Contributor's Corner
Bill Arnott FRANK GO
NRM: Tell us about yourself.
I see simultaneous beauty and lunacy in most things.
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NEW READER MAGAZINE
Bill Arnott: Like most writers, I started writing when I was young—poetry, lyrics, and fiction, all of it awful. As I grew up (somewhat) and went to university, writing became a means to an end—essays, reports, and case studies. But a writerly lifeline persisted by penning brief, inspirational messages, reminders of the strength and capabilities we all possess. A buddy spotted my scribbles, scattered over a bulletin board on post-its and index cards. “That’s a book,” he said. Which I hadn’t considered. So I bundled my little empowerment into an offset print paperback, called it Wonderful Magical Words, and selfpublished it. To my delight, it was a Canadian bestseller. Sales raised money for
Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. Everything about the project felt good. Except the writing. Ten years after the book I began to find my voice—that lovely process of aging and no longer giving a shit that tends to result in authenticity.
NRM: What’s one thing unique about you? BA: Each of us can say everything we’ve done has led to here, making all of us unique, and for that reason, very much the same. Which I like. Being collectively individual. To answer the question directly, however, I’d say I see simultaneous beauty and lunacy in most things.
