WHAT IS
DOWN THE PATH?
As
I begin this third part of the blog about the books that I now have, I
find it difficult to begin. If I were to tell you what the books
were about, it would be easy but there is so much more to these books
than the story inside. These two books are a part of my life and
that of my grandson. One is titled Down The Path and it is not my
story but his own story, that I worked with him to make it become a
real book. The other is An Adventure In Writing. It has been an
adventure in writing but more than just the book we wrote together.
It has been an adventure through the years before we ever evolved to
this point in life.
I
think before I begin I will share a bit about us for those who have
not read my book I Will Not Give up....Not Today....Life Is A
Journey. I had often been asked questions such as how long did it
take you to write your first book, do you have a special way of
writing such as a designated number of words or pages a day or time
of day, where do you get your ideas, and many more questions that
are not easy for me to answer. That book tells a lot of not only me
but why I write as I do and how life can get in the way.
I
had even started a writers group here locally to try to help others
with their projects. I did not focus as much in sharing what we have
done as finding ways to help one another with what we were doing. So
many, seem to have invested so much money that they or their families
really could not afford and found the results not what they expected
or even with their books so high priced no one could afford them,
including themselves. There are so many things involved in trying to
do for yourself, what professionals normally do with whole staffs of
people who really know what they are doing. Everywhere we turn there
are so many 'experts' who tell you how it is. It seems everywhere
you look they are all best sellers and doubt, despair and eventually
all of the business side of writing or self publishing becomes
overwhelming. So many give up. I am an expert at nothing. I am a
little old lady that loves to write, wishes all that I do could be
more perfect, can not afford the professional help I so desperately
need, but feel that my stories and what I have to say is worth the
effort and opportunity to not give up and make a dream
something real.
I
wanted this, what I call a journey, to share an idea with others to
never give up. Never give up on our dreams and passions but
understand that what ever we do that is worth doing, is worth the work
and effort it takes to make it a reality. We also have to have a
passion to persevere. We have to have the determination to overcome
the obstacles life often puts in our way. Everyone has a story, good
times and bad, things they have to deal with or overcome. Those are
the times we need to believe and be willing to not give up.
By
now you can tell I am an old lady that does ramble on, since I am
writing this part of my blog to tell you about the two newest books.
That and all of the medications I am having to take right now, seem
to affect me in many ways, good and bad. It is time to tell you
about the books and the author Zander Figueroa.
DOWN
THE PATH
UK http://goo.gl/vFXck6 AND US http://goo.gl/6jrj67
By
Zander Figueroa and Linda Nance
When
you look it up on Amazon or elsewhere you will see it as Linda Nance
and Zander Figueroa. There are legal issues in publishing and we
could not have a book with the author as only an 8 year old child.
The story is really his, but I have worked with him all the way to
turn his idea and story into a book... A real book that he can hold
in his little hands.
I
had an idea. Many people have contacted me with questions and asking
for help with their writing projects in the authors group and online.
When my health got so bad I could hardly get out, let alone continue
a writers group in person. I did not want to give up on it. I
receive so much from them as I try to give and continued it online
and on the phone sharing information and encouragement. I called it
a mentor program. Zander's idea for Down The Path followed that idea
of mentoring one another. For me it was kind of exciting to see him
as he learned and worked to make something real of his idea.
If
an 8 year old child could do this, and it really be him working,
instead of his idea and me using it to write a book..... I wanted to
share that too. That is the next book I will tell you about.... An
Adventure In Writing.
How
did Down The Path become a book? Here I go trying to share what was
so special between grandson and grandmother. He calls me Mamaw. He
started calling me that when he was learning to talk. I like it and
to him I am his Mamaw.
When
Zander was barely able to hold a color in his little hand, we would
make coloring pictures. I would do drawings and he would scribble
across, excited as we talked about what ever the picture was that he
was coloring. As we did that, he not only was entertained but he was
learning. He learned colors and numbers and many things. Some day I
want to publish the Easter Book I did originally as coloring pages
but later did the pages that would be perfect for a book about an
Easter Bunny and all of the eggs. It is a wonderful way to learn
colors and counting. They can also use it to develop their own
imaginations and stories as you ask them about what they are doing.
