Quite unexpectedly I'm moving house. Queue hours and hours of decluttering prior to packing. While cleaning out the hall cupboard I came across the few things I have left from my school years and I was very surprised to find this little gem - The Runaway Jellybeans. Thirty years ago (OMG I just did the maths!) I did a children's literature elective while in year eleven at high school and this is the result. Written and illustrated by me, self-published by me (a Spirax Sketch pad) and entered into my first ever writing competition, where it was Highly Commended. Thirty years down the track I think the the writing is woeful. Too many dialog tags, one dimensional characters, weak plot but I see it has a theme (being happy with what you have and not coveting other people's belongings) and the illustration is quite good, given I can't draw at all. As I re-read it, I remembered spending a lot of time looking at the furniture and the walls to try and get the perspective right. This was produced in the days before word processors and clipart and photo books. And when having jellybeans in a child's bedroom wasn't wrong. Gee times have changed. The question now is what to do with it. Do I pack it with my school magazines (and yes, I was also on the school magazine team) and keep it another 30 years, or do I sadly bade it farewell and send it to the recycle bin.... Decisions...Decisions....
16/4/2014 09:39:59 am
Keep it! I threw out most of my school stuff because I was glad to be done with it, but now I rue that decision. I think it's something wonderful to keep from your school days. And you may not look at it every day but when you're having a spring clean these are the things you dig out and have a bit of a chuckle over.
Fiona Greene
21/4/2014 11:39:33 am
Hey Danielle, I think you're right. I had put it into a pile with school magazines and other things I've kept forever and I've decided to keep the lot. I must bring it along to our writing group at some stage to have a giggle over. Comments are closed.
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Fiona Greene AuthorWhen you set out on a journey and night falls, that's when you will discover the stars." Archives
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