A Walk Through History

So, I've opened The Archives and have been rifling through them to see what remains from the past. Guess what? I found the original hand-written Swords of Fire. The first words written for the first book ever finished. (There is an earlier work, but that wasn't finished.)

To satisfy any potential curiosity, here is how the book Ballentine rejected began.

Khirsha looked around the cave entrance for signs of his father, but there was nothing to indicate his presence.

"Perhaps he is inside," thought Khirsha as he entered the cave.

There was no danger, of course. The cave was located in the heart of the Endo Estate which his family had owned for seven generations of Endos. They were a wealthy family. Indeed, one of the most wealthy in the kingdom. But, the military families usually were.

Not exactly something to make you want to rush out and buy a copy, is it? Well, I was young. I was barely in my twenties when this was written.

Very little remains from the original story. Khirsha is still Khirsha, but there is no way he would be looking for his father at the cave. Also, to enter the cave one now has to crawl. There is no such thing as the Endo Estate or, in fact, Endos. The family is wealthy, but they are not part of any kingdom. In fact, their relationship with the nearby kingdom is strained. They are military.

When I was young, teenager and earlier, I used to toss my writing away when I was finished. No one ever read it, except my creative writing teacher in high school. Then I read something a famous writer (I forget who) said in an interview. He complained about the use of computers when writing. Overwriting a file meant there was no history. No beginning point where a story began. He liked to keep all of his notes because they sometimes came in useful later. After that I created The Archives. Now they are boxes and boxes of unsorted material.

Very fascinating to visit. I'm glad I kept everything.