The adventures of Alex Smart

by Christi Marsico
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 12:04 PM MDT

Alex Smart, age 10-1/2, clarified that the character of Collin in his recent story, "The Adventures of Collin, The Boy Scientist, Part II," is very different from him.

Alex has been diagnosed with Asperger's, one of several autism spectrum disorders characterized by difficulties in social interaction and by restricted, stereotyped interests and activities, according to Wikipedia.org.

As this Park Elementary fifth-grader prepared for his first newspaper interview, he adjusted his demeanor from big brother to author. Alex explained how he created his artwork and story while keeping his little sister at bay.

"OK, Katie, that's enough green on the dragon," Alex said as his sister picked up a green crayon and colored his drawing.

"I'm getting the white spots. There. He has bumpy scales now," Katie said.

She pulled her crayon away with a smile, and after agreeing with her artistic contribution, Alex's shoulders relaxed.

Originally writing this story for an assignment for his language vocabulary teacher, Alex found freedom in writing and has plans to add a third part to this series.

"I have an adventurous spirit, and whenever I think about writing a story about Collin, my mind just bubbles with possibilities," the boy said.

According to Alex, he wrote this adventure in 10-15 minutes, generating seven hand-written pages, which turned into two typed pages, thanks to his mom, Angie Smart.

It took him two days to draw the picture, starting with an outline and then coloring it.

Katie helped color the sun and dragon.

Alex read an excerpt from his story with excitement and dedication, sharing his vivid characters in action-packed events.

"For Kid's Beat, I want to clarify that Vexar is not meant to be violent. It's just a part of the story," Alex said.

Offering writing advice for novices, Alex noted, "Always stay focused; let your mind do most of the work."

Discussing his writing style in a composed manner, he finds that being a writer is really fun and actually helps him channel "the hard stuff out if you want to get rid of it."

Then he added, with a smile, "Try it."

Looking to left, with his hands clasped, Alex pitched his idea as if it were to movie producers in Hollywood.

"It's an adventure series. It's got a knight and a princess. The knight is originally a boy until he enters a parallel world where the princess is getting herself into these serious scrapes sometimes," Alex said.

He grabbed a pillow for a shield and plastic orange toy for a sword.

Then, Alex the author inquires, "Are you ready for me to act out a scene I wrote?"

Katie's pony tail flips to and fro, and she asks, "Me too?"

For adventures in writing, this boy has the beat.

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