In honor of Friday, I thought I’d take the day off of business stuff and just post something fun. Okay, it’s still sort of about writing, but it’s silly and cute, not “hey, go buy my book” and miniature progress reports.
I was going through some of my old stuff the other day and I found a few of the first books that I ever wrote. They’re not actually my books, more like little kid versions of Disney movies, but I did find one book that I wrote called, A Scary Book for Halloween. It went something like…
“Mummies scare people on Halloween night.
Spiders bite on Halloween night.
Pumpkin faces glow bright on Halloween night.
Meow go Halloween cats.
Ghosts arise on Halloween night.
Witches go back and forth through the air.
Frankenstein.”
I have to admit, I cracked up. I spent an entire book (or like, six pages) writing about all these monsters and what they do and I ended it with “Frankenstein.” Smart kid.
A few other gems include lines such a page from my Dallas book, “This is a cactus that is sharp,” and “This is a tortilla growing in a tortilla patch.” Now, I don’t know if I thought I was being funny or if I actually believed that tortillas grew in tortilla patches, but I still got a pretty good laugh out of it.
I also found an old alphabet book that I wrote. I was particularly impressed by my choice for O.
It’s kind of cute. I was smart enough to know what an opal was but not smart enough to know not to write my lower case a’s backwards.
I also found a few of my Disney books…
I was so obsessed with Ariel.
This one was written before I figured out that J and L are not the same letter.
Apparently, Prince Philip was not important enough for color.
“Prick your finger!”
But the first book I ever “wrote” was inspired by Donald Crews’ Shortcut. I still remember my pre-k teacher reading it to us like it was yesterday. It was about a group of kids who had stayed out past dark, so they decided to take a shortcut home along the railroad tracks. Near the end of their journey, they heard a train whistling in the distance, and they knew it would be coming along the tracks. In my head, that train whistle in the night was so eerie, and I remember feeling chilled and a little scared. It was the first time a book had gotten to me like that, and I was fascinated by the idea that words on a page could be so powerful. I decided right then and there that I had to have that book, but instead of going out and buying it, I wanted to recreate it for myself.
So, there you have it. A small glimpse into the early days of my writing career. Hey, we all have to start somewhere. You know, I didn’t realize that writing was what I wanted to do with my life until my junior year of college. Looking back, I can’t believe it took me that long to figure it out. I’ve been writing for fun and therapy since the day I learned the alphabet. Granted, it took me a while to master a few letters, but overall, I think I’ve got them down. Though I’m still a little iffy on 5’s if I’m being totally honest. My hand has just never felt comfortable writing 5’s.
Anyway, before I sign off for the day, I also wanted to share this adorable picture of my kitties when they were babies. Sadly, my sweet Rusty (the orange one) is no longer with us, but Jazzy (the one with the tongue) is still alive and happy, even though my sister says that in this picture, she looks like an “aloof doofus.” Mean.
Have a happy weekend, everyone!
A Platform of Sorts 