From the beginning of time, humans have strived to express themselves through stories. History shows that this desire had taken the form of two groups, authors and readers. Authors express themselves through writing for the pleasure of others. Readers appreciate the art of writing through encouragement. Both roles are equally important to the success of any piece. Yet how did this journey of written expression come about? As we move through time, hopefully, you will come to understand the amazing beginnings.

Our first stop will be to take you back through time, were you will discover the origin of picture stories. The exploration begins deep in the Tyrannian Jungle. Tyrannia is most well known for the giant omelette and its dung products. However, there is another very special place this jungle is known for. The very evidence so many Neopians have sought after can be found within a cave. You might say this is the writing on the wall. I am speaking of the famous cave paintings. Cave paintings are the earliest form of writing for an author. It was a means for pets to communicate with each other as well as tell stories of their days. Although it is not known exactly how this activity may have taken place, there have been speculations. It is believed that pets would use a mixture of various colored plants and dung to create the paintings on the cave walls. They would then sit around the fires while relating the stories using the paintings on the wall, in hopes to thrill happy readers. Not to mention that in Tyrannia, unhappy readers let the author know with handfuls of dung and carelessly chosen rocks.

Next we move forward from Tyrannia until we come to the Lost Desert. This is an interesting era of the writings. As time progressed, so had the method of writing. Scroll writing has replaced the painting on cave walls. Authors were very creative with writing interesting stories of their lives. They also had much to say and relate about their beloved King Coltzan III. It is within those scrolls that you can find the tales of his courage and kindness. Writing was a way to pass down their traditions and legends to their young. These stories were cherished among their readers for generations to come. Unfortunately for the reader, most of what was written tended to carry a small curse with it. For a fascinating read, I would suggest the scrolls of King Coltzan III. Providing you don�t mind a bit of discomfort.

As we travel on, for our next moment in the history of writing, we�ll visit the pirates. Krawk Island is where another advancement in writing had taken place. Most likely the pirates of the island may never have realized what a contribution they have made to the world of written expression. To begin with, they moved from scrolls to using parchment. This was especially helpful in that parchment was much easier to read. It was also easier to carry around with you. Pirates also developed the method of combining both pictures and words to form what they wanted to show. It was at this time that the Treasure Maps came into the picture. The idea behind it was to be able to lead the reader to where the treasure was buried. At that time in history, treasure maps were very rare and extremely popular. Not many readers were able to own one. However with a bit of luck and some slyness, a pirate could dig up a map for himself. How long he was able to keep it was an entirely different matter.

Our next stop would bring us to the enchanting world of Meridell. Entertainment was a large attraction to many of the inhabitants of this time. For instance their ruler, King Skarl, was very much into hearing jokes. On the rare occasion, you might find a book of jokes in the Meridell Rubbish Dump, where King Skarl deposited it, AND the joke teller if the King didn't laugh. Of course there were gaming events as well. However, one of the most popular attractions was books. This was the beginning of the era of books! Much like the pirates did, Meridell subjects would write down their historical events onto parchment. Then they bound them together to form a book. Most of their bound parchment would contain tales of the great war, when Meridell and Darigan did battle. These bounds of parchment are few and far between. Anyone who has had the opportunity to read these first books can consider themselves very lucky indeed.

Which will bring us to the present day Neopia. Here you can find a limitless supply of books. Not only books, but we now have the Neopian Times, storytelling, poetry and so many other ways to express ourselves. We can read the events from history and write about them in the now. Events of the past will once again be brought forth to readers. Much more than that is happening as well. Not only is creative writing used to bring about the tales of old, but also the tales of the future.

Most importantly is the relationship that has evolved between the author and the reader. Authors strive to bring the best they can to the reader. The reader is the very valuable key to the success of an author by letting them know how they feel about a piece. Without the readers, authors would never be able to improve their creative skills. Without readers, there would be no authors. Without authors, the readers would have nobody to praise or throw rocks at except the artists! And without authors and artists, we'd be left with... Mimes! Ever have a Mime tell the story of Moby Krawk? It's a very, very sad sight. Honest!

EEk! I scared myself...

If you want to show your support for various authors, here are a few simple ways to go about it.
1) Keep in mind that the only difference between the authors and readers is that one writes for the other to read.

2) If you�d like, neomail them and offer constructive reviews of their piece.

3) Be honest.

Most authors are very nice and extremely friendly to talk with. They are also very appreciative of Neopians who take the time to read their work.

The moral of this article, readers are as important to an author as the author is to the readers. So don�t be afraid to drop a line.

Author�s Note: I hope you enjoyed my article. My sincerest thanks to those who inspire me and encourage me to keep writing. Special thanks to Patjade for your help.
Please feel free to offer comments about my article.
My article has been published in the Neopian Times! Check out Issue 101!