Beyond My First Book

On my desk, in the corner, sits a very wrinkled copy of Beyond the Deepwoods. It holds a special connection to me. It was the first book that I ever read that meant something to me. When I was 11 years old I had a school trip to go on, and so my dad took me out to buy a book. I can’t remember being a keen reader at that age, but I do remember being uninterested in picking out a book. Eventually he suggested one and I just nodded my head.

I went away and ignored the book, too busy having fun with my friends. A few months later I started secondary school and had to choose a book to read for English. The Stormchaser was my reluctant choice. And as I sat there full of gloom, forcing myself to read the book, I started to recognize the characters. I had read about them before in Deepwoods. So, I revisited Deepwoods to read it, and not just the first few pages this time, and was captivated.

The premise is that a young Fourthling named Twig, after being raised by woodtrolls, leaves the Path and gets lost in the Deepwoods. The book follows his travels through the weird and wonderful Deepwoods as Twig desperately tries to find a way out. He was a great protagonist, I instantly connected with him, urging him to succeed.

Chris Riddell’s illustrations were unlike anything I had ever seen before. He created a whole world with these bizarrely fantastic creatures and characters. Even the way the illustrations were put into the books, mixed in with the writing, worked so well and was new to me. Paul Stewart’s words were magical, I wasn’t reading the book, I was being transported into a new world. Before Deepwoods no other book inspired me. And since Deepwoods no other books have inspired me in the same way. The Edge Chronicles, starting with Deepwoods, impacted me so tremendously, that even though the books were aimed at 10 to 14 year olds, when Immortals came out, I was 17 and still reading it with the same passion.

Deepwoods taught me an incredible amount about creating and writing, but the most important lesson was; there is no limit to your imagination. You start with a blank canvas, and then anything is possible. There are no constraints.

I could, and have, waxed lyrical about the numerous other things that Deepwoods taught me. Character, story, continuation... But that is a conversation for another time. The point is, I can look at it and feel inspired. There are days when I am writing and writing and writing and it’s all rubbish, or, days where I can’t write at all. The frustration starts to build. The usual questions slip into my mind. What’s the point? Am I any good? So on and so forth. However, when I glance at that heavily used copy of Beyond the Deepwoods, there is a warm feeling within my chest. The frustration is released. Because I can succinctly remember the way I felt as an 11 year old reading that book.

This isn’t so much an ‘think piece’ as it is a love letter to Deepwoods. Perhaps there is no lesson here, just a young man’s adoration. If there is, it’s surround yourself with whatever inspires you. It can be pictures, books, DVD cases, music, whatever. But, whatever it is, you need to be able to look at it and feel something. Because there will be days where creating becomes hard, but that’s OK, as long as you can remember why you’re creating in the first place.