How it Started

When I was 12, I found a blank ledger book. It was a treasure beyond treasure to me. I debated and debated about what to do with it - it had to be something special. Finally I decided to make a list of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to see in my life and then cross them off when I had accomplished them. At first they were simple things, but soon I was adding dramatic things, impossible things, but things still worth dreaming about. Oddly enough, putting them on the list somehow made them attainable. I have kept the book and updated the list my entire life. Here is the story behind some of the entries - successes and failures, embarrassing and proud moments, laughter and tears - the ridiculous to the sublime!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Read All of the Nancy Drew Books - Almost DID IT

I completed 23 of them before life and school and mandatory reading assignments drew me away from my favorite girl detective.  The Lilac Inn, Clue in the Diary, the Tolling Bell, Secret of the Clock, the Hidden Staircase...  I read most of them while hiding under the covers with a flashlight so my mom wouldn't know I was still awake reading.  Nancy gave me courage and self-confidence, later bolstered by Anne Francis as TV heroine Honey West, these two women gave me a kick-ass mental attitude that would serve me well in later years.  Although I've never actually kicked anyone's ass, I always felt that if push came to shove, I could.... well,  probably not, but the outward appearance and belief in yourself is half the battle.

I always wanted to drive a sports car and have a handsome boyfriend who would stay out of the way until I really needed him. I wanted to be the smart one.  I wanted to have dramatic adventures without running my stockings or messing up my hair.

A few years ago, I read "Girl Sleuth" the autobiography of the many writers who used the Carolyn Keene byline to pen the Nancy Drew series.  It was disappointing to discover that Nancy was just a marketing gimmick for the publishing house.  Of course, I knew these were fiction books, but learning how the books were created really spoiled the illusion for me.  I wish I hadn't read that particular book.
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