Books for certain readers can be intimidating and overwhelming. My daughter, Ashlyn (21) has Dyslexia. (I interviewed her about how dyslexia effects her here.) Even though I read to her from a baby, gave her own books, her own library card and she has always read, she would feel intimidated by large books. For example, the whole volume set of The Chronicles of Narnia my children bought me one year, or Lord of the Rings. She would take one look and run to the proverbial hills. I am a proponent that you need to keep encouraging children to keep 'tasting' different books. Eventually, they will find one that they will devour, gain confidence and keep going. And this is the key—confidence. My daughter and I recently watched the entire Harry Potter movie series. She enjoyed them so much she bought the book series. We have always made it a habit to discuss the books that we are currently reading. We discuss the things we love, the things we hate, and the things we don’t understand. From the first book, Ashlyn raved about how Joanne’s descriptions transported her into the world of Harry Potter. It made her feel compassion for Harry, and she got to know and love other characters like the Weasley family, Hermione Granger, and Hagrid. Intrigued, as I had not read the series, I said once she had finished with the first book, I would read it. I am normally a fast reader, and she reads slowly (it took her a year to read Black Beauty). We both figured I would be waiting for her to finish the next book. (It has happened before). We also had planned when I finished the book we would watch the movie together. The race was on. (You may have followed our race on Twitter or Facebook). And so, together, we entered the world of Harry Potter. To both of our surprise, Ashlyn was the one waiting for me to finish—rather impatiently too, I might add. I have reasons as to why I wasn’t reading as fast as usual: blogging; re-working two picture book manuscripts and getting them ready for submission; work; and working on my first novel.
Still, it came as a surprise to both of us how she was tearing through these books. By the time Ashlyn had consumed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (190,637 words), she was ready to tackle Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (257,045 words). Ashlyn is currently reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at a mere 168,923 words. Stats from Wordcounter. She has caught herself shaking her head in surprise at the thickness of the novels that used to intimidate her. Now, to her sheer amazement she is looking forward to tackling those same thick volumes. That is an achievement worth celebrating. Woohoo! Happy dancing! This brings me to my first point—keep encouraging children to 'taste' different books. Eventually, they will find one that they will want to devour. They will gain confidence and go on with reading. And this is the key—for them to gain the confidence. You can read more on my blog, '10 Practical Ways to Encourage Reluctant Readers.' Ashlyn explained to me that part of her problem (lack of reading confidence) began in primary school. As she had difficulty with reading and comprehension, she was placed on a low reading level. One day she found a fiction book about Alexander the Great that interested her. However, as it was above her (then) current reading level, she was told that it was too hard for her and she was to pick something else. From that point on, Ashlyn said that it was as if they had put her in a box. Then she put herself in the same box with a tag that said, ‘You are too stupid to read that. It’s too hard’. It is only as she has gotten older and realised what had happened, and she knows that she is smart and capable of learning and reading, she is no longer restrained by the negative thinking that held her back for so long. Don’t get me wrong. She has always enjoyed reading, just not the thick books. So the Harry Potter race continues, though no longer at the frantic pace that it began. I know Ashlyn will finish the next book quickly and be on to the last book in no time. As for me, I will sit back and be happy that she has discovered that she does not need to be intimidated by a thick book, and now she can even enjoy them. Now excuse me, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is calling me.
