under that childhood table: LEGO, cars, drawing, writing stories, giving my My Little Ponies weird glow-ups using Tippex and glitter…

But I chose books. Always books.

Because books showed me how the world is and how to move through it. It showed me what people say to each other. What’s acceptable and what’s not. Characters who felt more real to me than the kids in the playground who ignored me as I followed them round and told them fascinating facts about dinosaurs, vampires, and the Bermuda Triangle.

Books are magical, especially for those of us who struggle to get along in the real world. They reveal a wider world: princesses and lords and ladies and life in castles, kids who grew up in Saharan villages, rainforests, oceans, and Inuit tribes.

Words shape reality.

Now I help people write books because I understand how the spell works. It worked on me and still does. It’ll work on you, and it’ll work on the people who read and love your book when you write it.

Using your voice to write a book is one of the most powerful catalysts for change there is.

I’ll be talking about all of this — the magic of books in a digital world, and why the only way to find your voice is to use it — at Sophie Lee’s Unapologetic Voices Marathon on Monday March 2. I’m closing the day at 7pm and I’d love for you to join us.

There are 35-odd speakers — it really is a marathon! — and you can pick and choose the talks you join.

And, excitingly, it’s FREEEEEEE!

​Register here. I’ll see you there!

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

p.s. Know someone who might enjoy this email? Please forward it to them and get them to sign up here.