Author Appreciation Week Tuesday : Enid Blyton
Author Appreciation Week is hosted by seaheidi.
If there's one author that I can narrow down as being the person who made me want to become a writer, it would be Enid Blyton. Ms. Blyton was this amazingly prolific children's author who has some 700 plus titles to her name, ranging from fantasies, to adventure to boarding school to family stories. Anyone growing up in the UK or the Commonwealth countries would be very familiar with her books. The Famous Five, Secret Seven, Mallory Towers, St Claires, Noddy, The Magic Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair were a staple of our reading diet.
The first book of hers that I picked up was Five on A Treasure Island, about four cousins and their dog outwitting a bunch of bad guys and finding hidden treasure on the family island. I was nine. It was the first novel I had ever read and it was the most amazing experience. How could mere words transform my mundane life and allowed me to live vicariously in Britain, going on picnics and frolicking on the beach and rowing a boat? I was sold on reading for life.
I quickly devoured the rest of the titles in the series and then started on her other books. My favorite was The Magic Faraway Tree, about three siblings who venture into the woods to find a magic tree that has a different land on the topmost branch every few days. I was totally enchanted by its quirky characters - The Saucepan Man (a man who wears pots and pans instead of clothes) Dame Washalot (a woman who perpetually does laundry and pours the dirty water down the tree) Mr. Watzisname (a pixie who is searching for his name) and dear, dear Moon-Face and the lovely fairy, Silky. And oh my, all the food they had - pop-biscuit and google buns and Toffee Shock. It was like seeing the early days of Hogwarts treats.
It wasn't until I read her boarding school books Mallory Towers that I thought to myself, "Hey, this looks like fun! Maybe I could write a book too!" I attempted my first WIP and that was it. I was bitten by the writing bug and I've been writing in one form of other ever since.
Enid Blyton was a big part of my childhood and I suspect the reason why I am drawn to urban fantasy. She filled my childhood with magic, wonder and innocence. I loved her books because they gave children a voice and empowered them with intelligence and bravery. Her books told children that despite their size, they matter, that they made a difference.
In a way, Enid Blyton was my first writing teacher, so I suppose all my strengths and shortcomings could be traced back to her. I've passed her legacy down to my daughter and I hope that she will pass it on. Every child should be lucky enough to have Enid Blyton in their lives.