You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence. Octavia E. Butler

I love revisiting stories from my past. The tiny tidbits of scrawled poetry on the corners of wrinkled pages of my school notebooks, ramblings vaguely resembling prose on the back of a napkin from a café  I had once found inspiration in or even the notes on my phone containing pieces of a plot yet to be assembled together but on its way to forming an entertaining story.

It’s nice to look back on the things that made me the writer I am now, even if it means going so far back as to be cringe-inducing.

When people ask me about the first story I ever wrote, my memory conjures up an illustrated short story I made for an ESL (English as a Second Language) class in the first grade. I should have known that I would grow up to be the hopeless lover of romance that I am now. All the signs were there.

Nevertheless, I still have an odd sense of pride whenever I think back to my first efforts as a writer. Even at six years of age, I delighted in bringing form and fruition to the story that played in my head. I didn’t know it then but writing was my calling.

Admittedly, The Prince and the Princess is no masterpiece. Heavily inspired by a favorite fairytale at the time (Jack and the Beanstalk), there are a lot of similarities between the two stories. But that’s how inspiration works, especially in a child’s mind, right? You consume something, start to play with the ideas in your mind before making it your own in some special way.

Of course, my first ‘official’ story was one very hilarious result.

Without further ado, I present to you my first work of art, exactly as it were (with the pictures that I could salvage of it).

The Prince and the Princess

By: Betty Manuel

Once upon a time there was a prince whose name was Eric. He was going to buy some beans.

He saw a man with beans. He went to the man and asked, “Can I have those beans?” The man didn’t answer, but he gave him the beans. The prince paid $3 to the man.

He went to the castle and threw the beans to the floor.

The next day he saw a big beanstalk!

He climbed the beanstalk and saw a castle just like his. He went in the castle and saw a princess.

He asked to the princess, “What’s your name?” The princess answered, “Princess Steffany.” And she asked, “What’s your name?” He answered, “Prince Eric.” So they became friends.

The next day another fairy came and told the king (princess Steffany’s father) to drink the magic potion.

She gave the potion to change the king’s mind. The fairy said, “It will never make you die.” So the king drank it. It changed his mind.

The day came for the marriage to begin. The king came into the castle and opened the door.

The king said, “Stop the marriage!” Princess Steffany was shocked.

But when the king was going to take Steffany to her room, Prince Eric said, “Steffany and I love each other.” When the king heard that, the spell was broken.

After the spell was broken, they married. They also had children and lived happily ever after.

THE END.

(A Six Year Old’s) Author Bio

Betty was born on 1992 1997. She likes to see cartoon, go on trips and play computer.

She likes her friend, her parents and herself.