Stories My Grandmother Told Me by Susan Barclay

I've been writing stories and songs ever since I can remember. My grandmother was an excellent storyteller and I recall publishing a "book" for my elementary school library somewhere in the grade 4-6 period. I titled it "Stories My Grandmother Told Me" and it was put together on laminated paper and bound with a yellow spiral. It included a pocket for the check-out card. Those were the days of low technology!

My book included stories about my grandmother's Newfoundland dog, Major, who rescued her on two occasions. Once when she was little, she fell into a brook and the dog hauled her out; another time she almost sat on a snake while blueberry picking and Major shook the snake until it died. Another story tells of the time the family's house caught fire and her grandmother threw furniture out of the upstairs window. Grandma lived a pretty thrilling life.

It was so exciting when students checked my book out of the library and told me how much they enjoyed it. Even better when they said they hoped I would write a sequel. I told my grandmother that I would write more about her life when I "grew up" and sadly, I still haven't done so.

No doubt just about to launch into another story :)

I recently lost all the revised files of my first novel. Yeah, I know - back up your back-ups. Thankfully, I found earlier versions and have been able to piece it back together with a gap here and an overlap there. A lot more work lies ahead in the revision process. Hopefully, like Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (dare I mention them in the same breath?), it will be better for the loss.

In the meanwhile, maybe it's time for a break. Maybe I should work on my grandmother's story and keep my promise to her... What do you think, dear readers?