I Think It All Began Somewhere Near Here

When I was little I drew a lot. I drew, I didn’t write stories. Only, at some point, the two combined and I started writing and drawing comic strips. And I wonder whether it was at that point where It all began.
But until yesterday, when I found the above, I hadn’t seen any of my creations in almost twenty years, I’d assumed they’d been thrown out. Until yesterday, when I found the above, which, oddly enough, is the one I can clearly, vividly, remember drawing. I drew it on my bedroom floor on a Saturday afternoon. I was somewhere between 8 and 10 years old. It was spring. I drew it with a silver Parker propelling pencil I’d been bought for my birthday and I seem to remember that I mispelled ‘pirates’ intentionally. (Yes folks, I was An Individual even then!)
The Pirots and Hunters was a one-off (which, I suppose, makes it even cooler to have found it). I did considerably more editions of an Addams Family/Munsters inspired one (which I can still draw today) – as well as a robot one which looked spookily like Wall.E (which I can also still draw). I do hope they turn up one day.
So there you are, folks. A glimpse into my childhood. 
Below is what’s on the back of the above. I think I must have thought it important that people know EXACTLY what it was, which must be why I wrote everything twice. So it goes.

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Nik Perring is a short story writer, author, teacher of writing, and editor from the UK. His books include the widely celebrated Not So Perfect (Roastbooks, 2010), and A Book of Beautiful Words (2014). He co-wrote Freaks! (TFP/HarperCollins 2012), and A Book of Beautiful Trees is out in 2015.

0 thoughts on “I Think It All Began Somewhere Near Here”

  1. Lovely, Nik. I used to do this too – when I was at secondary school I did a comic strip about two of the teachers – one tall and thin, the other short and fat. Now I always like ‘photos’ to illustrate my blog. I wonder if that’s why write about films, and you wrote a children’s book – we knew we could have some pictures.

  2. I love it! and I love that you intentionally spelled “pirates” wrong, how cool at 8 or so years old. Now, young man, there is a fortune to be made in the comic book industry… just waiting for ya! I never drew pictures, always writing little stories, mostly about cats. I liked cats. I still like cats.

  3. I think you might be onto something there, Sheila – I do LOVE illustrations, and am forever regretful that I can’t draw very well.Thanks T – I like cats too. Definitely a cat person. Maybe I should write about cats…Nik

  4. My mother has never been a hoarder and so all traces of my scribbling and drawing stage are nowhere to be found…though I did find some pictures I had drawn on the inside of a Topsy and Tim book…Thank you for good warm comments!!Off to the UK…is it Spring there yet??

  5. Nik, I think for an eight year old the drawings are superb.Eat your heart out, Picasso. I was thrilled by the links to Preston Writers. I think I may have been tempted to stay if I’d known. Of course, it didn’t have the university then.What my sister has to say about the take-over doesn’t bear repeating. By coincidence I just blogged about a book launch by one of the lecturers.

  6. Jaqueline’s comment about youthful aspiration reminds me of a wonderful documentary called ‘Seven Up’in which 7 year olds were asked about their futures. Their forecasts proved remarkably accurate in the follow-up episodes, ’14 Up,’ etc, right up to the latest ’49 Up’.Nik, I wasn’t joking. I’ve seen early Picassos in the house where he lived as a child, in Malaga. It’s open to the public now.I hope you’ll treat us to more. Sheila

  7. Aw, you’re flattering me! But if I can find any others then I’ll definitely putt them here. Fingers crossed…Is there a link to the early Picasso stuff?

  8. That was me, too, being anonymous back there. I don’t know why. That’s clue you in as to why I don’t do proper links, although I looked up the URL for the Picasso Museum in Malaga. Oh dear, there’s another Picasso Museum with his early stuff in Barcelona. This is a good prompt for me to learn how to do links.

  9. I’ll have a look on google myself then – and I can empathise hugely with the struggles with urls and linking – it’s something that’s way over my head! Nik

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