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by Guest Blogger, Ester de Boer I have, for a while, wanted to do an exercise in taking a very plain, unadorned text and bringing it to life. All of us share a Christian faith in common, so the Bible was an ideal choice of text, as we were familiar with the stories and their contexts. As a source of inspiration (and yes, it has been stolen from and referenced time and time again for plots), it contains, within its 66 books stories of what it was like to live in the ancient world—brutal, tragic, sometimes touching but very human. It’s written, however, in a very matter-of-fact manner, without much adornment. “he went… she said… then they…” You have to read between the lines when it comes to expression and emotional response. We each chose a different story (although it would, in retrospect, have been interesting to see three versions of the one passage). I chose Daniel, when he is called before the Babylonian King Belshazzar (isn’t that the best name!!!- my next cat, perhaps…) to interpret the “writing on the wall” (and yes, that’s where the phrase comes from). I wanted to put myself in poor Daniel’s shoes. Ancient kings had power over life and death—often at whim—and it wasn’t uncommon to kill the messenger of bad news. He, of course, doesn’t know that this is what he has to do at this stage—he just knows that being summoned by the king suddenly can’t be good. The book of Daniel chapter 5. The Writing on the Wall by Ester de Boer The walk from the upper servant’s quarters to the king, on summons, in the darkest hours of the morning was the longest journey Daniel had ever made. He had been awoken by a militant banging on the door, and before he’d had time to respond, two palace guards bearing torches had pushed in and were shaking him violently. “Up! Get dressed! You are required by the king!” These types of summons never ended well. Daniel’s sleep-addled mind stumbled over dread-filled thoughts as his fingers fumbled clumsily with his robe. One of the guards swore, and roughly took the edge of the garment, tossing it around Daniel’s shoulders in haste. “We don’t have time, man! The king is frantic! Come now!” He staggered out of his bedroom and followed the huge, mail-clad pairs of shoulders through the labyrinth of dark stone hallways, breaking into a trot to keep up. The stone transformed to marble. Ornate silver lanterns illuminated intricate mosaics of lapis lazuli, beryl, turquoise… panoramic artworks that rhapsodised the might of the king and the glory of his gods. Daniel didn’t pause to admire them—his usually ordered mind was thrown into chaos, frantically running over the last few weeks—his every action and word. Had he made a mistake in accounts? That senior satrap he’d had a disagreement with - had he found ammunition to get rid of him? His mouth filled with acid, and he was overwhelmed with a cold sense of unreality. This was it. “Dear God have mercy on me… forgive me any sin, may I not deny you even in death… Mighty God, give me… help. Please help… ” The guards came to an abrupt halt at the large ornate doors to the dining hall. They too looked nervous by now. They paused, exchanged a quick look and glanced at Daniel in something like pity, before hardening their features into an emotionless mask, and straightening their stance to a uniform formality. They pushed open the massive, wooden doors and stood like statues at each side “Your majesty—this is Daniel” The scene that met him was one of chaos. Ladies of the court were huddled weeping… all the important people had been gathered in the one place—the administrators, the wise men, the sorcerers—their faces like wax, eyes like startled beasts. Standing in the centre of the room was the king—his body visibly shook, but not, as Daniel had anticipated, with rage. Of all the people gathered in that hall, his was the face that held the greatest expression of terror. He turned and stared at Daniel with the expression of a doomed man, waiting to hear his final judgement. Megan chose Gideon, hiding in the winepress from murderous Midianite raiding parties.The book of Judges chapter 6: The Mighty Warrior? by Megan Higginson “Why God? Why? Why has this happened to us?” Sucking in his breath, Gideon quickly peaked over the edge of the wine-press, afraid that someone may have overheard him. Seeing no-one around, he turned back to threshing the wheat. Sighing, his thoughts turned to the enjoyable times of the past when the men of the family and servants would gather on the threshing floor. At least when breezes flowed through they were able to cool off a little. Though the wine-press was shaded by the broad branches of the huge oak tree owned by his father, it was still hot and thirsty work...and lonely. Sweat from heat and fear mingled together and dripped off the end of his nose. Sweat ran down his back and soaked his garments. Being the youngest, it was his job to thresh the wheat while his brothers guarded their flocks. He paused in his work to wipe his face. “Ahh! I feel like a scared rat, hiding away from the Midianites.” Gideon’s’ stomach clenched and his hands trembled as he thought of these evaders of their land that came like a swarm of locusts, driving everything before them; killing the thousands that got in their way, and slaughtering their flocks. They settled like a blanket of locusts over the land—smothering it, and leaving a desolate wasteland— a dust bowl--in their wake. He was thankful that they hadn’t reached his town of Ophrah—yet. Gideon adjusted his robes that were now miles too big for him. He looked up towards the heavens. “I do know why this has happened God,” he murmured to himself. “Your prophet said that it was because we have turned away from you and have worshiped other gods.” His heart felt sick at the thought of his father’s own alter to the pagan god Baal, as well as the Asteroth pole that stood beside it. Gideon peaked again over the side of the wine-press. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. A man was casually sitting under the tree, looking like he’d been there for ages. Before he could call out, the man was standing beside him, looking down at him hiding from the enemy. Gideon’s mind was in a whirl. Who was this man? How could he move so fast? He must be an angel of the Lord. Before Gideon could utter a single word, the angel spoke. “The Lord is with you mighty warrior.” Jacqui (being the romantic of the group) is always interested in the relationships between the characters. She created a backstory—what was life like for Cain after his exile? — from the point of view of Cain’s wife—in love with a cursed man. From the book of Genesis chapter 4 and 5. The Mark of Cain by Jacqui Johnson Set scene – a beautiful young woman sits by a dressing table in grand house in the centre of the city. Thin purple died calico curtains swing in slight breeze as it whips around the lush open courtyard adjoining the main bed chamber. Tansy watched little Enoch running in the courtyard by the small pool trying to catch the little sparrows, which hopped and skipped just out of grasp of the chubby little fingers which trailed their movements. His foot caught on a tuft of grass. Falling, he let out a squeal, before a high pitched wail echoed around the space. This sound continued from the top of his lungs, as Enoch rolled onto his back knowing help would be forthcoming, as the sound of a number of sandaled feet pattered along the stone flooring. “I will get him Misses, you just sit,” the maidservant called, as she rushed past Tansy who was in mid motion of pushing off the dressing table. All too often now Tansy needed the weight of this ornate table as an anchor for her heavily pregnant body. The midwife has said it could be any day now. She was hoping it would be a girl, despite her husband’s insistence they build the tribe with more males. The door opening forcibly behind, caused Tansy to whip her head around as she stood. Knowing only one person opened doors in this house in such a way, she turned to watch Cain take off his headpiece, having returned home from the inspections. He unwound the scarf from his neck which wound its way up the left side of his face before creating a turban. Many men who worked the fields wore scarves like this, although being the role he had and his importance within the community, Cain didn’t need to. He had a number of different ones he wore doing a variety of tasks. Many amongst the prominent families assumed it was to help him seem more connectable to his army and servants. Yet as the last remnants of the cloth were removed and tossed on the dressing chair, Tansy couldn’t deny the truth, it hid his mark. The cursed mark of death he had borne since the first moment she had met him. Thanks Ester. This was a fun activity that we all thoroughly enjoyed. It was really interesting finding a newness in stories that were so familiar. Many people think that the Bible is just a ‘dusty old book.’ But, as Ester pointed out, the Bible is ‘66 books stories of what it was like to live in the ancient world- brutal, tragic, sometimes touching but very human. It’s written, however, in a very matter-of-face manner, without much adornment.’ It is also filled with a huge plethora of ‘seeds’ for story ideas, and interesting characters.
So at when you are stuck wondering what to do at your next writer’s group, or you are suffering writers’ block, dust off a Bible and see if you can breathe new life into an old story. Imagine that writing picture books was super easy. The story, the characters, the setting -- everything -- would come easily and you would end up in deep water, going with the flow. In the Flow I love writing. There are days that I can just sit down, either at the computer or with a notebook and I am in the flow. It’s all happening. And all I have to do is to follow that flow. However, I am finding that the life of a picture book author isn’t always smooth sailing. In fact, this week alone I have read a least two blog posts, a few Facebook posts and a couple of comments that show that no writer's journey is smooth. In fact often, the stream dries up—or at least hit some rapids. Take for example one of my latest W.I.P. (Work In Progress). Two dogs. One fox. One deep muddy hole. What could go wrong? This is the original outline of one of my children’s picture books that I am working on. I start with the bare bones of the story. Then I have to flesh it out. Of course, it is a picture book and every word has to earn its place, as well as leave space for the illustrations to tell the story. It’s a balancing act. Writing picture books is a balancing act A Shallow Stream Lately I’ve been re-working aforementioned dog story. It is one that I, late last year, got written in a week—rather than taking weeks to write—and have barely felt the need to tweak it. It was described by one publisher as 'lovely writing'. So I thought to myself, well, I don’t need to touch it much. I made the necessary suggested tweaks. Done! Ready to send out into the world again. Oh how wrong I was. An author who mentors writers, and whose opinion I respect and value, had a look at it. She could see that my story had the potential to be so much more than it was. In other words it was a shallow stream. Pretty but it can be better—deeper. Was I willing to spend the necessary time to draw the real story out? You bet I was! I was so excited that