What Am I?

One of Patsy Collins' recent posts was about professionalism. She asked those of us who had been paid for our writing whether we considered ourselves professional writers. This got me thinking. Thanks, Patsy. As if I don't have enough to do with all the links you put up for competitions and other writing opportunities. Now I have to spend time thinking.

Where was I? Ah yes. I was thinking. Not just about being (or not being) a professional. But other stuff. Like am I working class or middle class? At sixty one am I old or still middle aged? Am I British or English? (Definitely not European). Do people think I'm a geek or just an enthusiast?

That last point got me worried. Well, not worried maybe. But puzzled. Surely we're all geeks in a way? We all have our skills and interests. There must be a fine line between nerdiness and just being an expert. Maybe it becomes geeky when you just can't resist showing off your knowledge to anyone within earshot. (Or blogshot?) Just like I did on my last blog post with those bits of trivia about The Lone Ranger.

The geek look was in vogue for a while with horn-rimmed glasses and braces becoming fashionable accessories. But it didn't last. More recently, the American sit-com Big Bang Theory (of which I'm a huge fan) has given a 21st century insight into the world of geeks. In any case, I think I prefer the term 'geek' to 'anorak'. The latter invokes images of train spotters. Not that I wish to alienate any railway enthusiasts.

So, to sum up: I'm a young-at-heart, English working class, semi-professional writer with geeky tendencies. Just to prove it – in my next post I'm going to bore you to death stir your interest with several facts about another legend. You have been warned, Patsy.