As I was outside today under the bright blue winter sky, I remembered how it has been 10 years since I wrote the novella An Endless Sky for my Extended Project Qualification in Year 13. I wrote it in my bedroom, the bedroom I asked my parents to re-paint sky blue when I was young. The 25,000 word novella was a version of Beowulf, the Old English epic poem written a thousand years ago, from the dragon’s point of view. (My dad got print copies made at the time. The title is a quote from the Philip Larkin poem ‘High Windows’).

…

I have been transfixed by dragons ever since my teacher got us to write a story inspired by the book Eragon by Christopher Paolini in Year 6. I studied Fine Art at school and practised my illustration of dragons for my GCSEs and for my EPQ. For my Fine Art A-level I tried my hand at painting real things. It was only by doing this work that I learned that, even though I love drawing, I did not want to study it any further and did not want to monetise it. I loved drawing dragons, but I found actually illustrating text uninteresting. And I am glad I tried painting because after the exam I never felt the desire to paint again. I’m proud of my paintings, but they mean little to me. Unfortunately, you can produce good work that you’re not invested in.

..

When school ended, I had a descion: Illustration or literature. I chose to study English Literature for my BA and am very glad I did! 

—

I think the idea for Alice in Wheelchairland, the book I’m writing now, comes from many places, but animation for children has always got me thinking. In 2021 when I volunteered at the Children’s Media Conference, I learned about a kids educational app called ‘Let’s Go See!’ As you can see in this video, the premise of ‘Let’s Go See!’ is that two adult pilots take a group of kids in their plane to learn about interesting foreign locations, like Cairo. One of the boys is a powerchair-user, and to accommodate him the plane is boarded with a ramp, and nothing is mentioned about the likely many barriers he will face in a developing country. If only travel with a powerchair was this easy in real life. 

…

‘Let’s Go See!’ enrages me because the able-bodied kids who play it will be able to grow up and explore the world they’ve seen in the game. Disabled children will grow up and learn that the stories they have been told about their inclusion in the world are not true. Boarding ramps where you can take your powerchair into the cabin do not exist. The adults who make children’s media have beautiful hearts for inclusion, but this heart for inclusion is of no help if we don’t also change our built environment and the way we do things. Maybe I’m taking this too literally though, as the kids who play the game probably won’t remember it when they grow up? Depends on the child.

…

As I’m writing, I’ve also realised I really want to write an accessible tree house. BBC’s Doctor Who recently made the TARDIS wheelchair accessible, and I wrote in my MA dissertation about Lisette Auton’s accessible lighthouse in her 2022 children’s novel The Secret of Haven Point. Whilst real life news that a few airlines are committing to making wheelchair spaces on their aeroplanes a reality, children’s media has the power to create accessible fantasy worlds. 

…

‘Let’s Go See!’ confuses me because it juxtaposes two things I deeply want: accessible fantasy and accessible reality. I haven’t got all the answers, but I’d be interested to hear other people’s thoughts on it, Disabled or not.  Am I being too anxious and self-righteous?

—

Now, I look back on An Endless Sky and see it as a promise to myself. As a reminder of where I started and what I want to achieve. I’m in no rush; my favourite authors wrote their best work when they had lots of experience. Getting experience is my task for the next few years. 

Writing Alice in Wheelchairland is a step towards getting that experience. And when I have more experience, I’ll come back to my finished novel Becoming Sweetwood. And hopefully one day I’ll be experienced enough to return to dragons.

…

For now, I’ll focus on writing that accessible fantasy world, and making the imaginary accessible tree house a reality.

.

.

.

(Featured Image is Elizabeth Starr’s 2015 illustration for her novella An Endless Sky)