Introduction Chapter to "Milly's Journal."

This introduction is before Chapter 1 and explains the reason how and why I am writing a story that is based on a movie, "The Boy Who Could Fly."

Hi! My name is Lynn Hope McFall. And welcome to my story called "Milly's Journal." A Fan Fiction story based on the 1986 movie, "The Boy Who Could Fly.

If you are reading this right now, I want to thank you. I wasn't sure when I first got this idea to write this story if anyone out there would even want to read it. But I decided to just go for it and write it. No matter if I have tons of readers, or just myself, it will be ok. Because if this ends up being written and only read by just me, I remember that as the years go by, I can come back here later and read what I wrote. I've realized how much fun it is to find something you've written many many years ago and you can sit down and read it again. Many times I find something I've written that I don't even remember writing! It just gives me such a great feeling inside and it's so much fun! So whatever happens with this story will be fine with me. Although I'll admit I would *love* to have a *few* more people besides myself reading it...still, this can be something I can treasure for my whole life. I found out I just love to create. Whether it's writing, cross stitching, playing or making music...I just enjoy seeing what I can bring forth. And being able to share it with people makes it even better!

Now..let me explain a bit of what this is all about. Also, please excuse any typos, grammar errors and the such. I am not a professional writer, not even close to one, so I'm often unsure how to properly place sentences, where commas go and things like that. But I'm not being graded on this so if any of you out there who *can* write well and know all about writing stories and such...try not too laugh too hard at my mistakes. I'm trying. :0)

The movie this Fan Fiction story is about came out in 1986. I didn't see it until the following year, 1987 when it was shown on cable TV. Although now I'm kicking myself from missing it when it was in theaters. I would have been overjoyed to see this movie on the big screen! But I never knew it existed until I found it on cable one night. I was just 15 years old then and I thought it was one of the most beautiful stories I've ever seen. I completely "fell in love" with it and it became my favorite movie. Even back then I wrote a Fan Fiction story about this movie. But as a teenager, the story was just that! A teenage high school story using the same character names and places and it featured just a small part of the original storyline. The only big change in my story...I completely changed the character of Eric. In my story I wrote him as a normal teenager. He talked and acted like any other normal teenager would. His parents were alive and if you are wondering...no, he didn't fly or even dream of flying. However I had him and Milly as high school sweethearts and I had them going through all sorts of things a high school couple would go through. My story ended up being 280 typed pages long. But no one will ever read that story I don't think. It forever will stay right here in my bookshelf. Sorry about that. LOL!

As I became an adult, I sadly somehow forgot all about this movie for many years. I'm 38 now and a few months ago I happened to see my copy of the movie in my room. I was bored that night so I decided to dust it off and watch it again. I couldn't even remember the last time I watched it, it was that long. I'm sure I hadn't watched it since the late 1980s so I guess it's been over 20 years. So I watched it...and let me tell you, I felt the same excitement, the same joy, the same love as I did when I loved this movie at age 15. And for some reason, I suddenly had this huge desire to start writing again. Which is how this idea of "Milly's Journal" came to be.

I want you to know that this Fan Fiction story will be *completely* different from the story I wrote as a teenager. This one will follow the plot of the movie entirely. So why is it called "Fan Fiction" you might be wondering? Especially if the story is the same story as the movie?

Ever since I discovered this movie, I have always had the desire to have it in book form. Many movies are in books or later made into books but this movie, as far as I know never was. Because of this..I decided to see what I could come up with on my own.

The story is going to be written in Milly's point of view, and *only* her point of view. It will be her journal, but what she writes will actually be letters to her Dad. In the movie, she and her family are grieving over the loss of their Dad/Husband. Milly meets a boy who lives next door who has autism and also he is suffering a big loss as well. Both his parents died tragically in an airplane crash when he was only 5 years old. In the movie, Milly reaches out and helps him, and because of this, she and her family begin to heal. Also in the movie, Milly *does* have a journal. And in a few scenes you can hear her reading from it. But she didn't start writing in her journal until about midway into the film when she first starts to help with Eric. And she wasn't writing to her Dad. I feel this is one of the ways I believe I got this idea to start this Fan Fiction. I wanted to know more! More of Milly's thoughts, hopes, fears, desires...etc. Also I've heard if you've had a deep loss, that sometimes writing letters to the person who died, even if you know they can't read the letters, is one way that can help you start to heal. In the movie, Milly's father had cancer. When he found out he had it, he didn't want the family to see him slowly die in front of them. So instead he said "Good-bye" and went away and killed himself. And of course Milly and her family are hurting deeply over this. They don't understand why he didn't even try to fight but gave up instead. Deep inside Milly knows her Dad won't be able to read what she writes, but how she puts her feelings down on paper in letters to her Dad will give her a peace she is so desperately wanting. These letters will help her release and let go of the pain she is suffering, and it will help her continue her walk down the road she is traveling on to find the end of her deep grief.

