ALBANY — Albany-based author Andrew Elitzer’s new book ‘Simply Put’ offers readers a transportive look at the world and their place within it. A compilation of short stories, observations, ruminations on nature, and vignettes, ‘Simply Put’ poses questions, and the journey to answering them is equally important as the answer itself.
“My purpose in writing the book was to propose questions in order to find answers. I don’t have answers, but I have an understanding,” said Elitzer. “Life is a process.”
One of these nebulous questions can be found before the book is even opened. On the book cover, Elitzer uses a web. “For the web, the internet could come to mind. We’re all in that together. Also, you could look at this from the standpoint that we get stuck in webs, and how do we get unstuck? You can look at this in multiple ways,” he explained.
Leading up to writing ‘Simply Put’, Elitzer ‘dabbled, but never like this’ in the world of literature. A science major, he noted that it was not something that he did in college or adolescence. “I wanted to be a writer as an adult,” he explained. “After about age 30 forward, I wanted to write. I realize that it was a way for me to truly express things, and it’s on paper. You can look at it. Other people can look at it.”
“I didn’t really have a purpose until this writing started,” he said. After retirement, he was able to pursue his dreams of writing more fully. Elitzer fully embraces the idea of following one’s interests and dreams at any age.
“I see people as getting older; I don’t see them as ‘old’,” he said. “It’s important for me to let people know that you can find purpose at any age in life, and if you do find it in older life, go with it, and don’t let anybody tell you that you’re too old for this or it can’t happen.”
“I believe that possibility is available for anyone at any age,” he continued. “It’s important for me to do this for myself, to let other people know that you can have your greatest years in your 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s. And that you can do great things because you can.”
At first, Elitzer’s attempts to write ‘Simply Put’ faced difficulties, both internal and external. Using them as fuel, Elitzer’s honest journey bled through to the finished product. “I think it’s important for people to get a sense of who you are if you’re a writer when people are reading your books,” he noted.
As he worked, Elitzer found a process to tap into writing that fit right in his hand— his phone. “I would get an idea in my head and text it to myself,” he said. “I would observe someone in a setting and I would text it to myself, or if something just simply came from me in my own head. Then it would write itself— an organic stream of consciousness-type writing.”
His reasons for writing ‘Simply Put’ were twofold. “I did this for cathartic purposes and also because I truly wanted to connect with an audience. I know in my heart of hearts that many of these pieces people can relate to in their own lives.”
“That’s really important to me to establish a relationship with my audience and to let them know that I really care about them,” he continued. “We’re all on this journey together. It doesn’t matter if you’re 92 or 18, we’re all human beings on a shared journey, even though we live individual lives.”
Elitzer’s goal is to write ‘lasting works’ that bring people together. “I write for the purpose of establishing eternal questions and maybe answers. I’m hoping that a serious-minded person will see these vignettes this way and want to go back to them,” he said.
“I want to share this with people, and I believe in other people’s hopes and dreams,” he continued. “I share in their struggles.”
He has written two more books, which are slated for the next couple of years. They are written in a similar style to ‘Simply Put’, but expand upon the preexisting themes. “It shows an evolution of my writing and also what I see as a person in relation to the world,” he said.
‘Simply Put’ is available for purchase as a paperback or eBook on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes, and Google Play.
