I’m leaving for holiday tomorrow, so I thought before I go that I’d share one more memory with you. While going through my Mum’s papers, I came across an old school exercise book of mine that she’d kept – I was astounded to find some early indications of where I would be going, decades later.
Note the chosen subject…
Now bear in mind, I was under 10 years old at this time (can’t recall exactly how old I was, but certainly in single figures.
And even more of a surprise to me was the story I discovered inside, as I don’t remember this at all! Obviously Scotland has been on my mind for a very, very long time…
Now clearly, I never quite finished the illustrations, which have never been my stronger point, but I am truly astounded to find this little gem, and see how far back my love of story telling (and Scotland!) began.
What are your earliest memories of writing your first stories? I thought mine dated back to 8 years old, when I began my first novel (Samantha, the Adventurous Poodle), but this predates even that. What a treasure to find, tucked away in Mum’s wardrobe.
deborahjay 
I wish I knew what happened to my old junior school books. I think I started writing historic fiction in Scripture lessons. I can still see the little half sized notebooks, one page plain, the opposite lined. After hearing a bible story we had to draw a picture and write a story, simple, no wonder it was my favourite lesson. The drawing was fun; flat roofed houses and stripey long clothes! Even back then I felt there was not enough character development in the Old Testament or in The Gospels, I think I enjoyed elaborating on the stories…
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Ah, another writer with clear need to make boring stories more interesting!
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I discovered something like this about a year ago. A pirate story I tried to write when I was six or seven. I loved drawing big scary scars on the pirates mean faces.
Sammy the Snail is far more charming.
Happy Trails!
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How fabulous! I loved illustrating my stories, but I eventually realised that skill was not my strong point!
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A winkle looks sort of like a snail. I’m glad the little girl was able to tell them apart.
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Me too, or it would have been a horror story! Clearly my first attempt at tension and possible conflict 😉
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Complete with illustrations! Excellent, Debbie.
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❤
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Oh Deb, how lovely this is and your illustrations make it. You already knew at eight years old that plans don’t always work out, but life has a way of sorting things. Have a lovely holiday and break away. ❤ I used to sit and write my Mum poems, on the stairs when I ought to have been asleep. I was six. I wrote a story about a fox, with powder paint illustrations, when I was nine. Gosh, you have sparked some memories with your lovely post. Hugs for you. ❤
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😀 ❤
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What a great find, Deborah. We moved around to much for my mom to have kept such things as school workbooks, but I can remember some poems I wrote in junior high school, and some I learned by heart too.
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We had the opposite – we only moved the once , and both my parents were hoarders, so there is an incredible amount of stuff to go through!
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Oh Deb, I loved this. Omg, it reminded me of a post I did with notes I’d found when I was very young. What a treasure! And you knew you wanted to write back then.You should edit and expand and make it into a children’s book? ❤ Oh, and happy travels! 🙂
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I have no recollection of this school book at all, so it was a huge surprise to discover I have carried on so many things I obviously started way back then 😀
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Food for thought. 🙂 xx
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So cool!
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Aw, thank you. It was a huge surprise to me, I really don’t remember it!
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Love it!
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😀
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