I couldn’t wait to get started. So I get out my dog story after this author has looked at it and given her feedback. I spent all morning looking at each verb. Is it active or passive? Spent ages scouring through my Active Verbs list to find the right one to describe what I want. Could I put some rhyme in? Or not? Oh I can…just here and here. Spend another hour finding the right phrase to describe what is happening, making sure that it rhymes correctly. Should I change the names? What names? Think of the dogs and what they are each like. What are their personalities like and their behaviour? Spend an hour making up a list of names before choosing one each. Will it make much difference? Oh! It does! How cool is that? It totally changes how people would perceive each dog, even before reading the story. Okay. I am in the flow and now that the characters are deeper, the story too, has more depth—I’m heading into deeper water. Lovely. Changing names does make a difference. The Ripple Effect
Oh no…the ripple effect. I made a few changes and now the story has changed and has a different rhythm. Is it good? Spend next half an hour reading it out loud. Then spend another hour deleting twenty words and adding ten different ones. Does any of this sound familiar? Drifting So, I’m still in the flow. Drifting now and letting the story sink in a bit before moving on again, before I am ready to have another look at it. The journey is not yet over. My two dogs are not ready to meet the world…yet. I love this process though, and I am looking forward to seeing where the story will go to from here. Very soon we will reach deep, tranquil water, and my story will be ready to be released into the world. Post by Guest Blogger, Jacqui Johnson Getting together today was so exciting! Still inspired by the timely words Megan shared on her last post, we sat down to focus on applying ‘show don’t tell’ to add emotional connectivity in our writing. According to Melissa Donovan in her blog post, 'Emotionally Charged Creative Writing Prompts, ‘To engage a reader, we have to create scenes that are so vivid they seem real, even if they are not. Through scenes, imagery, and dialogue, writers can actively engage readers with what’s happening on the page.’
Please check out her blog post for great examples on how to apply these. Engaging readers on an emotional level helps author’s to not only weave an interesting tale, but also to do justice to the characters, telling their story and how they feel as it unfolds. We used a couple of Melissa creative writing prompts, keeping in mind other areas we have focused on at previous writer’s group meetings such as; dialogue, character descriptions, similes and metaphors. Below are the prompts we chose to use, and both Megan and my own application of these prompts. PROMPT 1: A family of five is driving across the desert on the way for a holiday in Perth. They get lost, and then the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. The mobile phone is dead and the sun is setting. The kids are hot, tired and hungry. Mum is scared and frazzled. Dad, a mid-level sales manager with no survival skills is frustrated and angry. An animal howls in the distance. Please note: I changed the setting to be in Australia, as well as the amount of children. Eh! What can I say? It’s a prompt, not a rule. Going Nowhere by Megan Higginson The setting sun glared like an angry beast in through the dusty windscreen. Craig squinted his eyes, trying to find the road ahead. Sweat dripped down his forehead and he wiped it away with an already soaked towel. The smell in the car was not helped by the lowering of the windows, the air-conditioner having failed in the past hour. Perth! Whose crazy, convoluted idea was it to drive to Perth? Then he remembered. It was his. “It will be fun,” he said. “Mark Jones from accounting, drives there every year to visit family. Surely me, a sales manager, should be able to do it.” The conversation with his wife whirled around Craig’s head. A loud gurgling came from Justin’s stomach. “Mummy! Me hungry,” Justin whined as he squirmed in his booster seat. “Shut up, stupid head,” Carissa said to her younger brother. “You ate the last of it an hour ago. Besides, we are all hungry.” “You stupid head! Me not stupid head!” Justin stuck his tongue out at Carissa. Carissa rolled her eyes at her brother and sank into a sticky smelly heap on the back seat. Craig glanced over at Marleen. She sat staring at the map, her normally neat hair now a frizzy mess. She looked like a porcelain doll. “Well!” he shot at her. “Where are we?” Marleen slowly turned her head and their eyes met. He didn’t like what he saw in them. “I. Don’t. Know.” Each word was punctuated by a full stop. Time slowed. The three kids held their breaths. They knew what was coming. Craig’s eyes bulged. His face went red. “We’re what? Lost! How could you get us lost?” As the words left his mouth a strange thumping noise came deep from within the bowels of the engine. