The Biography of the boy who would become O W Dawson (2)

The boy was always considered bright but always so far from his full potential.
Even as a child in primary school, teachers would comment on how he was not close to where he had the ability to be. This would stick in his mind.
He was not the most clever in all his classes, but would have the potential, with a deal of focus, to be.
He was not the best at anything, but he was very close. In fact a flaw he had was his ability to pick things up quickly and show true promise. This however, as the boy, was never fulfilled. He had a curse of ability. It is more factual to say he has a curse of the second level of achievement. The second level, when the initial novelty wears thin and focus and the want to improve kicks in. The boy just didn't have this built into him. He would struggle with matching the initial, unrehearsed results with results born of trying. Doubt and self loathing then would grip him in the mind. Pain of trying became pain of the thing he was trying. The initial joy from the novelty of the new pursuit could never be refound.
The boy was full of these catch 22's. He wasn't aware that these catches were self created and thus he would be able to destruct them by himself until the lull period.
There was more than enough talent in the hands, face and mind of the boy, but it would not be until the creation that was O W Dawson, would all of it be tapped into and utilised.
Whilst 'The Great Western City' was still floating in his mind, the boy was warming up with projects that would be later collated by others. These short, simple stories and self address notes were by being created, a new phenomenon for the boy. To practise, to create just to throw away, was a non-existant notion for him. For example, even sketches of his buildings and pages in his sketchbooks themselves would be used in the final presentation. Other students would have numbers of rough workings and thrown away ideas as well as the presentation. He had only what you saw on the wall. There was never anymore. There was never the volume of work his presentation gave the impression he had done. In many ways, it was the path of least resistance. But in many ways, it was a testament to the complete working of his full and powerful imagination: what would be committed to paper was the final, complete product.
So to practise, to create unfinished bits and pieces just to warm up was alien to the boy. Yet it was a hurdle that had to be jumped if writing and acting were what O W Dawson was to do. Although he could imagine complete designs in his fertile mind, whole stories and novels, he could not.