I myself lost my Dad when I was only 2 years old. Since I was so little, I can't remember him at all. Sometimes I wish I could remember him, but then other times I feel if I did, I might feel the deep burning pain of loosing someone close to me in death. At 2 years old, I was too young to understand what was going on. So growing up, it felt normal not having a Daddy in the house. I have been told stories about the days after he died, how I would go running to the door anytime anyone would come to visit or bring us flowers. And I would happily and eagerly ask loudly, "IS IT DADDY? IS IT DADDY?" Only to find out it was never him. No I don't even remember any of this at all either. I wish I could, but at that age, still being a baby, those kinds of memories never stayed with me.

Anyway, I think that could be another reason why I loved this movie "The Boy Who Could Fly" so much and why I want to write about it. I was like Milly was since she too lost her Father even though she was a teenager when it happened to her. And also I was a lot like Eric in many ways. I wasn't autistic, and I never dreamed of flying as much as he did. But like him I almost never talked during my school years. I would just sit there quietly, not wanting to be around anyone. Oh I did have a few friends, and I'd talk to them. I would answer the teacher if she asked me a question. But most of the time I closed myself off. I had walls built up around me and was too scared to let anyone in...a lot like Eric's character. Even now as an adult, I'm not as bad as I was back then, but I'm still pretty shy. (You'd never know it as it's easy to write on the internet.) So this story may end up having a few parts of my life written into it every now and then. And I might find myself writing some parts as if I'm writing to my own Dad as I'm having Milly doing.

In this story, along with the letters, I may have Milly write a poem. Or lyrics to her favorite songs from time to time. For example...the music video I made for this Fan Fiction. (You can see my music video here: Milly's Journal - Not Too Far From Here Music Video Or look at the links on my Wall page. This song and video does go along with my idea for my story. The song is by Kim Boyce, "Not Too Far From Here." In the music video, I have clips from the original movie, "The Boy Who Could Fly." My idea for the video, I wanted to show Milly being an "encourager." Not just to Eric, but to her little brother and her Mom as well. Which is how Milly will be portrayed in my story.

Also, I feel I want to especially add that some of this story will be very easy for me to write, while other parts...I absolutely have NO IDEA AT ALL how I will put it into writing. Certain scenes from the movie is going to be extremely difficult for me to have Milly write in letters to her Dad. Um....like the FLYING SCENES!! Yep! And I think some of the "love scenes." Yep again! But I'm just going to go ahead and try. Because some chapters being difficult to write probably will end up sounding very silly and boring. And who knows....I might get completely stuck and have to stop writing the story and never finish it. It may end up that this whole Fan Fiction may start, but then never end because I get writer's block. I sure hope this doesn't happen. But what I am going to do is to go ahead and start it, and then see where it takes me. As some people say, "just do your best! And that's all you can really do!"

I also want to say that in my story, Milly (like me) will have a faith in God. (which she didn't show in the movie.) BUT....I plan to only have her talk about her faith in a way that won't be "in your face" and it was probably only be written in here and there. My story won't be heavily talking about her faith all through it. But I'll have whatever God wants me to put in it. But it shouldn't offend anyone if those of different faiths reads this.

Before I end this introduction I want to make a small mention of the main characters to help you get familiar with them.

• Milly Michaelson: (Of course) The main character of my story. She is about 14 years old and the story is written in her point of view.


• Louis Michaelson: Milly's little brother. About 8 years old.


• The Mom: (Real name is Charlene Michaelson. But in this story, she will be known as "Mom."