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. And then a loud bang that made them all jump. Deep grey smoke like the smoke from a chimney stack, billowed from under the bonnet as the car ground to a halt. Craig slammed his fist into the steering wheel, popped the release lever on the bonnet, opened the door, and stomped around to the front of the car. “Try the blasted phone again!” Craig yelled from the front. “Probably no service out here anyway,” he muttered under his breath. “It’s dead, Dad. The battery died an hour ago.” George was sixteen and didn’t care what his father thought or did. “Ahhh! How can this day get any worse?” Craig shouted to the sky. “Nobody listens anyway. Why do I even bother?” he said under his breath. The rest of the family slowly climbed out of the car. “Mum, I feel dizzy…” Katrin’s voice faded as she slumped to the ground. Damn. That’s all we need. Three kids and two adults, stranded in the middle of nowhere. The sun chose that moment to sink into the horizon, plunging everything into the inky blackness of night. For a moment there was silence, and then, a dingo’s howl broke through the night. PROMPT 2: 'The only thing Daniel ever wanted to be was a musician. He loved playing the piano more than anything in the world. But after his mum and brother died in a car accident, Daniel’s dad insisted he become active in sport and drop music. And being active wasn’t enough. He had to be the captain of the team or suffer through endless jibes and insults that his father uttered through a beer-induced haze. Then on his eighteenth birthday, a delivery man brings him a piano and tells the boy it is from his father.' Unexpected by Jacqui Johnson The door slamming shut and the sound of the delivery truck noisily pulling away from the curb snapped Daniel out of the waking coma of shock he was transfixed by. Shutting the front door, he resting his forehead against the wood for a moment. Sucking in a breath, he pushed off from the door, rubbing his head slightly and he walked down the passageway, ever closer to the main living room. Entering the cramped space, he stared at the piano sticking out like a punk rocker at a classical recital. Amidst the football memorabilia, left over beer cans and fast food wrappers which clung together as piles of clutter forming the landscape of the floor, this polished piece of refined furniture was jarring, almost comical in it context. Hesitantly walking over, Daniel ran his fingers along the smooth top of the lid which concealed the ivory beneath. The smell of wood and varnish brought back memories of another life, another time; a time he’d been whole and happy. His eyes prickled with tears. He wiped them away roughly with the back of his hand, not wanting to give ammunition for his father to use later. It was so predictable yet still utterly deflating every time his dad went on the tirade about what things young men should be interested in and what things were just wrong. ‘You’re the captain of the footy team, not some Nancy-boy performer’. Daniel recalled the drunken rant from many months earlier which had been preceded by a discussion of application forms and possible college choices for the coming year. ‘Oh crap, what is Dad going to say?!’ Daniel felt his heart beat accelerate as adrenaline began to surge through is blood stream. ‘How the hell am I going to explain this?!’ The turning of a key in a lock indicating that it wasn’t going to take long to figure that one out. His father’s heavy work boots clomped down the hallway, like the sound of impending doom. The call of a casual greeting was muffled by the blood pulsing through Daniel’s ears. His eyes fixed to the living room opening. Watching his father’s eyes widen as he took in the scene, Daniel felt his stomach clench. A suffocating weight like the 200 pound defender from last week game, pushed down on his chest. ‘I didn’t do it! The delivery guy must have made a mistake!’ Daniels mind shouted, but when he opened his mouth to talk to try to explain it was dry and no sound came out. His tough stuck limply to the bottom of his jaw. He opened and closed his lips mutely. A smile stretched across his father’s wide eyed expression, softening his features. “So, it finally arrived!” A final thought:
On reflection, looking back over my journey having been involved in a local writer’s group, I can see such a tremendous value in getting together with other writer’s - not only as a creative outlet but also as a means of discussing our pieces. We do some research to work on areas of need from within the group, sharing, prompting and refining our craft. Further information can be found in the following articles: Melissa Donovan’s ‘Emotion Charged Creative Writing Prompts’ Melissa Donovan’s ‘Writing Tips: Show, Don’t Tell’ Robb Grindstaff’s ‘Bringing your fiction to life with emotion’ Happy writing! Giving up The day has come when I felt like giving up on my writing. When I thought, will my writing ever, ever, be good enough to be accepted by a traditional publisher? What’s the point of the hard work I'm putting in? I felt like a hollow tree. Burnt out. Nothing left. I think that I may have a case of the S.A.D’s. (Seasonal Affective Disorder). The weather is affecting my mood. It’s grey and gloomy and freezing cold. (To top it off, my body is complaining and my legs don’t want to work properly. I feel like I'm trying to move blocks of concrete with each step. I’m sore and achy. Jolly Fibromyalgia!) The Little Voice Ummm. When did this mopey feeling start? Last week it just started creeping up on me. A little voice whispering softly in my ear, “You have worked and worked and you have nothing to show. Not even a nibble.” To that voice I said, “Well the publisher that assessed two of my stories at the Meet the Publishers Conference likes my writing. She says it’s lovely. My stories were not suitable for their imprint. (She didn’t say that to me. I just assumed so.) And she asked for two of my other manuscripts to look at. And all the kids at the school liked all my stories. They are the ones that count.” Then the little voice says, “So what! They are not the ones publishing it. So they don’t matter.” To The Voice I agreed…briefly. Until I reminded myself of the reason why I write. It is for the kids. Check out why I write here. Last week I celebrated my 42nd birthday. My daughter gave me three picture books (pictured above). One funny, one scary, and