Where did the path go, how many colors were the eggs or what ever
comes to mind involving them and allowing them to use their own
thoughts and imaginations to make it more. “What else do you think
they found down the path is a good question to get them going.
I
had published my own book. I told him he could too, if he was willing
to work hard enough and learn so that he could one day have his own
book. We made hundreds of 'books' if not more, by coloring pages and
thinking of the stories that go with them and then I would staple
them together. He was writing and making books. He was such a little guy working with his Mamaw. One day he looked
up with a sad expression on his face after we had worked making his
pictures with the story for his book, we stapled together. I asked
him what the problem was.
He
looked so sad. “I love to do these with you, Mamaw. They are not
real books though.”
I
asked him why he thought they were not real books. He came up with
the stories and even colored the pictures. I may have been the one
to draw them but it was he who decided what the pictures were to be
with the stories.
I
almost laughed but knew I could not as he answered. “It is never a
real book until you have your picture on the back.” I think back
to that time and it makes me smile. Having a real book is so much
more than having your picture on the back but at that time, for a
young child it was what made it real for him.
I
tried using my copier to make a last page for the stories he was
doing with his picture on it before I stapled then together but he
told me sadly, “It is just not the same thing, Mamaw.”
In
many ways he was more right than I realized at the time. To make it
a real book, is not what is on the cover, but what is in the pages
within. It is more than just a story in a book, but working to make
it the best that it can be. I tried to share what we were doing and
hope it helps other young and old in writing.
Many
years ago I wrote a poem about a haunted pumpkin field. I have told
about that in the first part of this 3 part blog. The Pumpkin Field
has entertained family, friends, neighbors and even been used in a
State Park during their Halloween program.
I
realized the only thing that kept it a poem instead of a children's
story, were the illustrations. The illustrations may be simple
pictures but you would not believe the heart that I put into each
one. Little Zander grew up with that book and story. (It also has
my picture on the back)
I
have said many times that that book was written to inspire children
to share thoughts, feelings and learn. I took such delight with my
little grandson I did as his mother before him with the story. As the
years passed there were different questions and thoughts shared but
the little book remained a part of his interest and life. We talked
about fears and how to conquer them such as fear of the dark. We
also talked about the witch. She hurts no one and look scary and
different. People assume she is a witch. Maybe she is and then
maybe she is just different. She is old, ugly and dresses oddly. If
someone is different, it is not always a reason to hate of fear them
but so many people react in that way. In that story, the character
follows a path into a pumpkin field and then the story begins.
I
may at times ramble on and get off track but this time there is a
reason for me sharing all of this. Down that path in the pumpkin
field sparked something in this little boy's imagination. He told
me, “That was not the end of the story.” He said it with such
passion that he had my curiosity up.
“Tell
me more. What do you think happened?”
He
was so excited as he told me, “Things are not always as they seem.
The pumpkins seem so nice, but there is one that is not nice at all.
There is one that in nothing but trouble.”
I
remind him that in the end of the story it says maybe it was only a
dream.
He
got all excited and told me, “It was not a dream. There is more to
this story. There is a lot more.”
At
that time he had one idea but time passes. He still has the idea for
what we had talked about but as he got a little older and his reading
ability increased so did his desire to write in the same way. He
explained that we could still do a picture book for the little kids
but he had so many more ideas we needed to do a different story.
There is still a path and a child that goes down that path to an
adventure. He already had the idea for Beyond The Path with the origional story.
This story of Down
The Path is written for children to read but I am amazed and inspired
to think that adults can also find meaning and interest in the story.
There are so many little aspects he found a way to incorporate that
relate to children and adults.
We
live in a very rural area with vast areas of thickly wooded areas
behind our house. It would be easy for anyone to get lost in the
woods. We often see wildlife of many kinds. For many years I had a
creature that would visit me that I thought of a friendly that was a bear.
It is no place to get lost or for a child to adventure alone. He
comes here each day after school until his mother gets off work. He
has been raised understanding you do not go into the woods alone. In
reality he is rarely outside playing alone but we have taught him
this since he was a wee one.
In
his story the children did not listen to their parents. The did not
think they were doing wrong, as they followed their little dog down a
path into the woods. The did not intend to get lost. They were
just having fun.....but.....they went down the path. Once they got
deeper into the woods they were lost and frightened and alone. They
did not know how to get home. They did not know what to do.
I
do not want to spoil the story for you. It is written so that a
child could read it, but also so an adult could use it to share many
things. I have been pleasantly amazed with the complexity of his
story line and the depth he found for his characters. He had reasons
for every part of his story.We worked very hard developing and talking about making the story feel real. Knowing that he and his 'Papaw'
grandfather have always talked about nature, animals and many things
like and adventure, gives an insight into how he wrote what he did.
We had a pet squirrel that Albert (Grandpa....Papaw) had rescued for a
long time.Little Zander can look at the foot print or track of a deer passing in the woods and tell if it is a buck or a doe.
This is a
tale for young and old alike, sharing the story of two young children
and the discoveries they make down the path they take. In the end, I
do hope I am not spoiling the story, but can not resist explaining
some things. I asked him, “Was it an angel, a ghost, or just their
imagination?”
He did not
hesitate saying what he believed. He said, If we say a prayer to God,
he will always hear us but not always answer like we think.
Sometimes we just have to believe. Sometimes we have to stand up to
mean people who want to hurt our feelings too.”
He had
said things better in that moment and with his own little story than
I ever could have done alone. He saw things through the eyes of a
child about issues much bigger. He knows he should listen to his
parents and grandparents but sometimes we all make the mistake of
thinking it will not hurt....just this one time.....
The faith of a child and the ability to share it, makes me smile. We may each have different beliefs but to see this pure expression from one so young, is an inspiration to me, even if he was not my grandson.
Having the
idea and the story was just the beginning. I explained that he knew
the story and he had an idea, but to make it into a book would take a
lot more than what we had. He would have to learn new things and how
to use them. He would have to find a way to make the characters real
and the story come to life.
To do all
of that we worked. We worked for a long time learning and writing
and developing it to be more than it started. I decided to write
also about that. I included him as a coauthor, because it was about
him and our journey and adventure in him making real books with his
picture on the back too. That book is called An Adventure In Writing.
I had said
that this would be a 3 part blog but I am really feeling distress and
it is nearly time I can do no more. I think it will be a 4 part
blog. I want to share the first part of his story and let you decide
for yourselves if he really has developed the characters, story, and
if you would like to read more sharing this adventure of a little boy
who loves to share his stories........
DOWN THE PATH
CHAPTER 1
A New Adventure
Cooper just had a birthday and
turned ten years old. He had a friend that was a girl named Jenny.
Jenny was only seven years old but they had fun playing together and
loved to play with Cooper's dog.
His dog was named Floppy because
he had big floppy ears. Floppy loves to go with them on adventures.
The children loved to play in the
yard and could go for short walks from Cooper's house to Jenny's
house. They were not allowed to go far and were never allowed to go
into the woods near where they lived.
Their mom's and dad's were
afraid they might get lost or something bad could happen to them.
They wanted them to always be safe.
They were
playing in yard with Floppy when began to bark and ran into the woods
behind Cooper's house.
“I think he wants us to go with
him or follow him. I know we are not supposed to go in the woods, but
we will only go a little way. We have to see where he is going and
what he is doing. Do you want to go?” Cooper asked Jenny with a
big smile. Copper was excited and thought it would be fun.
Jenny looked at Floppy jumping up
and down at the edge of the woods as he wagged his tail. She smiled
as she answered, “Let's go.
We will not be gone long or go
far.” Jenny had no sooner finished answering when Floppy ran back
to the children wagging his tail and barking lively. Before she could
say more Floppy ran back to the woods and down the path into the
woods.
Both Cooper and Jenny got excited
and ran to follow. They were in such a hurry they did not notice a
wooden sign beside a big tree near the path they were on. The sign
was old and part of it was broken. The letters on
the sign were faded. The letters
on the sign were a warning. The sign said, “DANGER.” The part
of the sign that said what the danger was had broken off years
before. Who knows what danger lies ahead, but danger was waiting.
Chasing after the dog was fun but
the children ran farther than they had planned down the path. Some
places in the path would have more than one way that they could go.
The could go to the right or they could go to the left. Some places
had brush that had grown up and the path
was hard to see at all. They were
having so much fun they did not pay attention to what way they were
going or what way they had come.
