Hungry - a Sunday Scribbling

This autumn we Brits once again seek to get our fix of talent shows. Up against each other in the ratings we have Strictly Come Dancing and The X-Factor.

What does it take to be a winner? Is it down to talent alone? Do you have to possess a burning hunger that drives you to seek sustenance for your soul? Was Susan Boyle hungry? Probably not. I think she just liked singing. But then is hunger necessary to sustain a lengthy career, to keep up the rounds of tours, interviews and recordings. I suspect that a burning desire to hold onto this magic will have to come, or else a different yearning will pull her back to a Scottish village again, away from the limelight.

And what of the other thousands of professions that don't require audiences of millions to view your 'audition'. How do you portray hunger at interview without coming across as desperate? When you hear the magic words "We'd like to offer you the job", how much do you have to continually want to make your living like this to really enjoy it and be successful?

This is a turning into a list of questions? Shouldn't I be answering some or is that your job readers? If I was a hungry writer, surely I should be giving more of my opinion.

I am a hungry writer, so I'll do something with this knawing, nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. I believe you need hunger to really succeed, you have to 'feel the pain'. Programmes like the X-Factor put the belief in heads that all you need to do is turn up and Simon Cowell will do the rest. What the unsuccessful auditionees fail to spot is that, of those that make the TV shows, the majority have 'been there and done it'. They have felt the knawing, they've toiled at singing lessons, worked the clubs and put themselves in front of an audience. They want it. They know they want it and so, they keep trying every avenue until they get it. There'll always be the few blessed with effortless talent who sail through to the finals. But watch them... see them get the hunger, the desire to win, to be a success.

So, I reflect on my own hunger. How much do I want a new job? How hard am I prepared to work at a (nearly) middle-aged second career as a writer, for I still need the day job to keep a roof over my head? Well, I do want that new job. I have so much to offer a business. I am all about building engagement - hunger if you like - in employees. When I'm set free I write to engage, to entertain, to educate, to nurture. Last time I checked, Simon Cowell didn't do a talent show for Internal Communication Managers or budding novelists, so I'll have to make it on my own.

In short:

I'm hungry

I've cupboards full of the juicy sustenance of ideas

I'm very clever with blending ingredients and creating tasty dishes

I have the power to feed the hunger, feed the soul

So, what am I waiting for? Life begins at 40, so in 6 months when I hit that milestone I'll be loving a cracking new job and have the first manuscripts out to the agents!

Now, I'm off to feed my stomach. There's a blackberry and apple crumble in the oven. Heavy on the apple. Dragged my son off blackberry picking this afternoon. We were gone over an hour and came back with six! Still, it was enough to give the apples a slight pink tinge!

This post was in response to the Sunday Scribblings challenge - write on the subject of hunger. To read more, pop along to their website.