Monday, February 13, 2012

Origins Blogfest


First off, I want to thank DL Hammons, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Katie Mills, and Matthew Macnish for giving me leave to wander through my past and try to discover where all this storytelling/writing stuff started for me. If you want to join in this awesome blogfest, go to The Origins Blogfest

Please forgive me if my entry starts out too long winded. If you want just the bare bones, scroll to the bold statement that says, "So what does all this personal past history have to do with being a writer?" and read from there. If you are just bored out of your mind, and you want to read more, follow the links I embedded in the text to see other posts I've written on this subject. (Keywords: my grandmother, Peter Pan, and Star Wars)


Long, long ago (ok, maybe not that long) in a small town on a plateau, by the foothills of Mt. Rainier, I spent the first ten years of my life as one of three children in a small neighborhood of retirees and old fields, a combination of suburban and rural life. An only child, I learned quickly from my parents that I wouldn't be able to spend that much time with the other two kids in my neighborhood because I had a tendency to end up in the emergency room after spending much time with them. When we did play together, they taught me:  to get up with bloody knees and laugh it off, and how not to cry even when you have a piece of curved glass in your foot, or you've been run over by a bicycle and your leg is fractured. It kind of makes sense that my parents wouldn't let me play with them after all of that. (BTW I was only 5 and visited the ER three times)

So, small town, field next door on one side, retirees on the other side, bully boys in the street behind me, Grandparents across the street with fields and blackberry bushes behind them, plus an acre of climbable trees, open grass, and a nice little niche of three old poplar trees that made a kind of fort. My mom and dad practiced organic gardening, so our yard looked like an overgrown Eden.

My best friend (although I didn't tell my school best friends this) was my German Shepherd/Black Lab dog named Charlie Brown. (He slept on a Snoopy blanket). My parents, and my grandmother loved to tell stories, read books, and make music. My dad had an ercoupe (a small plane), and I started flying with him at two months old.

My first favorite books had to do with lost puppies finding homes, fairy tales, the Children's Bible, and classic Disney stories. My first favorite movies were Peter Pan and Star Wars, although I watched many classics like Top Hat, Singin' In the Rain, and Oklahoma.

So, what does all this personal past history have to do with becoming a writer?

Only child, storytelling parents and grandparents, dog as best friend, big yard and area to run wild in = storytelling on the run with tree-climbing, fort building, singing, dancing, swinging on a tire swing until I felt like I was almost flying, swordfights against invisible opponents (with sword-sticks), and a few gymnastic feats thrown in like one handed cartwheels and handsprings. My imagination was a landscape that was almost as real as the green grass, tall trees, and my furry brother. As a writer, I want to recapture that feeling when I write.

My mom couldn't give me time outs as a punishment because although I hated sitting still, I relished the time I could spend daydreaming without interruption. "Five minutes on the couch, doing nothing? Sure, can we make it 10? I'm not done with my story yet."

My stories that I write today are still rooted in all of that. I love sword fights scenes, gymnastic feats, action adventure, quests, flying, and the hero or group of heroes that fights injustice. I'm still daydreaming some of those old daydreams. I just attempt to put them on paper now, and that challenging, determined attempt to share my imagination with others is what makes me a writer.

19 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You were living out your imagination - I like that! And the dog's name was Charlie Brown? What a twist.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Alex - yep I was an odd kid, but enjoyed it! And yes, we named our dog Charlie Brown . . . which is kind of odd, but it suited him somehow.

Jeremy Bates said...

I enjoyed reading your blog!

Heather Day Gilbert said...

I agree, glad they didn't have time-outs way-back-when I was a kid, b/c they totally wouldn't have worked for me, either. I've always thought solitary confinement wouldn't make me go mad, either. After all, I'm a writer, don't I already talk w/my characters in my head? Hee. Nice to meet you via the blogfest.

Emily R. King said...

Ha! Time out is perfect for day dreaming.

DL Hammons said...

What an enviroment to develop an imagination in, and a cool ORIGIN story! I loved every word of it!! Thank you for sharing it with us today.

Scarlett said...

Oh, how a grassy meadow does spark the imagination!

Nice to *meet* you in the Fest, Tyrean.

nutschell said...

Hi Tyrean!

I'm dropping by from the origins blogfest. I love that you were immune to Time Outs!

Your newest follower,
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

J.L. Campbell said...

Goodness, those kids certainly played rough. I think only children are good candidates to become future writers. You gotta do something with all of that time on your hands, right?

Tyrean Martinson said...

Jeremy - Thanks!
Heather - I totally agree!
E.R. King - yep! I just don't tell my kids that.
DL Hammon - Thanks!
nutschell - Thanks!
J.L. - Yes, they did, but I survived, and yes, if kids were interested in putting their ideas on paper they would all make awesome writers.

Nancy Thompson said...

You must have had the idyllic childhood! Mine was similar. I was always in my own head. Made my own toys out of paper and imagined the stories that went along with them. I never thought of all that as a precursor to writing. How interesting! Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed your Origin and I'm your newest follower!

Alleged Author said...

My best friend is my dog as well! :)

Melissa Sugar said...

How cool-immunity from time outs. Great story about your beginning as a writer.

Tasha Seegmiller said...

I always made up stories as well - love how many of us seemed to have that experience.

Jackie Jordan said...

Very informative and pleasant. Thank you for sharing ...

Jeremy Bates said...

you have a great mind for daydreaming! I enjoyed reading your story and your best friend

Tyrean Martinson said...

Nancy - Cool! Thanks for following. I enjoyed this blogfest too!

Alleged Author - Dogs make great best friends, and some cats do too.

Melissa - Yes, time outs really are a cake walk for daydreamers. Thanks for stopping by.

Tasha - I think that daydreaming and storytelling are great prerequisites for authors!

Jackie - Thank you!

Jeremy - Thank you!! I keep stopping by your blog, but can't seem to leave comments. I'll try again today.

Unknown said...

There is nothing like daydreaming! I do it all of the time. The more blogs I read the more normal I actually feel. HA! I enjoyed your post! Thanks for sharing it.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Diligent Writer - Thanks for stopping by!