Floppy was having fun too. He had
chased a pretty butterfly down the path. He had chased leaves that
the breeze had blown down the path. He really had fun when he found
a little squirrel.
He did not want to hurt the little
squirrel. He wanted to play. The squirrel was very fast. It ran
across and up a tree. The squirrel dashed to a big branch running
out to the very tip of the tree limb. The little squirrel looked
like a fuzzy little toy with bright eyes. It had a big fluffy tail
that twitched back and forth as it peered down from the branch at the
children and barking dog. It had paused at the very tip of the long
branch looking at them for only a moment, as Floppy pranced and
barked with his excitement.
Jenny giggled as she watched both
the dog and the little squirrel. “I think I will call that little
squirrel, Fuzzy Tail.” As soon as she spoke, they little creature
made a might leap into the air landing on the very tip of a long
branch in the tree next to where it had been.
The adventure began as little
Fuzzy Tail jumped lively from branch to branch and tree to tree.
Floppy chased the squirrel
and the children chased the dog laughing and having fun. The little
squirrel they called Fuzzy Tail, finally got high enough and far
enough away that Floppy lost interest.
Floppy sat down to take a break
from the chase with the two children joining him. Jenny gently
petted him and rubbed his ears. She loved to rub him on the ears
because they were velvety soft. He loved to have her attention and
did loved if she rubbed his ears, tummy or back. Cooper sat on one
side and Jenny sat on the other enjoying their adventure.
The shadows of the trees seemed to
be getting longer. As Cooper looked off into the woods, he noticed
it seemed darker than before. Jenny noticed the pretty colors in
the sky that she often saw at supper time as the sun would set before
it got dark for the night.
CHAPTER 2
Story Break and a Little Fun
I will tell more of the story but
before I do we could have a little fun.
How far from home had they come?
Could they find their way back home? What were all of the turns in
the path they had taken that brought them to where they were? How
would they find their way back home? How much longer would it be
before it got dark?
How dark was it way back in the
woods?
I hope you will join me with
Cooper, Jenny, and Floppy on their great adventure down the path in
the woods but there is one problem.
I want to wait before I tell you
the rest of the story. What if this is as far as I got when I was
writing? If you think about it and can imagine what they must have
been thinking and feeling, there are so many ways the story could go.
If you want to have a little fun... try to make up your own story
from here and see what you come up with for an ending. Writing is
fun.
Do they ever see Fuzzy Tail again?
How long does it take for them to find their way home? Will they
have to be rescued? What else do they find in the woods? When it is
over will they remember to listen and do as their mothers and fathers
tell them?
Do they find out what the danger
is the sign warned them about when they first started down the path?
So many questions and so many
possible answers before they find their way back home and the end of
their great adventure DOWN THE PATH.
I hope you have fun if you decide
to write your own ending but it is time for me to continue with this
story and go back DOWN THE PATH on the adventure of Cooper, Jenny and
Floppy.
CHAPTER 3
Lost and Alone?
Floppy looked up at Jenny wagging
his tale. She paused petting the little dog frowning as she looked
at the beautiful colors of the setting sun. “Cooper, It is getting
late. I think we should get back home. It will not be long before
it gets dark.. We are probably already in trouble if mom and dad
noticed we are not still in the yard playing.”
Cooper had not noticed the setting
sun but quickly got to his feet stretching from where he had been
comfortably resting. “Wow, I did not realize how late it is
getting.” He looked into the thick woods first one direction and
then another as a frown creased his brow.
“You do know how to get back,
don't you?” Jenny was beginning to worry as she saw him looking
first one direction and then another.
“Sure I do. I think we need to
go back down this path here.” He pointed and began walking.
Floppy followed wagging his tale.
The little path soon became almost
impassable and they knew with out a doubt that was not the way home.
Jenny felt an urge for tears thinking they might actually be lost.
“This is not the way home. I have no idea which direction home
even is. We made so many turns this way and that I don't know how we
will ever find our way home and it will be dark soon.”
Cooper stood close to Jenny
feeling the same fear gazing at the setting sun. “It will be
alright. I know we will find the right path. We can go back to
where we started and just follow the other way.” He did not feel
the confidence he was trying to share with Jenny as they quickly
tried to retrace their way back. Floppy had had a fun day and was
tired enough he had stopped looking for adventures and things to
follow as he happily trotted between the two children.
