CAST A SHADOW ON THE WALL
The Autobiography of a Lost Soul
Michael Woodhead’s life contains what he invariably weaves into his novels—spirituality, sexuality, and creativity.
However, that didn’t become apparent to him until he began organizing his archival boxes of memorabilia and journal entries, as well as trying to formulate a timeline for this autobiography.
At first, he endeavored to place things in order of the places in which he’d lived for any length of time—Lancashire, England; Toronto, Ontario; Greenwood, Nova Scotia; Grostenquin, France; Bagotville, Quebec; and Calgary, Alberta.
Then he tried developing it from his interests—music, art, writing, photography. theatre, etc.—but even that became muddled after a while because of the variety of things that clamored for his attention.
His next approaches included a written narrative, topical lists, chronological lists, illustrated lists, etc.
Eventually, he settled on this chronological narrative that includes past events and experiences, as well as present-day commentaries in gray boxes.
But it wasn’t until he started to assemble this autobiography that he discovered how much the ‘double-mindedness’ that he experienced through most of his life permeated the spiritual, sexual, and creative areas as well as his personal, emotional, and psychological life.
Even seventy-five years later, and even after baring his life in this autobiography, he’s still trying to make sense of it all.
