I've always been a huge fan of words. Where would we be without them? Still drawing pictures on cave walls? Although cave art is fascinating, imaging how powerful it would have been with a few punchy words to help us understand. Simple things like "escaped from tiger today, missing half a leg" would evoke such imagery surrounding the life of early man (and early tiger). And of course cave women who were probably so similar to today's modern women without all the mod cons could have expressed their sentiments with something like "raining, horrible hair day, not leaving cave" would have endeared us to them. My love of words started very early in life, like most children living in the late sixties, a sense of escapism was needed. Children's stories were frighteningly fun fantasies and rollicking adventures that helped us to develop vivid imaginations (that would later spark a creative fire). My friends and I weren't simply playing in a nearby field, we were fierce warriors, when we weren't looking for gnomes and fairies that is. Words tended to take on a more monotonous and serious tone in my teen years, in the form of learning. Although admittedly I did enjoy some of the stories from history, I found many of my teachers were lackluster in their chosen subjects. Did they not realise the power they wielded, and that learning could be stimulating? Poor dears, I'm sure most of them are retired now. Still, I held on to reading and writing and the fascination. We'll see where it goes from here, but as I get older, I find it more enjoyable to be on the writing side than the reading.