A comment was made by a reader regarding finding the time to make sense of the scribbles of thoughts made in moments when access to your computer is not readily available. This post is an expansion of those few words, “Fairies and Nuns” near illegibly written on a bank envelope on my morning errand-run. Besides, it’s a catchier title than its subject: “Oral vs. Written Skills”.
One of the earliest books that I remember reading to myself was a compilation of short stories featuring fairies (complete with lovely black-inked drawings) who visited earth children and in a gentle way, taught morals and values within the text. I still can picture Princess Whats-her-face, delicate and dainty with lacey wings, holding her hands over her ears as she listened to the children speak. Poor grammar hurt her ears. I still am reminded of her and am torn with guilt when I hear myself saying, “I did good.” Despite this, and the countering effect of early elementary school under non-English speaking nuns (my classmates and I, unfortunately, did not speak other than English) I feel adequate in writing the language, but wonder at the difference in my speaking habits. Does then, a writer indeed have someone else within him that takes over when the fingers hit the keyboard?
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology