“Mummy I want to go to school.”
“You can’t because I’m sick and they won’t let you go to school so that you won’t give the other children the sickness I have.”
“But Mummy I’m not sick.”
“You just can’t go and that’s all there is to that. Go outside and play.” I’m frightened of the hairbrush if I disobey so I do as I’m told. But I’m bored. Bored before I even get outside.Â
An idea comes rushing into my head. My Daddy’s sermon last Sunday. I could be the leper. I walk up to the road where the church sits and wait patiently. Here comes some-one. I jump out of the bushes screaming “I’m a leper. Don’t come near me, I’m unclean.” I jump up and down with glee.The person gives me a strange look and crosses to the other side of the road.
Here comes another. I surprise him with my maniacal appearance, again screaming “I’m a leper. I’m unclean. Stay away.” If only more people would pass this way. Here comes another. I like the ones that look afraid and cross to the other side of the road.
I have to go home for lunch. My Daddy looks angry.
“Irene. What are you doing?”
“I’m playing lepers.”
“You are not to do that anymore. It’s not nice.”
I love my Daddy. He is never angry with me. I don’t want him to be angry with me.
“Alright Daddy.”
“You can go back to school tomorrow. They aren’t worried that you will carry any germs to the other children.”
An exercise in free writing – child’s voice, 1st person, present tense. Writing as a child puts the emotion in the forefront. Tomorrow’s exercise will be writing this in adult voice, 1st person past tense.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
The child’s voice is innocent and direct, Irene. It seems to express her simple feelings and longing to play unattached to what is going on around her and consequences.
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Pat Totally agree. I think the child is pure emotion.Cheers Irene
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Yep — takes some practice to think in that narrative but
I think I like it. Never thought about it much until I read your 2 posts. There’s quite a difference. 🙂
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Yes. Writing in a different person also adds another flavour to the mix. All interesting to experiment with. I think that successful fiction writers manage to give their characters appropriate voices and persons. 🙂
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I could see why that would be easier for fiction writers to manage. I’ve only written nonfiction. Maybe this would help me in that type of writing, too. Hmmm 🙂
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Yes I’m a nn fiction writer although since blogging have written a couple of fiction pieces. I wonder though if fiction is just non fiction rearranged. Cheers Irene
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It interesting. I guess it could be nonfiction rearranged. I never thought of it like that. I posted a story one time and submitted it for some type of online contest. He liked it but wanted me to rewrite it changing the names as fictional characters. I never submitted it — couldn’t quite get my head wrapped around that type of writing as I was just a beginner.
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I can just see you playing that inventive game. What fun it would be to see their frightened faces. As long as you didn’t go as far as Peter and the Wolf.
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A few of my friends were wary about accepting me back into the fold on my return to school but we soon got past that.
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I’m sure it wouldn’t have taken long for them to see that you were your lovable friendly and healthy self.
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