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by Julie
Jordan Scott
Donald
Jackson had two goals when he was growing up as a young
boy in England. One was to be the Queen's scribe, and the
other was to inscribe and illuminate the Bible.
Clearly,
Mr. Jackson has been a lover of the written word his
entire life. He did in fact grow up to be the Queen's
calligrapher. An artist who uses words as both his model
and muse, he is able to create emotion and texture with
his calligraphy, much like a writer fills the blank page
with dialogue, emotion and passion through
characterizations. Writers are the director, actors, set
designers case and crew for the "staging" of
their works in their own creative mind. Mr. Jackson has
taken the written word to a completely different level
with his illumination of the Bible.
No other
calligrapher has attempted to illuminate by hand the
entire Bible in over 500 years. No other PERSON at all,
it would be safe to say! Using the New Revised Standard
Version of the Bible, Mr. Jackson reminds us that never
has any one who has illuminated the Bible had any
conception of what our world would be like today. The
thought is awesome, magnificent really. What a great
passion has driven him for these years as he know sees
his childhood goal coming to fruition in such a larger
than life means!
As writers,
the love of words also began for the most part in
childhood. Our love is somewhat different than the love
of Mr. Jackson, but the similarity is a strong one at
that: passion for the artistry of words themselves.
Inquiring
of a group of writers in many stages of their writing
careers what their early writing experiences were, common
threads were seen almost immediately.
Teachers
and school assignments were the number one "awakener"
of the gift of writing. Mothers were specifically
mentioned, and oftentimes the high drama of being the
writer oftentimes catapulted young writers into staging
their work for enraptured audiences of family or peers.
Sometimes, young writers took up the pen to solve
personal or family dilemmas.
Here is
what Melanie had to say about her experience with
encouragement from her teachers: "The first story I
ever wrote was called "The Ghosts That Were People".
Stupid title, but believe it or not, I still have that
story! Written in third grade or thereabouts, way back in
1968 maybe. But it wasn't until 7th grade, when we had a
new English teacher come in around that November, that I
really became fascinated with the writing process and
putting my thoughts down on paper. I fell in love with
writing and wrote many more stories for extra credit that
year--and never stopped throughout the rest of junior and
senior high. One teacher (who didn't know I loved to
write) wrote something like "If you don't become a
writer..."! I still have that paper tucked away in a
box somewhere. I treasured comments like that!"
Margie
remembers a teacher who went more than the extra mile for
her: Then in ninth grade I had a fabulous journalism
teacher who recognized my talent. Mr. Ray called my
mother and told her to make sure I kept writing and to
make sure I got on the school paper in high school (I was
waffling at this point because I wanted to write short
stories not be a reporter)...And then Mr. Ray called the
high school journalism teacher and got extra special
permission for me to be on the school paper before I
actually took journalism. I was the only sophomore on the
paper for a semester. My mom told me years later about
what Mr. Ray had done, I think I owe him a thank you in a
book (when I get t published)" And I am sure you
will, Margie!
Some
writers' earliest memories with teachers are positive,
but with a negative twist somehow! Read Michelle's story
here! My earliest writing experience -- a ghost story I
wrote when I was 8. I don't even remember the plot (my
mom might still have it), but I do remember the teacher's
written comments: "Wonderful descriptions!! Who
taught you how to write like this?"
That
comment made me think I was in trouble because whenever I
did something that didn't please my parents, they would
always say "Who taught you to behave that way?"
or "Who taught you how to do that like that?"
It wasn't until the teacher explained to me what she
meant by the comment that I stopped crying. Great writing
memory, huh? :-)"
Allison
also has teachers to thank... I've always loved to write.
I've got a diary that I kept when I was in the first
grade, so 7 years old. I remember having a project in the
7th grade where we had an egg that was our "baby"
and we had to keep a journal about it, and I ended up
writing a book! I didn't get it in my head that I wanted
to be a writer until the 8th grade. My 8th grade teacher
was very encouraging and supportive of my writing. We
took some kind of writing aptitude test that year, and I
scored the highest grade possible, an A++. We had to
write an autobiography at the end of our 8th grade year,
and my teacher gave me the highest grade and wrote lots
of comments of praise about it. She also wrote in her
comments that she hoped I kept on writing, to come back
to her if I ever needed encouragement, and to send her a
copy of my first published piece. :) That comment has
stuck with me ever since, so in the last year I figured I'd
better get off my duff and start making that happen so
that I could send her a copy of my first published piece
while she's still alive and well."
