Sometime in the early 1980s, probably 1983/1984, during the middle of an English Composition exam I fell in love with the word entrepreneur. I'd always loved reading - if twitter had existed back then I would have stalked Enid Blyton until she was forced to take out a restraining order - but I'd never considered that I could write a book. I didn't decide that day either, but I like to think of it as the start of the slow-burn.
Even earlier in the 1980s, about 1981, we had to write a story about a postman and his route. I can't say for sure what the other stories were like but I'm nominating mine as possibly the worst in the class. I think I was a very dim child. I wrote about a postman and I had him deliver a letter to each house and well, that was it. Snooooze. I hope you're still here. I remember the teacher having to explain to me that I should have added some action, like a vicious dog (if she'd mentioned zombies, I'd have choked on my gulp). There was no spark back then, not even a slow burn.
In primary school, about 1976, the teacher asked us to write our own version of Alice in Wonderland. I plagiarised. Adding here that I was about 8. I thought if I changed a few words, I kid you not, that the teacher wouldn't realise I'd copied it from a book. Oh she noticed, thank god they didn't use rulers on backsides back then.
So why this post..? Just me wondering wondering which point in the road led to today.
17 comments:
This is why you write things of a speculative nature, Cate. The Fairies took over...those zombie faires with the leather wings.
You're in their clutches, now. Good luck.
Aaron, putting in a request for a zombie fairy with leather wings Friday Flash, thank you. :D
The word entrepreneur started all this? Interesting. Was it the sound of it or was it its meaning?
I would like to think that a garden gnome whispers in your ear every night.
Ed, the sound. Other words I adore are Agamemnon and Pyroclastic. Sigh!
Jamie, locking windows tonight.
I often wonder about what lights a fire under these things, too. Totally cute story about the postman thing-- and plagiarization. Kids are so weird.
And entrepreneur does have a fabulous sound to it. I can't say as I blame you.
Katey, I'm imagining future headlines 'Cate Gardner Accused of Plagarism' and getting it all out into the open now. :D
Oh, Cate...now the wheels are turning. Thanks ;)
Fantastic. :D
This was a beautiful post! I hope it becomes a meme. I'd love to hear what set everybody on their individual roads.
-Mercedes
Me too. Good idea, Mercedes.
Ha! Ying had the same problems with the idea of fiction. Still does : ) Which means, wherever your road forked, the other route led to being an engineer. Which, from what I've seen, is even weirder than fiction writing by far!
I think we(writers) all wonder that. You have to think of when so you put that on your website as one of your FAQ. I look forward to reading it. ;-)
I've pondered that, can't put a finger on it and decided that it just is. If that makes sense.
Natalie, in an alternate universe zombie machines are about to take over the world.
Tyhitia, I often wonder on what day I and others made the leap.
Danielle, it does.
Just be glad you weren't writing about zombies and things back then--your teacher might have recommended you for a "special" class. :)
Whatever road you took along the way, I'm glad you took it.
(Oh, and you made me think of the Dr. Seuss's Big Book About Me that I had when I was seven. I loved that book and filled it all in. And on the page where it says "can you draw a bird?" or whatever, I copied the Dr. Seuss bird on the previous page. Even worse, my "story" was a list of things around me, preceded by "I love," as in "I love TV. I love couches. I love dogs. I love macrame." Yes, macrame. It was the 70s and my grandmother had a big macrame wall hanging in her den.)
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