Jenny could not longer contain her
anxiety as she looked at the long shadows the trees cast and the
darkness that lay beyond in the woods that surrounded them. “What
are we going to do? We should have listened to our mom and dads.
Nobody even knows we are here. We don't even know where we are. I
will be dark soon.”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Cooper felt responsible. It had been his idea to have an adventure.
“We will be alright. We may be in trouble when we get home but we
will get home. We just have to stay calm and get going. We need to
go this way here.” He pointed to a narrow path leading into the
woods and hoped it was the path that would lead them home.
Every little opening in the brush
looked like a path to the children and they hoped it would lead them
home as the went this way and that, working farther and farther into
the dense forest. The two children and little dog stood quietly
thinking their own thoughts and feeling their own fears.
Floppy felt no fears. He was just
tired from a full day chasing butterflies and Fluffy the squirrel.
Standing still they heard foot
steps beyond in the forest. Fear shown in their eyes as they dared
not utter a sound.
Floppy had no fear and felt a
surge of energy for the chase after the unknown footsteps. He
bounded into the thick brush as a large dear dashed away from the
little dog and the chase was on. Cooper ran after Floppy calling for
him to stop but the little dog was quickly out of sight.
It was a relief to know that the
footstep sounds were that of the deer and not some terrible monster
but the relief was short lived. Cooper could feel tears burn his
eyes as he was the shadows growing darker and his hopes dimming. “I
don't know what to do. I thought we could find our way home but have
no idea which way to go.”
When he saw the tears slowly
running down little Jenny's face and the tremor of her shoulders he
quickly put his arms around her. “Even if we yell as loud as we
can I don't think anyone would hear us but last Sunday in Sunday
School, our teacher told us when ever we say a prayer and talk to God
he always listens. He could hear us. He could help us get home.”
Cooper watched as Jenny dried her tears.
“Do you really think God will
listen and help us?” She reached out and held his hand in hers.
He smiled and hope she felt
encouraged as the fear he felt seemed to dim all hope he really felt.
“I can not see how it would hurt. Do you want to say it or me?”
She tightened her grip on his
hand. “You say it. I don't know what to say other than I want to
go home. It is getting dark now and I am so afraid.”
He smiled. “Our teacher said he
always listens and when he answers it may not be as we expect but he
never forsakes us. I'll do the best prayer that I can.”
They held hands and closed their
eyes as he began. “Dear God, I know we should have listened to our
moms and dads and we are very sorry but we need your help. We need
your help real bad. We are lost, God. We are lost and don't know
how to get home. Please God, help us find our way home. I promise
we will never go into the woods again unless Mom and Dad are with us.
One more thing, could you please bring Floppy back. We love him and
he needs to go home with us too.”
As he finished his prayer they
heard a sound that put a chill in their hearts. A long drawn out
howl of a wolf pierced the stillness of the forest. The children
uttered not a sound as their fearful gazed locked one to the other.
Cooper wanted to call out to Floppy but was afraid to make a sound.
In a whispered voice Cooper spoke
in urgent tones. “Dear God, please help us. We need to get home.
Help us, please. Amen.”
As he finished his prayer they
again heard the chilling sound of the wolf but it was closer. It was
so close both children crouched between the closely growing trees
near where they were standing. The three trees grew so close that
the base of the trunks nearly touched with the children cowering in
closely between them.
CHAPTER 4
An Answer to Their Prayers or More
Danger
Jenny turned her face to Cooper
ducking her head and burying her face against his shoulder. He
wrapped his arms around her with his head on hers and tears running
down his own face. The children trembled in fear as they heard
footsteps coming closer and closer in the brush. The shadows were so
dark they could hardly see beyond where they sat and were afraid to
look.
Hearing the steps ever so close
they sat with their eyes tightly closed waiting for what ever was
coming. Jenny's shoulders shook with silent sobs.
The footsteps stopped. They could
tell by the sound that whatever it was that had been steadily walking
was probably stand right in front of them.
Cooper slowly lifted his head and
opened his eyes to bravely see what was there in the woods with them.
His breath came out in a gasp.
Standing just a few feet before
the children was a large wolf like creature with bright intense blue
eyes. The animal did not move an inch. It stood perfectly still
gazing at the children. It had massive and powerful shoulders.