one where the stories and illustrations made me all teary, they were so beautiful. The Doubt Then the doubt started to set in. The little voice was back. “See. Look at these stories. You’ll never write like that.” I agreed. It’s not my style, though I would love to evoke some emotion with my stories. So I didn’t bother working on my novel, nor my blog. I felt like I just wanted to fade out of existence. In six months time, no one would remember me. Out loud, I used my birthday week as an excuse to take the week off. Ahhh! I felt like I was getting sucked into the “Vortex of Doom.” I had decided this year to enter some of my stories into big competitions that offered feedback , even if you didn’t place. I did this so that I can improve my storytelling and make my stories as good as they can be. On Monday morning I got my results back for one of my stories from one of the competitions that I had entered. 68/100! I saw mostly 3’s. Average. The Voice was back. “See! You’ll never stand up out of the slush pile. You’ll never be good enough.” Fighting Back But, as I write this, I have decided to fight back. I need to focus on every tiny scrap of positive feedback and cultivate an attitude of gratitude. I went back to the feedback sheet and counted up my scores. The scoring was as follows: 1. Needs work; 2; 3. Average; 4; 5. Above average. I got: nine 3’s, nine 4’s and one 5. Looking at it like that, I felt a lot better. And, they told me what I needed to work on. I realised I should not focus so much on the negative. Don’t get me wrong. Even the negative feedback can be helpful. It can help show where I need to improve. So this is what I am now reminding myself of. My writing is getting better and better all the time. I have written a number of stories. Some good. Some not so good. But each one helps me get to the next stage in my writing. No writing is wasted, not even writing this blog post. Here is some feedback that I received from competitions and publishers that I need to keep in mind:
Giving myself space and focusing on the good stuff I’ve given myself some space just to be. I read some great books and enjoyed my birthday week. I hung out with family and friends. I am choosing to focus on the good stuff. And getting stuck back into what I love doing - writing fun, quirky kids tales, and blogging. I also re-started my exercise program which I cut out about three weeks ago. I used all sorts of excuses. It's too cold. My muscles and tendons will probably tear again. (Don't laugh. It happens semi-regularly, especially in the cold.) Isn't it curious how I started feeling lousy shortly after I stopped exercising? Tips for moving forward:
An interesting fact An interesting fact that happens with some burnt out trees – some continue to grow and shoot out new leaves. And that’s what I’m going to do. Shoot out something new. A new story. A new idea. A new blog post. Hmmm. I may even contemplate moving to a warmer, sunnier climate. In the meantime, I will look forward to sunnier, warmer weather that will be coming in the next few weeks. Yay! Bring it on! Have a good day. Kirsten over at She’s Novel, has written a great blog post, 'Writing when depressed.' She describes her battle with depression, and what she does to move through to the other side of her lows. News update: I found out that, in the competition that I mentioned, I was among the highest scoring. It just goes to show, it is all about perception. Often, the hardest time is just before a break through. This has reminded me of an analogy that I once heard. Life goals can be bit like pumping the old water pumps. You would pump and pump and pump. And just as you think that it getting too hard, and you couldn't possibly pump any more - the water would come gushing out. Never give up! You are plunging into a pit of despair. You are sick, your brain is in a fog. Thoughts seem to flick like wraiths, just out of reach. You can’t think but you have writing deadlines: a blog post; a story for a competition; a manuscript that you have ideas for and you want to write but you just want to crawl back to bed, curl up and sleep until you are well. Oh am I hearing you! The last few weeks have been one thing after another. Which, as my daughter and close friends pointed out to me, is not unusual. If there is a strange virus to get; weird allergic reactions to odd things (i.e. anaphylactic to Strepsils); infections that don’t respond to antibiotics; then I will get it/have it. Chuck into the mix living with Fibromyalgia, commonly known as a muscle disorder, but it can affect every part of your body and nearly every system (which is probably why the above things happen to me), then I really know how you are feeling. Winter is never a good season for me. My legs feel like lead and it is exhausting having to drag them around. And my muscles and tendons tear just because they can. And I work part time as well. And over the last two weeks I’ve had double ear infections. One ear has cleared up the other has not. Then I blacked out Friday night and I am going through tests to find out why. So how do I manage to get a blog post up nearly every week? How do I continue to write stories and enter them into competitions and submit to publishers? How am I able to be active on social media? How do I manage one critique a week for my online critique group? And how do I all these things, have a have friends visit, go to my monthly writer’s group, enjoy my life, as well as live with Fibro? (Notice I said ‘live with’ and not ‘suffer from’) Here is my secret. Are you ready? I just do it! Ahhh! I hear you screaming at me! Noooo! It can’t be that simple. Well...it isn’t. I do have strategies in place to help me through.
