My Author's Blog

The beginnings of an avid reader...

         All of the reading and writing that I do, it may be hard to imagine that there was once a time, when I was a child, that I could not stand to have to sit down and read a book. I read as little as possible, and only as often as possible, and therefore I didn't read well, so of course I didn't like it even more.
 
         Then when I was a Freshman in High School, I believe it was my Father who handed me a copy of 'The Hobbit', by JRR Tolkien. Oh, I had seen the animated movie done by Rankin&Bass, and loved it, so I grudgingly took Dad's advice to read it. After reading that opening chapter, An Unexpected Party, it was almost as if someone had glued the book to my fingers. I followed Bilbo and the Dwarves to Rivendale, and then into the mountains. When they were caught by the Goblins I felt my heart race, and I had to find out what happened next. On and on I read, and by the time I finished it, I felt sad, sad that there was no more. This wonderful experience, which I had never thought to have, was over.
 
         I wanted to repeat it, so then I got a copy of 'The Lord of The Rings', and soon all three volumes were read from cover to cover, followed closely by 'The Silmarillion'. Once these were finished, I thought 'now what, read them again?'. I had, at this time, limited myself in regards to my knowledge of books and authors, and so a part of me thought that these books were unique(though actually I still think they are) and that anything else would pale in comparison. I went to the local bookstore again, thinking to find...something. To my delight, I began to find that there were other authors that wrote good fantasy as well, not just good, great! I read another series, this time by McKiernan, and then delved into the world of Pern with Ann McCaffrey, and then so on, and so on, I could not get enough!
 
         Those days of innocent discovery, realizing for the first time that books were actually wonderful, magical things, that could contain a world all their own within their pages, are long gone in one respect, and yet that youthful delight is still there. Each time I open a new book, start to read the words of an author that I have not read yet, there is that little child inside of me, staring out at a world of imagination with wide eyes, looking out to behold the wonders that another mind has created and seen fit to share with the rest of us. I do though, still from time to time, go back and reread some of those classic stories that grabbed me from the beginning. It's like going home, back to a place where you grew up and have not seen for many years, and seeing it anew, with new eyes, and new perspective. *sigh* Ah, but I can imagine myself so vividly still, sitting on the front porch of the house that we lived in when I was a child, can almost smell the autumn around me, the leaves, and the mould, the gentle breeze, not having gotten too cold yet, my face buried in the pages of 'The Hobbit', the rest of the world almost seeming to go on 'pause' all around me.
 
         So what are your early reading experiences? Did you, like me, find the joys of reading through stories of Dwarves and Dragons and Wizards? or through the pages of sci-fi? or perhaps something else?
 
 
Until later, Happy Writing!
 
RD Williams
http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1