Saturday, July 14, 2012

My First Desk

I can't be sure how old I was when I got my first desk. It was the early 80's and I was probably somewhere in the neighborhood of ten years old. I remember being with my father in a stuffy attic in some big warehouse; sunbeams became pillars of swirling dust. He picked through a large pile of metal and wood desks, choosing different models and sizes for my siblings and I.

Being the oldest I received the biggest desk. It had a tan painted steel body with a swinging hard wood top and seat. Take my word for it they don't make em' like they used to.
I used it for painting models, surgery on G.I.Joe fatalities and my first work at actual fiction written for my own satisfaction.

I generally wrote terrible fan-fiction (as all fan-fiction generally is) either G.I. Joe and or Transformers, or even my own brand of Indiana Jones rip-offs,
BUT...
I did work at things that were embers of my own original voice too. I had thoughts on my own Tolkien inspired epic fantasy that would have a nation of werewolves within it~that were the good guys! Haughty kings and naive if not noble princes, world striding conquerors who wrestled with fate and defied the gods, tragic death and glorious triumph.

These things came to me when I was a child and I wrote them at my first desk.

My eldest son (7) is now writing his own books. I went and took the desk out of storage at my parents house and brought it home. My brother used it for a time too, so it has more paint than when I left it behind. It was the last of all those desks my parents bought for us from some nameless warehouse in Billings, Montana.
I dusted it off and put it in my sons room. I told him how I used it and what it helped me start doing. I think his fan fiction is better than mine.

And I may as well share the desk where I have written all of my pro sales.

10 comments:

John Waverly said...

Cool story. I have fond memories of my first desk too. It was given to me by my grandfather. Oh the stories that desk could tell. Sadly, I don't know where it is today.

Thanks for sharing.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Appreciated, thanks for dropping in John.

Charles Gramlich said...

I often told myself stories as a kid. All the time in fact, but I never wrote 'em down. maybe I should have had a desk. This is a great story, man. Someday this will be in your autobiography.

Adventuresfantastic said...

Wow. That desk looks even older than the one I had, and I'm older than you are (I think). It's great that you've passed it on to your son so he can follow in your footsteps.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Hard to say Charles, how many tales were missed because I didn't take the time to write them down (for lack of a desk)

I know it is a pretty old desk Keith-probably the type my dad would have used, and I suspect Montana took longer than a lot of states to convert to the aluminum/plastic types.

Adventuresfantastic said...

You're probably right about when different styles of desks came into use. It's a cool desk.

Ty said...

Ah, I remember those days. Used to have an old school desk of my own, though mine was much darker than yours. Alas, I gave it away to friends when I moved away from home in my early 20s. Wish I still had that desk.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Keith, yep very sturdy, I wouldn't doubt it could be passed down to a grandson.

Ty, I had almost forgotten about it. I hadn't used it since my early teens. It was left behind when I left home and used by brothers-but recalling that it was still in my parents basement (and that I now live just down the road from my folks)-the time was right to reclaim it.

Paul R. McNamee said...

Great story of handing down the desk. I like you current setup, too!

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Thanks Paul, I took Ray Bradbury's advice about getting ideas to heart and ever since I was little wanted a collection of curios surrounding me while I write.