Dyslexic Gosport pensioner, 71, types 83,000-word novel on iPhone 7 using one finger

A DYSLEXIC pensioner who has struggled with writing his whole life has written a novel – typing 83,000 words using just one finger on a mobile phone.
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Alan Pilcher, from Gosport, has lived with dyslexia since he was a child – with his teachers just assuming he was dim.

Now the 71-year-old’s murder mystery, entirely written on his iPhone 7 and using only his left middle finger, has been published via Amazon.

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Alan Pilcher has been living with dyslexia his whole life - but not knowing what it was as a child, was chastised for his bad grades and atrocious spelling. Now 72, he has written his first novel, using his mobile phone.

Pictured: Alan Pilcher with his book outside his home in Gosport.

Picture: Habibur RahmanAlan Pilcher has been living with dyslexia his whole life - but not knowing what it was as a child, was chastised for his bad grades and atrocious spelling. Now 72, he has written his first novel, using his mobile phone.

Pictured: Alan Pilcher with his book outside his home in Gosport.

Picture: Habibur Rahman
Alan Pilcher has been living with dyslexia his whole life - but not knowing what it was as a child, was chastised for his bad grades and atrocious spelling. Now 72, he has written his first novel, using his mobile phone. Pictured: Alan Pilcher with his book outside his home in Gosport. Picture: Habibur Rahman
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Alan, who took six months to write the book, said: ‘In school I was always bottom of the class, but nobody knew what dyslexia was back then.

‘I was a year behind and really struggled, but in the end I just learned to live with it – there are things you can do to make your life easier, and it doesn’t define who you are as a person.

‘When it came to writing it was difficult, but as you get older it feels like less of a big deal.’

Alan’s novel, called Arc of Doubt is about a body being pulled from Fareham Creek, and the mysteries and secrets that are dug up with it.

Alan Pilcher with his book, and the iPhone he wrote it on. Picture: Habibur RahmanAlan Pilcher with his book, and the iPhone he wrote it on. Picture: Habibur Rahman
Alan Pilcher with his book, and the iPhone he wrote it on. Picture: Habibur Rahman
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A retired builder, Alan said he’s been writing at any opportunity he can, from quiet evenings in front of the telly to whenever his wife Frances is out shopping.

He typed the entire novel out on his phone – but having struggled to adapt to the technology, was typing using just one finger.

‘I watch my children type on their phones and their fingers are just a blur,’ he joked.

‘There’s no way I could do that, not at my age. But it actually made sense for me to type it up on my phone because of the autocorrect – it’s the perfect answer to dyslexia.

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‘My family has given me huge amounts of encouragement and they are all amazed I’ve done this.’

His wife Frances, 68, a retired journalist, edited his book once he had finished – but only needed to add punctuation in.

Alan chose to publish his book through Amazon, with books made to order preventing any copies going to waste.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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