A COMEDIAN and author from Andover has spoken out about the ‘massive positive impact’ dyslexia has had on his creativity in a bid to encourage other budding writers.

Brad Ball, who lives in Fyfield, has self-published 14 children's books and recently launched a new stand-up comedy show in Andover.

The 48-year-old began performing at a young age, attending Sylvia Young Theatre School as a child, and securing a number of TV adverts.

Now, he wants to encourage others to follow their creative passions and not allow fears of failure stand in their way.

“I do stand-up comedy so I’m used to making things up and embellishing things!” he said.

Speaking about where the idea for the book series, entitled The Tiny World of Massive Magic, came from, he said: “Basically, it was for my nieces, Dolly and Birdie. I wrote a story for them, and they told their friends about it. I was getting phone calls asking me to write another story, and another - they were a lot shorter than the book at the time.”

He continued: “A lot of people write for the kids, whereas personally I write what I find funny. I can relate to children really easily, they are generally better humans than adults! They just want to play and have fun and I hoped children would find the books funny, because they find me funny! I also through in some bits for adults to relate to too.

“They are all based around friendship, fun, empathy, and they are all interlinked.”

In 2020, Brad wrote 14 books in eight months, and faced the challenge of releasing the first one sale just as Covid hit.

READ MORE: Andover comedian launches book series to raise awareness of dyslexia

He said: “The main reason for writing any book is certainly not for the financial reasons. Every year you’ve got two million books, and you’ve got to somehow stand out from the crowd. Everybody has got a story to write, but we just don’t know it. But if someone has thought about writing it, then they want to do it.

“When we were children we used to make stories up, so what happened?”

Brad, who has dyslexia, says that a big part of taking the first step was learning to embrace what others might consider a barrier.

“I am very dyslexic, but I can talk alright,” he said. “Although when I was young I had a speech impediment. So now, with the writing and the comedy, the two things I couldn’t do I am doing, and that was part of the appeal of writing the books.”

He continued: “When harnessed, dyslexia can really work for you, but the problem is a lot of children find it hard and get labelled no good.

“It doesn’t mean you can’t be a writer, it just means you need someone to proofread! It’s quite a creative gene, and the opposite of a barrier. If you embrace it, it can have a massive positive impact. People think it’s a negative, like not being able to spell, and it can be, depending on how it manifests itself. But let’s face it, as adults we’re not very creative but as children we are. And I’ve been able to hold onto a bit of that.”

He added: “A lot of people are too scared. It’s a bit like hearing your own singing voice - a lot of people, when they want to write a story, don’t like what they read back.

“Nothing should stop you, and nothing should hold you back.”

For more information about Brad, or to purchase his books, visit: thetinyworldofmassivemagic.com.

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