| The first story I ever read that made a connection | | | | power of a good word processor, a wonderful wife |
| with me was 'Stig of the Dump' by Clive King. About | | | | and family to inspire me and fire our collective |
| a week after reading the book at school we had to | | | | imaginations just all came together and it worked. |
| write an essay. I was about seven or eight at the | | | | What is my technique for when I now write? It is |
| time and once I started to write my story, loosely | | | | quite simple; the story must become a part of my |
| based on Stig and adventures that I would have with | | | | everyday thoughts. |
| him, I was quite amazed that the story just flowed | | | | Before I commit to a new chapter I think on what I |
| out of me. I wrote many pages which I certainly had | | | | would like to write about and visualise the story. |
| never felt the need to do before. The story was | | | | Adding in ideas and building up the story in my mind |
| 'okay' and I was thanked by the teacher who was | | | | until I am ready to put on the computer screen what |
| impressed with my imagination and quantity if not | | | | I have considered and seen inside my mind. For |
| with the actual quality, grammar and content. | | | | example with the first book my love of fireworks |
| I was not really motivated to write any more and | | | | gave me the background passion on which to base |
| the feeling was lost, but not forgotten. Over the | | | | the story. The characters, being vivid and realistic in |
| years at school all my essays were ventures into the | | | | my head are able to come alive on this background |
| wilds of my imagination and most times they did not | | | | and as I write they take on very real dialogue and |
| meet with any great feedback from the teachers | | | | emotions. The book is about a series of sensations, |
| who read them. One reason was probably because | | | | fireworks of the imagination, with Grumphspawn the |
| my writing has never been very easy to read. In fact | | | | Great Wizard entertaining the gathering in the land of |
| I won an award at primary school for my most | | | | Dreams. With the background in place and the |
| specially difficult to read "spider-scrawl" writing. I was | | | | characters playing across my mind the fireworks |
| proud of this in an eccentric way. | | | | become the focus, the foreground of the scene, and |
| My hand writing has never improved, actually it has | | | | the internal visualisation is converted into the written |
| probably become much worse. In fact when I was | | | | word in a clear flowing style that draws the reader |
| courting my wife Elizabeth I wrote most every day. | | | | along in fantastical fun. |
| It is a remarkable achievement that; one - she was | | | | Currently I am about to write a new chapter in the |
| clever enough to decipher my letters; and two- that | | | | third story and this one entails a boat afloat in the |
| my letters helped in winning her heart. But then that | | | | Sea of Dreams. I have been using the technique |
| speaks more about her capacity for love than any | | | | described above for many days already building up |
| innate ability of mine to win her heart. I am so lucky. | | | | the different aspects of this part of the story with |
| I only ever had one other real adventure into writing, | | | | the various plot themes woven in. The ultimate goal |
| when I was in my twenties, and I do remember that | | | | of the story is to entertain my children so fun and |
| the flow of words and my imagination was a joy to | | | | wonder must be a major part of it. I have not |
| me. The story was again long though the content | | | | finished my preparations for this chapter but I am |
| lacked sufficient quality. | | | | close. The background will be my love of boats and |
| With the arrival of our children our lives changed in | | | | of the Sea, the characters are clear and interact with |
| more ways than I could know. Since the wee ones | | | | the boat and, with the possibility that any of their |
| were born we have always read them books. At | | | | thoughts can be made real in the Sea of Dreams, the |
| times we would sit together and read and talk about | | | | possibilities for fun and wonder are without limit, |
| stories and that was how Rodger the Badger was | | | | always in tune with the characters needs, wants and |
| first created. Elannah and I were talking about writing | | | | desires. |
| a story together and it was about a Badger named | | | | From my early times as a writer of stories at school |
| Rodger. Elannah supplied the drawings though it was | | | | till now has been quite a journey. Originally I did not |
| many year later after the arrival of Sam before I | | | | have any techniques just a need to write even if my |
| actually started to write 'Of Lights in the Night'. | | | | words were not so easy to read by others. Now I |
| This time I was able to write without putting pen to | | | | am able to create the stories that others enjoy and |
| paper and have people peer squinting at the page to | | | | that is a very satisfying feeling indeed. So my advice |
| decipher my words. Thank god for computers, now | | | | is that everyone should remember their dreams and |
| my writing was with keyboards, so much easier to | | | | follow them, it may only be a matter of timing until |
| read. My life's journey had arrived at a point where | | | | you reach them. |
| my imagination and my skills on a keyboard with the | | | | |