Geoff Thompson: Writer – Teacher – Martial artist

At an early stage of my development in all things internal, when I still prayed for luck when a good result was needed and I still employed blame if things went wrong I was invited onto the ‘Tom Robinson radio show’ to talk about the release of my first book, Watch My Back. I hit it off with Tom instantly.

He was generous with his time and kind with his advice; about my writing, my personal development and about life in general. I looked up to him because he had been (and still was) very successful, first as a pop singer and now as host of a popular Radio 4 show (The Locker Room).

I remember at the time that I was desperately looking for (and not finding) an agent to represent my burgeoning literary talent. It is commonly acknowledged in the publishing world that securing an agent is as hard as landing an actual publisher. The competition for folk trying to make it into print has always been fierce, especially now, in the days where fame is seen as the panacea of a dissatisfied populace, and writing is often viewed as an easy entry into the pantheons of celebrity.

As I said it was an early stage of my development, as a self realised person and as a writer, and no matter how hard I tried I seemed unable to find an agent that would read my work, let alone offer to represent me.

So I did what most people do in these situations, I started to tilt lances at windmills and blame all and sundry for my lack of success. It was (my chippy-shouldered ego informed me) because I was working class, it was because my book was a one-hit-wonder, it was because people ‘didn’t get me’.

There was a lot of becauses.

Feeling a little sorry for myself (if all else fails self pity is as good as comfort food) I complained to Tom that, ‘I can’t get an agent. I really want one but no one’s interested.’ Tom looked at me, unable to stop his eyebrows rising into a question mark.

He said, ‘how many agents have you tried Geoff?’

I said (quick as a flash) ‘oh, loads.’

I‘d sent a flurry of emails and letters out in a day of mad exuberance but never really bothered to follow any of them up.
Tom said (and this has stayed with me ever since, in fact every time I feel as though things are not happening for me I remember his advice) ‘Geoff, if there are fifty agents in London and you have only tried forty nine of them, then you haven’t done your job. If there are fifty agents in London and you have tried them all, but only once then you still haven’t done your job because second time around you will be talking to different people on a different day, and they will have different needs and different moods.

If you haven’t got an agent, it is because you don’t want an agent.’

Tom was telling me something that deep down I already secretly knew but perhaps did not want to acknowledge: if you really truly want something you will move heaven and earth and all in-between to get it.

I use this advice now every time a goal seems illusive, every time I hit a rock or a hard place (or I find myself betwixt the two). Every time I have tried forty nine out of fifty, or fifty, only once I remind myself that when my desire is absolute my want will become my intent, and it is entirely the job of intent to deliver reward.

Be well.

Geoff Thompson.