Another
writer who found her niche during the middle school era
is Sherry, who writes: "I don't think I can recall
a time when I didn't write, whether I was making up
stories or just enjoying the feel of the pen in my hand
as I practiced different forms of cursive script. I think
the first teacher I had who really motivated and
encouraged me in writing was in the sixth grade - Mr
Horvath - it was my year of being the teacher's pet,
though I can remember many more from later school years."
Dixie
expresses it beautifully here, remembering her teacher's
encouragement: "One of my teachers said that my
quality of writing was, "Refreshing for one so young."
The other said I had a great imagination, along with a
unique class and style of my own. I took those to be very
complimentary coming from two very different teachers
that I respected and admired; a southern male and a
northern female! I think that is when I truly realized
that one of my passions was writing."
Marion
killed two birds with one stone in this vignette. Not
only did she impress her teachers, she impressed her (not
always nice) peers as well! Open your minds eye for this
one, I can feel myself in the classroom, I can smell the
chalk and look out the tall classroom windows! But enough
of me, here is Marion! " I remember the exact moment
when my writing changed from a private undertaking to
something that I'd enjoy sharing. Third grade in Sister
Joan's classroom. We were just in after recess, where I'd
been bullied and I was feeling embarrassed and lonely.
Sister Joan called for volunteers to read their original
poems and I slunk down in my seat, not wanting to be a
target of any more jokes. (Though I had impressed myself
with how good it was. Even now I think it was pretty
darned good and I'm a tough critic!) Then Frank Lake, who
just a half hour before was taunting me and holding my
books over a mud puddle, spoke up. "Have Marion read
hers. She always writes the best stuff." I watched
his reaction when Sister Joan agreed; he was completely
serious. That was a watershed moment for me, knowing that
I had the respect of even my tormentors. So, Frank Lake,
wherever you and whatever you became. Thanks! (For the
confidence in my abilities, NOT for trashing my books!)"
Many
writers got their encouragement from home, as did Staci who
got kudos from her Mom as well as special educators in
her life: "I recall writing all sorts of stories in
third and fourth grade, both in class and on my own. It
was during this time that my mom, reading one of my class
assignments, told me that I ought to be a writer. I've
been stuck on the idea ever since. Our teacher actually
had our stories bound, with cover illustrations and
everything. I also wrote my first novel in the fourth
grade, along with my best friend. It was called "In
the Clover Patch" and recounted the adventures of
three Girl Scouts who were miniaturized and transported
to a land of magic. Actually, it was a big rip-off of The
Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, but a pretty good rip-off
if I might say so. The best part of writing that book was
our fourth grade teacher, who sat patiently with us after
school, going over the manuscript and offering
suggestions. I'd give the royalties of my first novel to
know what happened to her (well, okay...not ALL the
royalties ;) ). "
Denise
writes I was lucky enough to have a mom who saved
literally everything I wrote from grade school on. There's
the anti-hunting piece written from the perspective of a
deer about to be shot. The poems and stories I had
published in the school paper, including one really
depressing piece called "Portraits" about an
old widow who goes up to her attic one last time to look
at an old photo album. The phase I went through when, for
some reason, I wrote everything in lower-case letters.
The quite ambitious project t where, at 14, I wrote a
story from the alternating points-of-view of both a
teenage boy and his 34-year old divorced mother. (Who
knew that someday I would actually be a 34-year-old
divorced mother?) The story that illustrates that, even
then, I had a penchant for naming my main characters
"Joanna". And, the piece-de-resistance, the
first poem I ever wrote. Judging by the labored cursive
writing, I'd guess I was around 7 or 8:
"Myself"
I like me
I like myself
I skin my knee
I don't have any wealth
I like myself. "
April
recounts her first work, also a poem:
"Clouds
of wonder
Clouds of grace
Clouds of beauty
Fall on my face
By April Lee Gamble age 9 That's where it began for me .