• Eric Gibb: The boy next door. About 16 or 17 years old. The boy Milly helps who is autistic and is suffering a deep loss himself and only dreams of flying.


• Geneva: Milly's friend who also lives in her neighborhood. (But she's not in the story too much.)


• Uncle Hugo: Eric's Uncle he lives with. Uncle Hugo is a severe alcoholic which makes it hard to raise Eric.


• Mrs. Sherman: Milly's High School teacher and Eric's care taker. She encourages Milly to help her with Eric, since her job as a teacher takes a lot of her time.


• Max The Dog: The adorable dog that lives with the Michaelson family.

Ok..one more note before I end this introduction. I'm sure you're tired of reading already. LOL!

If you've seen the movie, as you begin reading Chapter 1, you'll see this chapter was *not* in the movie. I felt I needed to have Chapter 1 explain a few things (as you'll understand what I mean when you start reading it.) I plan to start Chapter 1 with Milly on the night before they make their move to their new home. The movie itself starts as you see them in the car, pulling into the driveway as they arrive. But my Chapter 1, I felt I wanted to start with the night before that. But don't worry, it should all make sense when you read it. Also I'm thinking that it's possible the beginning paragraph or so of Chapter 2 might be similar to how I plan to do Chapter 1.

You know, I don't know if this has been done before. I don't mean a movie written as a story, but I mean written in this way. Taking one character and having the character writing letters to someone about what she/he is going through all through the movie.

As I was thinking about this, this one thought came to my mind.....That sometimes the real innermost thoughts and feelings of a movie character can lie in the imagination of the person (me) watching the movie. And as of now, that is the best way I can describe the reason why I am doing all this...writing a Fan Fiction story this way.

I don't know how long this story will take me to finish. I'm just starting from the beginning of the movie and then see where the words I write take me. I plan to put up chapters as I'm able to write them, whenever I'm able to find the time to write. I hope I'm able to spend as much time as I can writing, but there could be times I could have "writer's block" or need a break or whatever. But I really hope if there are any gaps in between putting up the chapters, that the gaps won't be too far apart. But like I said earlier, I'm doing this one chapter at a time and I can only do my best!

Thank you again to anyone who is reading this. IF anyone is reading this that is. I'm very very excited about this "writing project" I'm doing, so I hope anyone reading will enjoy what I write. Remember. I am NOT a professional writer at all!!!!! So it will be ok if people find my writing lame, stupid, terrible or boring. I know not everyone likes the same things, and that can go with something someone writes.

And now, I think this introduction has finally come to the end. Chapter 1 will be up as soon as I can start writing it...which I hope will be in a few days from now.

And I would like to welcome you to my story, "Milly's Journal." Happy Reading!!!!


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of " Lorimar Motion Pictures." The original characters and plot are the property of Nick Castle the original writer/producer of "The Boy Who Could Fly." No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. I do not know Nick Castle or any of the actors/actresses in the movie..Jay Underwood, Lucy Deakins, Fred Savage, Bonnie Bedelia, etc. And I'm certain I never will. But I have a feeling if they ever find this story, they might be scared away. Ha ha ha! But all this I'm writing is just for fun. I've loved "The Boy Who Could Fly" for many years, and suddenly got this idea to write this story you will be reading. I those of you who do read it enjoy it. -- Lynn McFall

(The 2 photos you see in this introduction are photos of me and my Dad. My Dad reading to me and holding my hand as I'm learning to walk. I wish I could remember the days those were taken but I was too little till I have no memory of him at all. But I still keepthese photos close to my heart.)

Author's Note

Yes, please ignore grammar, spelling, repeating of words and phrases as I'm not good in those areas. :0)

Reviews

[Sanatombi]

your way of unlocking some fabulous childhood memories is again too fabulous! way to go Milly. Looking forward to read your book :)

[Milly's Journal]

I'll just use this as an add on. This is an ongoing process. I've only written 4 chapters which I hope to have all 4 up on here soon. I have to take my time as I'm writing this so it probably will be a long time before I finish the whole thing. But I'll be putting up each chapter as I finish writing them. (It's better for me to take my time to write the chapters than to put them up in a rush, so thanks for understanding. )