Ring Around the Rose: First Stories and Pixar

Can you believe it is July already? June sped by so swiftly. I hope your summer is going well. We've been so busy with tae-kwon-do, Super Summer Adventure at our church, and everything else, I've barely had time to breathe! I took some time off from editing (a bit of a summer break, as it were) but now I'm back in the swing of things, working steadily towards releasing Yorien's Hand later this year! Get excited!This week's installment of Ring Around the Rose comes with TWO questions! Don't forget to check out Kaycee and Savannah's posts from earlier this week. And don't forget to check out last week's answers:Kaycee at The Pink CaveSavannah at Savannah Jay's WorkshopDorian at Dorian WritesHayden at Story GirlGrace at A Live MasterpieceHeidi at Along the Brandywine What is the first story you ever wrote?I'm not sure it's the FIRST story I ever wrote, but it very easily could be. The date on it says I was only 6 (almost seven) at the time, how much could I really have written before that? It's a very short story, with four very short chapters (with extremely original titles)! I found this in a box in the attic and thought you might enjoy me sharing the entire story with you... (bear in mind, it was type-written, so I'm guessing I either wrote it by hand and my mom transposed it, or I dictated it... not sure which. Hope you enjoy it:My Brother, Evan (Nov. 4, 1988)Chapter 1: Evan's Day 1"Evan, you come here now." That's all I hear. Granty's always calling him. "Evan, you come here!" And I'm always calling him. "Evan, you come here!" He just sits and smiles, but he never even thinks about it. Sometimes he never even comes! But I love him still. Sometimes he wants me to hold him and sometimes Granty tries to hold him. Evan laughs and sometimes says, "Dah!" He's always saying "Daah-dah-dah-dah-dah." And he's a cutie.Chapter 2: Evan's Day 2Evan crawls and Evan wants to walk. And Evan says, "I want to walk. Will you please teach me? I took a step today, but I want to take TWO! I wish I were one, then I could walk. I wish I could walk because I want to be like BIG SISTER and BIG BROTHER. And like Mommy and Daddy. I don't want to crawl anymore, I could run and play. I could go outside and not stay indoors. And when I'm one I'll do everything I can because I want to be BIG. And when I'm two I'll open doors because I'm silly. And when I'm three I'll run everywhere."Chapter 3: Evan's Day 3Evan is one now. He wants to be big, like he said in the second chapter. He wants to type the computer now. I don't know what has got into him. He's silly. And now he says, "Jenelley do this" and "Jenelley do that." He wants to walk up the stairs! But Mommy says, "NO!" She says, "You're too little." And now Evan says, "I want to type on the computer." But Daddy says, "NO! This is Grandpa's computer and we don't want to wreck it." And Evan says, "Why?! Everybody tells me NO! I don't think I've heard a YES at all! I wish I were seven months old still. Being one is no fun at all. I know I can play in the sandbox, but there's snow on the ground and Mommy says it's too cold to play outdoors."Chapter 4: Desk DayEvan, you silly little boy. Yesterday you've done it and today you've done it too. You messed up Mommy's desk and you know it, too. I remember when you were eight months old. We knew this day would come. I wonder if when you're three you'll have a little sense! And I wonder why, "Oh, when will you grow up?" Because you've messed up our room and I just picked it up! When will you be six and help pick up the room? Because Granty and I just picked up and you had to go walking around and mess up everything! But I still love YOU! Good-bye, Evan."The End Ahem.I've been telling stories since I could talk. I grew up in a house built on books and stories, how could I not turn around and make up my own? When I was in Jr. High, I co-wrote a very silly story with a friend about two puppies named Rogtu and Scamper and the adventures they had. Later, I wrote a novel called "Snake Dancer" for that friend as a birthday present. It involved two orphan sisters who ran away from their orphanage, hid in the woods, built a log cabin, discovered a wild horse - which they tamed - and eventually went on to win the Triple Crown with that horse. I don't think any copies of that story still exist, but I wish I had one. In high school another friend and I co-authored a space opera, which was a blast. I still play around with it sometimes when I have nothing else to do. It will most likely never see the light of day, but it is very dear to me, in spite of its many flaws.As I told Kaycee the other day: my old stories make me cringe a little, but only because I know nobody else would appreciate them. If I think about them just for myself, they make me smile - because every one of them was a stepping stone to the author I am today. I love those old stories, but I don't want them to be mocked by anyone else. What is your favorite Pixar movie? (and why?)My favorite Pixar movie... that's a tough one. I love the Toy Story movies, all three of them. UP! was fantastic. Monsters Inc and Monsters University were both wonderful, entertaining, and clever. Finding Nemo was heart wrenching and adventurous and humorous...but my favorite Pixar movie by far has been, is, and remains: The Incredibles. Why? Because it continues to be the one Pixar movie I can watch over and over again and not get tired of. I love the family dynamic, the epic characters, the story, the humor, and the fact that it brings me to tears in several places, every single time I watch it. It's my favorite.Which Pixar movie is YOUR favorite, dear Reader?Tomorrow, don't forget to swing over to Dorian's blog and find out the all important answer to the Pixar movie question!