I Found One of My First Stories Written When I Was 8
I wrote 8 1/2 years old on the paper if we want to get technical
I have to give 8 1/2-year-old me some credit; the story isn’t half bad. Sure it has some plot holes, but overall it’s pretty cohesive and even ends on a life lesson. Let’s dissect this story, shall we?
I titled the story “Lost”. It’s about a mom named Stacy and her kids, Marcy and Nick. The premise is that Marcy and Nick wander off and get lost (super original title) at a mall, visiting several stores and the food court along the way.
First, I wrote Stacy was a terrible mother. She and her kids enter an electronics store and she lets them go play on a Xbox while she looks at phones when it’s clear later on that she does not know where the gaming section is. She calls her kids when it’s time to leave, yet doesn’t go find them. Apparently, Marcy and Nick realize they’re alone and, thinking their mom left, visit several other stores to find her. Meanwhile, Stacy over here is still looking for them in the electronics store. Ma’am, how big is this store? I would’ve covered every square inch in two minutes if I couldn’t find my kids.
A direct quote from the story reads, “[Stacy] was also panicking. She asked the lady working there if she knew where her kids went. The lady said that she saw a couple of kids at a store named Shoe Rack. There was only one problem, that was the first store they went to, not the store they were at now.” I mean come on.
Meanwhile, Marcy and Nick get hungry. They each have a dollar in their pocket so they decide to buy a couple of items off of the McDonald's dollar menu. Large fries and a large drink were ambitious, but hey, at least I knew the general content of the dollar menu. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.
What I’m most impressed with is the fact that I added a secondary character that made sense and positively contributed to the story. I seemed to name all the main characters and two separate stores, yet I couldn’t get more creative with Mrs. D, but I digress.
To make a (not so) long story short, Mrs. D stays with the children until they reunite with Stacy. I would’ve loved to know what Mrs. D thought of the situation since kids that age don’t hold anything back. Personally, I’d be sympathetic, but at the same time, deep down, I’d be judging Stacy a tiny bit. Don’t hate me.
Probably my favorite element of the entire story is the ending. I wrote, “Never again will Marcy and Nick leave their mom’s sight, especially at the mall.” My 8-year-old mind was very much life lesson oriented and clearly listened to my mom at the store. I think she’d be proud. Also, not to brag, but did you notice me using the correct “their”? That’s some higher-level writing if I say so myself.
As someone who really flourished in fictional writing in middle school, I was surprised to find a story from such a young age. It had its imperfections of course, but also had promise. There was a clear establishment of premise, a decent plot, and even a satisfying conclusion.
The trip down memory lane was a pleasant one and made me proud of how far I’ve come. Fiction is still something near and dear to my heart, and I’m actually currently working on a project in my spare time. If one day I ever publish my work, I’ll have to give a shout-out to Marcy, Nick, and Stacy for being some of the first characters to join my journey.
