Fiona Boyd is a graduate from Queen Margaret’s University, Edinburgh. She is happily married, with one daughter and lives in the Scottish Borders. She loves the countryside, fairies, wildlife, writing and illustrating. Fiona is an author, poet and artist. Here she shares with us why her passion lies with writing.
Princess Arebeena and the Crystal Fairies
- I love writing
- To encourage inclusion and friendship
- To tell a story
- To entertain
- To relive elements from my childhood
- To feel a sense of freedom
- As a form of therapy
- Relaxation
- To feel a sense of achievement
- To leave something behind.
People may believe the primary objectives for writing would be to become rich and famous. Others may view writing as an obligation, a distraction or a responsibility. The main reason I write is because I love it. Writing also gives me the opportunity to escape from my disabilities. I am unable to go out to work as I am permanently confined to a wheelchair with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and I experience intense pain every single day. The first thing people notice about me is my wheelchair. Some people cannot see past this and they treat the wheelchair as a barrier. Without looking at me, these people talk about me to the person accompanying me, as though I am an ornament on a shelf which can neither; see, hear, feel or talk. Attitudes like this must change and what better way to start than with children. Young children love to ask questions and whenever I do a Book Reading, the first questions children ask are related to my wheelchair. Children don’t see it as a barrier, they see the wheelchair as an exciting adventure. Of course, they are curious, but young children are non-judgemental and I love their attitude to disabilities. When I was a child, my friends and I were brought up believing that if we encountered someone with a disability, it was bad manners to stare and ask questions! From personal experience, I would always prefer to chat than be shunned. This is one of the reasons that I believe it’s necessary to promote friendship and inclusion in my writing, regardless of the character’s circumstances. For example, in my first book: “Princess Arebeena and the Crystal Fairies”, Princess Arebeena lives in a royal palace, whereas her best friend Isabella, lives in the smallest house in the land. Everyone in the story is treated as an equal and a friend – even the frog’s little tadpoles are included. My second book in the series: “Princess Arebeena and the Fairy Queen’s Autumn Ball” (which I am currently illustrating) introduces three of Princess Arebeena’s schoolfriends; Selena (who is confined to a wheelchair), Sammy (Selena’s little brother) and Nia (who is of dual-heritage). The various adventures the characters are involved in, encourage children to understand how important friendships are. Everyone needs friends to be by their side, regardless of what adventures are thrown their way.
The opportunity to tell a story and entertain with my writing, illustrating and Book Readings, ranks high on my list. The excited expressions on children’s faces during a Book Reading is such a wonderful reward to me. Reliving elements from my own childhood is definitely in my Top 10; I had so much enjoyment going for a walk in the woods as a child; listening to the birds singing and looking out for wildlife. Finding a mound of velvet moss to sit down and spread out my picnic lunch, I imagined that pixie’s, fairies and animals who could talk, would be hiding close by. When it was time to go home, I always left a little morsel or two of food behind for them to enjoy after I had gone. Many years later, my daughter and I would do the same thing. We had so much fun together; appreciating and learning about wildlife, searching for fairies and creating little fairy-stories. To pass things like this onto the next generation is great, but to be able to share fairy-stories with children around the globe, through my writing is an absolute privilege.
The sense of freedom I have when writing is wonderful and it becomes a form of therapy and relaxation. I can forget about pending health issues and I no longer feel trapped, when I have the ability to lose myself in the world I have created. I can run, fly, change shape, become invisible or be anything my mind wishes to experience. For example, Selena’s wheelchair grows a large pair of eagle’s wings to enable her to fly, thus avoiding difficult terrain in the woods and the ascent of a steep hill. I’m sure everyone in a wheelchair would love to have their own set of flying wings!
The completion of a story is a huge sense of achievement. I am no longer the girl in the wheelchair who cannot go out to work – I am an author and illustrator. This mantra enables me to have a positive outlook to face any challenges.
The final reason on my list is perhaps the most popular one (although many writers will not readily admit it): To leave something behind. In my case, I know my physical health will continue to deteriorate over time, but no matter how challenging it may become, I want to bring happiness to my family, friends and fans everywhere, for as long as possible with my writing and illustrating.
by Fiona Boyd
@FionaBoydAuthor