Off the Page Literary Celebration: Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

As I settled into my seat at the Venice Performing Arts Center, I realized the audience was kind of special. There was an unusual diversity to its composition -- all ages and colors (including their hair). Many were clutching books by the author we were there to hear speak -- Neil Gaiman. 

Gaiman has won too many awards to list here, but it's worth noting that he was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the Year for 2023. While I associate Gaiman with fantasy books, he's done other types of writing as well, including comics, theater and poetry. Several of his works have been adapted into films or tv. (I watched an episode of  "Good Omens," which he co-wrote with Terry Gilliam, just last night, and it's quite funny.) In anticipation of hearing Gaiman speak, I read "The Ocean at the End of the Lane," a short novel with a protagonist he said was himself at seven years old. I liked it. 

The evening was structured as a Q&A, with Gaiman responding to written questions previously provided by "you lot." First up was an unsurprising question. What's the most important advice you can give a new writer? His response, though, was surprising -- and right up my alley. "Read the contracts," he said. What? 

When Gaiman decided at the age of 22 that he wanted to become a writer, he went to the library and checked out a book with a title something like "So You Want to Be a Writer." (Queue laughter.) He still remembers an important lesson from that book -- everything in a contract is negotiable, including the date at the top. As a lawyer, the bit about the date came as no surprise, but it was kind of mindblowing to young Gaiman and the audience. And with that, he was off. 

Gaiman's answer to a question about where he gets his inspiration was also surprising. He recalled a terrifying story his daughter Holly dictated to him when she was just four years old. It was about a substitute mother who locked Holly up in a cellar. (Gaiman was quick to note that there was no cellar in their home.) While some people might have sought therapy for their daughter, Gaiman went to a bookstore to find out about horror stories for four year olds. It turns out there actually is such a genre. Who knew? Holly's story provided the inspiration for "Coraline," a book that tells the tale of a little girl who steps through a door in her new home and finds an entirely different house with different parents who don't want to let her go back to her real world. Not a bedtime story I'd want to hear. 

Occasionally Gaiman would take a break from answering questions to read some of his work. I was expecting an excerpt or two from a book, but instead he read a short story and a couple of poems. Not surprisingly, he's a great reader. "The October Tale" is the story of a genie inadvertently summoned from a lamp by a woman who frustratingly doesn't have any wishes she wants granted. To see Gaiman read this story back in 2016, click here. Note that it's from a random FB page so the quality isn't terrific, although the story is. Alternatively, you can read the story yourself by clicking here. 

The final question he answered seemed an odd one for a world famous author. Have you ever suffered from imposter syndrome? If you don't know what imposter syndrome is, you're a very secure person. It's basically when a high achieving individual suffers a wave of self-doubt and fears their deficiencies are finally going to be found out. It's particularly common among women, but not always, as Gaiman's story revealed. 

Gaiman was at a conference filled with incredibly impressive people from all walks of life. There were a few other writers there, like Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood. Gaiman was feeling slightly out of his depth when an older gentleman walked up to him and said, "Hi, I'm Neil too." Neil 2 looked around and said, "I have no idea what I'm doing here. These people have done amazing things. I just went where I was sent." Gaiman looked at him somewhat incredulously. "But you've been where no man had been before," he responded. Yes, Neil 2 was none other than Neil Armstrong. Gaiman finished the anecdote by saying, "There are no adults. We're all just doing what we can to get by." And with that, the evening was over. 

Huge kudos to the folks at Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources for an amazing inaugural Off the Page Literary Celebration. I understand they are already hard at work on next year's line-up of events. I can't wait.