Jenny inched her face up to see
what was there with them. She could not contain the cry of fear that
escaped her.
The animal stood motionless
staring at the two terrified children until it turned toward the
sound of more footsteps approaching.
The children pressed themselves
back as far as they could against the trees but had nowhere to run
and no way to hide. The turned their faces trying to hide and
clutched one another tighter in terror of the fearsome creature
standing right before them.
As they waited to be torn to
pieces by the wolf-like creature before them and what ever else had
joined it there was no sounds. Slowly they turned their faces to see
if it was still there and were surprised and afraid as they viewed a
strange old woman beside the creature.
She wore old and torn cloths with
a hood on the dark jacket that shadowed her face. She held a crooked
stick as if it were a cane in her hand. She stood a motionless as
the animal at her side.
Slowly she raised her hand
lowering the hood, revealing bright shining blue eyes that resembled
the wolf-dog. The children were too frightened to make a sound as
she slowly squatted down beside the animal raising her hand and
gently stroked it's fur.
Her voice was soft as she spoke.
“What are your names?”
At first neither of the children
could speak. It was as if their fear had left them paralyzed. They
had no place to run or hide and the woman and animal were right in
front of them. Finally Cooper tried to clear his voice and answer.
“I am Cooper and this is Jenny. Our dog was with us too but he ran
away chasing a deer.” He wanted to ask who she was and if the
creature with her was going to eat him but could manage no more words
in his state of fear.
“Why are you here?” She did
not smile as she spoke but did not appear angry either.
“We were just having fun and
wanted to go for a walk in the woods. We got lost and don't know how
to get home.” Cooper was afraid but this old woman was their only
hope for help. He had said prayers for God to help them but all they
could see was a dog or wolf that could kill them without any effort
and an old and strange woman with a crooked stick.
“Did you see the sign at the
edge of the woods that warned of danger?”
It was Jenny that found the
courage to answer the woman but her eyes did not leave the intense
blue gaze of the animal. “We saw it said danger but could not read
what the danger was. We thought if we saw danger we would go back
but it was beautiful and we were having so much fun we went too far
and got lost. Do you know what the danger is?”
Several moments passed before the
old woman answered. As she did a smile slowly spread on her face.
“There are many dangers in this world. There are many dangers in
these woods. Have your parents never warned you about going far away
and dangers?”
Cooper hung his head knowing they
were not allowed to go into the woods and had disobeyed what their
parents had told them. “Yes ma’am. Our mom and dads told us
not to go into the woods and only play in the yard but when our dog
ran down the path we followed. Now we are so lost and it is almost
dark. We don't know what to do. We just want to go home. Can you
help us?”
A mist began to roll in as the
chill of the night approached. The woman slowly stood beside the
animal they now assumed was her pet. “What did you do when you
knew you were lost and could not find your way home? Did you do
something to find help?”
“We said a prayer to God but I
don't think he heard us or maybe he is mad at us too for not
listening to our parents. He did not answer and we don't know what
to do.” Tears again filled Cooper's eyes.
In her soft voice that was barely
above a whisper she answered. “How do you know he did not hear you?
Maybe his answers are not always as we expect. Maybe he knows what
is best for us and answers in his own way.”
It was Jenny that found the
courage to respond to her questions “If he heard us and was going
to help, then why are we still lost? It is almost dark and getting
cold.”
As she was speaking there was a
crashing sound in the brush behind where they were sitting. Their
heart raced in terror wondering what creature was coming next. To
their surprise Floppy bounded through chasing a little squirrel. It
may have been the same one they called Fuzzy Tail or another that
looked just like it. The little squirrel raced up the base of the
tree they cowered against with the little dog wagging his tail
looking up into the branches overhead.
Cooper looked back to the old
woman and big animal to explain that was their dog and hoped the
wolf like creature would not decide to harm their little dog.
To his surprise and Jenny's there
was no one there. They had not heard a sound. The shadows were so
intense it was almost totally dark. A cold chill made them shiver.
Jenny reached out and clutched the little dog to her and cried. “We
will never find our way home. Why did she leave us? What are we
going to do?
I
will be back soon. Thank you for taking the time to share this
adventure in writing and in our lives. I hope you each and everyone
have a wonderful day.