I went on to write a story using all the dogs in the
neighbor trailer park where I lived as characters . It
was published in a school news letter .But I can't find
it now . Funny I'm working on a children's book now where
cats are the main characters."
From the
poets to the dramatists, for lovers of the written words
come in all forms....Margaret Loudon positively glows as
she writes this recollection. "I started writing
plays when I was around 8 years old. I used to write a
Christmas play (one year, God help us, it was a musical!)
and force my cousins to perform in it for the assembled
guests. I remember being "backstage"( hiding on
the stairs) and everyone yelling "author, author".
My first writing thrill... Some of my cousins still aren't
speaking to me... Then I discovered Nancy Drew and found
a wonderful place to bury a body so I became interested
in mysteries. Still am! It took me awhile to get started
but I finally wrote three of them".
Jerri
adds regarding her playwrite days of old: " I think
the earliest writing I remember was writing plays for the
neighborhood kids when we lived on the naval base in Cuba.
There were like a dozen of us, and I would write the play
then we would make the costumes and put on the shows.
They were pretty cool. Funny thing is, I would never
dream of writing a play now! "
In one of
my favorite of these stories, we hear from Catherine who
wants to make a good thing even better: " When I was
twelve, I thought that I could do a better job of Hamlet
than the Master had done!.What cheek on my part, but I
was young. I did rewrite Hamlet, though and I still like
my version better!.I wrote horror stories (The Lightening
Man) that I used to tell my friends and my sisters and
scare them to death!.I was always in trouble for that. I
was hooked from then on."
Some of
the earliest writing memories are about self awareness,
self reflection and problem solving. These resilient
scribes tell their stories here, starting with Melody <
"When I was in first and second grade (I was around
6 or 7 then), I was kind of a "different, off the
wall" kid who often spent lunch times sitting alone
on a bench. There was this little girl who was in
Kindergarten who would also sit alone on a bench during
recess and lunch, so I'd sit next to her and tell her all
these wonderful stories about how I hitched a ride on a
hay wagon to get to school, and I lived 50 miles away out
in the country in the bushes with my friends (probably
inspired from Boxcar Children or the like), and all of
the adventures we'd had. Of course, it didn't matter that
I went to an inner-city school in San Francisco,
heheehhehe! Then, this little girl told all of her little
Kindergarten friends about the cool adventures I was
having and the stories, so next thing you know I had an
entire audience of kindergarten kids listening to these
stories, which I'd make up off the top of my head every
day." An audience of listeners, as a library full of
readers of our words, these children gave Melody a boost
that her peers would not.
Jennifer
was going to help out her family with her talent, even as
a ten year old: I liked science fiction very much, but I
really wished I could find a book that was written for
little kids and not grown-ups! So, in disgust and high
dudgeon, I decided that when I grew up I would write the
kind of books I liked to read, so that I could always
have something that was fun to read. :-) When I was 10
though, my dad's business failed, and my parents had to
file for bankruptcy. It was very rough for a while. I
worried so much about the money problems that I decided I
would write a book that I could sell and make a lot of
money for us! It was going to be about a girl who falls
into a hole in the space-time continuum and finds herself
in the Old West, where she falls in love with a cowboy. I
never got further than introducing my characters though
before I got busy with other 10 year old things and
forgot about it."
And then
there is Lynne, who briefly tells her story in this way:
"I too, have always written stories. As an adoptee
looking back, I believe I originally wrote to exhibit
some control over my world and make it one that I wanted
to live in, as well as to release some of the pent up
feelings I had regarding being adopted."
Like Mr.
Jackson, as young children these lovers of words had
goals, dreams and ambitions to continue the love affair
through. To see it bear fruit was a strong motivation as
a child and it continues as an adult for most of the
writers cited.
Just as Mr.
Jackson continues to toil away on his illumination of the
Bible, these writers continue to persevere, even when the
light at the tunnel is very, very dim.
For the
love of words, especially for the love of words.
As writers,
we need resources and support in our ventures.
Here are
some of my favorite places to go when I need some
guidance or inspiration.
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