Pride Island

My son is 10 years old. He is an avid reader, and seems to enjoy writing. Together we have been writing a short novel over the past 6 months or so titled “The Amazing Adventures of Fatman and The Blubster”. Generally he comes up with the characters and the plot while I do the typing and wordsmithing. He’ll also suggest certain words and phrases as we go. It’s fun to work on the story together. Yesterday he brought home some text that he had worked on by himself at school. When I read it I had one of those “welling up” moments. I was filled with happy pride. It is only a few sentences, and it has a few spelling & grammar mistakes, but I really think it shows promise. Apparently my son used the island on Lost as inspiration for some of the descriptions below.

Who knows what the future may bring? When I was about the same age, maybe a couple of years older, I wrote a couple of dozen short stories myself, but eventually drifted away from writing to other things. I look forward to seeing how this new budding author develops.

Additionally, my son is attending a young authors conference on Monday. His teacher offered him the opportunity based on his affinity for reading and writing. He’ll be meeting with Charles De Lint and Joan Fitzgerald McCurdy.

Here is the piece. His teacher graded it A+. Nice work, son.



The Island
by Dominic Perrin

The island was covered with huge bulky palm trees. Its coast line is extended and the sand is white. There are vultures circling the gigantic mountains that stretch above the trees. Tiny coconuts are making splashes of sand as they crash to the ground from the higher section of the slim trees. All around the island is turquoise waters reaching up the coast as seagulls dine on a feast of miniature fish. The sand feels silky and the tree bark feels rough, similar to the rocks. As the rain starts falling the sand starts to turn muddy and runs into the sea. It smells like rotting fish near the sea, and the jungle smells mucky and wet. It’s humid and the rain tastes reviving on their tongues. The coconut milk tastes horrible and bitter compared to the milk their used to. Sounds of the crashing rain and booming thunder, makes the island scary mixed with the darkness of night and the howling and yelping of strange animals in the jungle. As the waves hit the ocean is sounds like machines crashing and winds made it sound like people screaming. It was a truly horrifying island.

STAR TREK

To Blog or Not to Blog

Nega-Me: So here's the thing -- you've got a full-time job, a wife, two kids. You're trying to work your way through the six hundred and twenty-seven books you bought as a teenager that still haven't been read. Not to mention the DVD collection that's growing exponentially--

Opti-Me: I'm no busier than anyone else. Plenty of time for blogging. An hour a week to pound out a short post or two? Shouldn't be a problem.

Nega-Me: You just don't get it, do you? If you want to blog, you've got to have something useful to say. Provide some insight on the human condition. Write something that someone out there will find funny! Do you really believe you can do that?

Opti-Me: I've got a few years under my belt. I've made some observations. I have opinions. Besides, have you read some of the blogs out there? The bar hasn't been set very high.

Nega-Me: OK, I'll give you points for that one. You sounded a bit like me for a minute there. Maybe there is hope for you yet. Oh, wait, now I'm sounding like you. Not good.

Opti-Me: Thank you. I think.

Nega-Me: The deal-breaker here is your writing.

Opti-Me: What's wrong with my writing? You know, I wanted to be a writer once. I even have some stories that I submitted to a professional magazine--

Nega-Me: Really? Which issues did they appear in. I would love to read them!

Opti-Me: Sarcasm is the lowest form of humour.

Nega-Me: I thought puns were the lowest form of humour? Regardless, you've spent the last twenty years working in the software industry. Your writing style has eroded considerably since your childhood prime. These days you can barely string together a sentence without making mistakes in spelling or grammer.

Opti-Me: I believe you meant 'grammar'. Grammer is the guy from Frasier.

Nega-Me: See what I mean?

Opti-Me: No, actually. I'll admit, it may take a few weeks to shake off the rust--

Nega-Me: First impressions, brother. In the unlikely event that someone actually finds your blog, you're going to frighten them off within the first paragraph with your clunky prose.

Opti-Me: That hurts.

Nega-Me: Only trying to help. Think of what you can do with the time you'll save. Make a craft with your daughter. Play street hockey with your son. Spend some quality time with your wife.

Opti-Me. Sigh. I guess you're right.

Nega-Me: I always am.

Opti-Me: It sounded so great. Letting my voice be heard. Making friends in cyberspace...

Nega-Me: Dude, I haven't even mentioned the Internet trolls out there. They'll eat you alive. And, FYI, the term 'cyberspace' is, like, way too 20th century.

Opti-Me: [raising white flag] You win. I guess blogging isn't for me. Well, what do you say we watch a movie instead? I picked up Pride and Prejudice the other day. The one that was directed by the guy who did Atonement. I loved Atonement. Did you see it?

Nega-Me: You are joking, right? You know you promised we could watch Robocop today.

Opti-Me: ...for the twenty-ninth time....

Nega-Me: Twenty-fourth. Come on, let's go.

Opti-Me: Fine.

Nega-Me: See, you've forgotten about that silly blogging stuff already.

Blog The First

Coming soon...

"To Blog or not to Blog"