fantasy adventure
The Adventure Writer
By Krasimira
Writing a Book
“My son is writing a book,” I was telling my friend over a cup of tea at a cafe the other day.
I went on explaining how it had to do with a junior high-school student. He has no friends and is an outcast. Well, one day, he somehow…enters another realm.
He then goes off in search of a lost secret—one that would give the finder magic powers. Along with way he experiences mishaps, adventure and romance.
“It’s really SILLY,” I concluded.
Proofread
A few weeks ago, my son Kaloyan had asked me to proofread his manuscript. After delving into it, I gleaned several things.
One was that such a book would sit in the Fantasy Adventure section of a library or bookstore.
The likelihood of that taking place was extremely remote due to my second observation: he really, really, really needed to work on his grammar…and his vocabulary… …and organisation and structure. And content.
Well, at least I can say that he is into something of merit.
Interests
This was actually Kaloyan’s latest in a series of crazes. He started off at the age of three-and-a-half—making mud castles.
From there, it went to dinosaurs (after I had got him toy set for his fourth birthday, followed by a series of dinosaur books, and more toys)
Then along came toy trucks. Later it was jigsaw puzzles. Then superheroes. He moved on to model airplanes and ships—and on to bicycles. For a while he and his neighbours played football well into the evening. Then came the swimming pool.
Adventure Stories
More recently it was adventure stories. Kaloyan would spend hours in his bedroom pouring over books. When one really enthralled him, he would stay up late into the night reading it. I would have to remind him to turn off the lights and go to sleep.
And now this.
Computer Screen
One day something possessed him to start hitting the keypads. He told me it was an exciting plot idea. Now he spends hours…and hours…on end engrossed with his word processor.
Kaloyan said he was going to publish a bestseller. It would be turned into a Hollywood movie. He would go on to win an Oscar for best script. And make millions of dollars along the way.
Of course this too will soon pass like all his other personal fads. Well, fortunately he isn’t drinking or smoking or hanging around doing nothing like some of his classmates.
Corrections
“Mom, can you look over this manuscript?” Kaloyan asked me one afternoon.
“Have you made all the corrections I highlighted?” I asked him.
“Uh…yes, but…here’s a new one.”
“A NEW one?!? What happened to the first?”
“Well, I corrected the mistakes you pointed out. Then I submitted it to a book publisher….But I haven’t heard back from them. So in the meantime…I wrote another one!”
Another stack of toil and drudgery.
Well, at least he’s working on his English.
This one read a little better than the first—in terms of grammar. But its plot and theme was just as daffy as the first. I wished he would construct a more meaningful topic—or maybe find some other pursuit (a new girl moved in a few blocks down the street).
On the Roll
At any rate Kaloyan seemed to be on a learning curve. A month-and-a-half after I had completed proofreading his second manuscript, he came to me with a third.
“Why don’t you ask your teacher to go over your book?” I asked. “After all, wasn’t SHE the one who encouraged all of you to write in the first place?”
“Oh, yes!…But she’s too busy correcting everyone’s regular homework, and wouldn’t have the time,” he replied.
“And besides, she insists that we write on “classical” themes in a “literary” style. I want to write something….something interesting, something…CAPTIVATING, something…SPELLBINDING!”
Oh brother.
Writing a Book
This time however, his story immediately grabbed me by the lapels. The words, the construct, the plot flowed smoothly. I felt like moving along a greased slide.
I just couldn’t put the manuscript down.
I got so into it, that before I knew it the hours flew by. I ended up reading past midnight—till almost 2:30 in the morning, turning page after page.
Winner
“You know you’ve got a real winner, a real bestseller,” I told Kaloyan at the dinner table the next evening. “You really ought to find a literary agent to find a publisher for you; you’ve got real talent as a writer….”
Somehow, through it all…I felt as if I were talking to a stone wall. He just ate his favourite roast chicken that I had prepared specially for him as a victory banquet. Moreover he seemed to just go through the motions—not truly savouring it as he normally does.
Pumpkin Tarts
“Aren’t you going to have dessert? It’s your favourite—pumpkin tarts,” I said as Kaloyan excused himself and rose from his chair.
“No, I’m real busy tonight,” as said as he left the dinning table and went into his room. So he’s on his fourth book already!
But then he emerged five minutes later and headed for the front door.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Oh…nowhere in particular…just a few blocks away.”
1. How did Kaloyan’s mother feel about him writing books?
2. Did Kaloyan have problems with his spelling?
3. Kaloyan had natural, in-born ability as a writer. Yes or no?
4. The writer’s son had always been into writing. True or false?
5. Do you think Kaloyan will go on to become a best selling writer?
A. What are your interests or hobbies?
B. Have you had different interests throughout your life? Give examples.
C. Who among your friends has the most fascinating hobby?
D. Have you read books that you couldn’t put down…that kept you turning page after page…all night long?
E. Have you or your friends ever written a book, article, report of story?
F. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
