Friday, April 22, 2011

The First Piece of Memorable Fiction I Wrote!


No! Not War of the Worlds! Permit me to explain!
Technically the very first story I wrote happened to be science fiction.  I was eight years old. I remember the story depicted an invasion of earth by Martians. Apparently Mars had no more children and the Martians came to spirit earth's kiddies away.

My teacher sent for the Principal to come up. I didn't know what was going on, but I remember reading my story out loud to her.

After that I wrote another sci fi story about a large globe in a library. A child somehow manages to open the globe and finds that the inside is actually outer space. She is pulled inside and finds herself flying amongst the stars and planets! And no, she's not frightened. It's pleasurable.

I think there were good reasons for me penning these stories so early on. Both of my parents were sci fi fanatics. I can remember being taken to see every sci fi film that came out.

"Now this is a great film, Carole."

War of the Worlds, The Thing from Another World, Them, The Shrinking Man--yup I saw all of them.
So was it any wonder I wrote those sci fi stories? I don't think so.

Horror though would stay with me, although I still write some sci fi. I got into Edgar Allan Poe and began writing the most morbid poetry by age 12. It was heavy and dire, laden with the most morose thoughts and imagery.

My parents were worried. They went to talk to my teacher. My mother told me many years later. "We did go up to discuss it with her. We were concerned!"

Poor things. My teacher, Mrs. Leshne assured them it was a good thing for it to come out.
"Encourage her don't discourage her."

And so they did. If it wasn't for their huge imagination and their great fondness for incredible films and a good library at home I don't for a minute think I'd have begun writing when I did. I'm not even certain if I'd be writing now!

That's the most important point I'd like to say with regard to this post. Those of us that write are influenced and inspired by so much.  I think every writer has been inspired in their youth, though the actual writing might not have begun until much later.

I would say the Martian story of mine was the most memorable piece of fiction I ever wrote because it was the very first story I ever wrote. And as such it deserves to be acknowledged.

It was the day I took my first steps down the writing road and although life got in the way later on, I found my way back many years later and am I glad I did!

11 comments:

  1. I have read some of your sci-fi and love it. Of course, I love your horror, too. Ah, the decisions that gifted people must make. So nice that your parents opened up the realms of imagination for you.

    Not to confuse you any more about what to write, but I think there is a town of pod people down the road from me. Hmmn: that combines horror and sci-fi. Ala perfecto!

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  2. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers! how could i forget! or are these other pods, eh?
    Jack Finney wrote that! i think he came from near where I lived in Manhattan! he wrote a lot about that area.
    He was so interested in time travel.
    sorry rambling now!
    Did you ever hear of the writer, Paddy Chayefsky? (sp) he wrote Marty and Network I think. my parents and some other people used to feed him when he was starting out because he was hungry! that is a true story!

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  3. Fascinating, Carole. What a rich childhood you had and I agree with what Mr. McRob has said, thank goodness your parents allowed you the freedom to explore those horror and sci-fi roots.

    I started off writing prayers in Sunday School that used to make my teacher cry (and the class bored). But then I wrote this piece about some ad agencies wars, fighting to put up lights on the moon to advertise their things - and that was before we went to the moon!

    Your Poe fascination reminds me of how some people see the Goth kids sometimes today. My son had one who had piercings everywhere and had the spiked multicolored hair. He's now a music teacher and you would never know it. But back then, he was in a punk rock band, which is still around today, much to the delight of his students who love to see "the old guy" gyrate around on stage! If he's old, I'm ancient. A mummy.

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  4. Life has a knack for getting in the way of writing careers, doesn't it, Carole? Glad to see we all made it through...
    My first story was a slasher where my buddies and I were being chased around our local river. I'm sure it's around here somewhere... I was a teenager who apparently was watching too many slasher pics at the time. Probably best just to let that one lie where it is. Besides does anyone have a pc that can run a 5.25 floppy? Lol!

    -Jimmy

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  5. OMG Jimmy, I can't believe it. I just threw out a whole box of floppys. And yes, we still have our LISA. Remember those? Cost about $10k?

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  6. At least you had classics as influences, Carol. I picked Grade Z schlock. But, at least those movies got me to the library and into the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Being at the library also exposed me to H.P. Lovecraft.

    Isn't it funny how things seem to connect in grade school?

    I seriously think the best way to describe our lives is simply "Cause and effect."

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  7. Awesome post, Carol.

    My family doesn't even read, but I was blessed with parents that support any wild and crazy idea my over-imaginative brain comes up with. When I was a child, I loved elevated spaces and I would get the ladder from the garage and climb onto the roof of the house, lean against the chimney and read for hours. I think it was because my sister had a fear of heights, so no way could she bother me while I was on the roof, lol.

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  8. wow, firstly happy Easter all!
    Sharon thanks so much for that. Yeah they were really different. Mom used to drag me to foreign films before I could read! That really made me feel so worldy!
    Oh I was an early, early goth! definitely.
    and yes, people grow out of things but in a way, i'm still sort of spiritually goth but it comes out in my writing, my 'ponderings'!
    thanks for that!

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  9. wow Jimmy, never would have figured you for a slasher story and as a youngster! that's really something.
    i think creative children, whether the story ocmes out early or not--are so full of different kinds of thinking, it's like a soup of ideas and there's experimentation that might come out in writing, art, music--dress even!
    that's great!
    but how was it perceived? that's something i wonder with your family.

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  10. you're right, Gregory. cause and effect is a very good way to put it.
    schlock is good too. it's still stimulation! and when you think about even schlock stuff, it's a kind of art form. i love pulp stuff (for instance) from the golden age. think about those great pulp covers from sci fi magazines, wow! and then asyou say you connected with the library and discovered Lovecrart.
    sure, each exposure, each introduction serves to inspire the child!
    that's great thanks!

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  11. J.D. i love that! you climbed to the top of the world (your world) you were safe up there and had escaped the 'menace' of your sister. what a place to dream! that's terrific. that was your spot and you still remember it.
    and whether parents read or not isn't the issue. yours were supportive and inspired you in other ways. they let you experiment and grow on your own.
    you did and you blossomed and you know you did!
    thanks so much for that. it's funny but with all these comments we learn more about one another. i love that!

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