A Blast From The Past

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Why am I seemingly jumping for joy?

Well, dear reader, it all started with a recent phone call from the family back in Guernsey.  Things were going as normal; Discuss the weather (we are British after all), speak about how fast my niece is growing, you know, the regular stuff that long distance families discuss.  This call was to be different however.  They had found the manuscript to 'The Lighthouse'

You may have heard me mention 'The Lighthouse' in previous posts and on the Facebook page.  This was the story that started it all, my first foray into the world of writing.  It feels like just yesterday that a young, naive 17 year old JB was sitting outside the Coppercraft, cup of tea in one hand sticky bun in the other, staring out across the ocean at the Hanois lighthouse off Guernsey's west coast.  I had no idea that at any moment a fleeting idea would enter my head that would change my life and start me on my journey as a writer.  Looking out at that lone tower in the ocean, I felt my first real flash of inspiration.  That magical "AHA" moment that I know we all secretly crave.

So why is the discovery of the manuscript so important?

Aside from the warm fuzzies it gives me, this is the only copy of the story in existence.  I wrote it old school(ish) using an electronic typewriter.  It was a few years before I had my first PC and had been lost long before I ever heard the term OCR.

It's also going to be a good reminder of how far things have come since those early, care free days.  The general concept was good but I know that what is written is not going to be any kind of masterpiece.  Who knows, one day I might get around to a re-write.  Until then I'm going to enjoy this little trip down memory lane.

Now where is that mail lady with the package......