Strategies that work:
Underpinning all this is the answers to some questions that I asked myself at the beginning of my writing journey – when I decided two years ago to start writing seriously. So I put them to you. Serious questions to ask yourself:
It was only after I had taken the time to ask myself these soul-searching questions, come up with the answers, and write them down, as well as being able to articulate it concisely in a few short sentences, that I began to be able to write whenever. Yes there are times that I feel so sick that I don’t want to move. I rest when I need to. I take time out when I need to. How I manage my illness alongside my writing is the main hurdle that I have had to overcome. I don’t use excuses. I do what I do because I love it and my motivation comes from deep within me. Nothing is going to hold me back from doing what I am doing. Have a quick look around my website. It won’t take you long to find out what keeps me motivated on my brain fog and unwell days. But…yes, there is a but…what works for me may not work for you. You just have to try different strategies starting somewhere. Anywhere is better than no-where. So I hope that this post has helped in some way so that the next time you feel unwell or your brain is in a fog, you'll know what to do. Happy writing! What works for you? Similes and Metaphors Using Similes and Metaphors in your writing is like using seasoning in cooking. It flavours it. Your writing will come alive and jump off the page. See what I did there? Fun isn’t it? 'Simile: the comparison of two unlike things using the word ‘like’ or ‘as’. ‘The biscuit tasted like a coat button.’ ‘It’s as black as troll poo in here.’ Both examples from Jen Storer's own work. Use sparingly. Contrary to what Miss Sternberger might have said, creative writing does not revolve around similes and metaphors. Metaphor: a figure of speech wherein one thing is not only compared to another, it is said to be that other. Macbeth says that life is a pathetic actor, not that it is like a pathetic actor. Thus he is speaking metaphorically: ‘Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’' From Jen Storer's blog, 10 Literary Devices. Or How to Zhoosh Up Your Creative Writing Writer's Group At this month’s writer’s group I decided to look this use of metaphors and similes in writing. I love reading, and reading widely. The following are three examples from three different books by three authors whose books that I have read recently. I found that they use simile and metaphors in their writing that enriches the reading experience. ‘He made his way down broken storm-littered roads out to La Incoerenza, the Bliss Estate. Outside the storm had been even wilder. Lightening bolts like immense crooked pillars joined La Incoerenza to the skies, and order, which Henry James warned was only a man’s dream of the universe, disintegrated beneath the power of chaos, which was nature’s law. Above the gates of the estate a live wire swung dangerously, with death at its tip. When it touched the gates blue lightning crackled along the bars. The old house stood firm but the river had burst its banks and risen up like a giant lamprey all mud and teeth and swallowed the grounds in a single gulp.’ Page 23 Two Years Eight Months & Twenty Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie. ‘After that they saw only forest for several hours, but come evening they arrived at a country cottage abandoned by its owners. Two muscular trees had demolished the place, although they grew on either side of the building. Where their boughs had met they had done so like the punches of boxers, and remained outstretched in jabs and hooks. The cottage’s centremost rooms had been bludgeoned the hardest, but there was shelter to be had in half a sitting room, secure on the leftmost side of the house.’ Page 77 The Trees by Ali Shaw ‘It became clear to Albie that he had done very little with his life, and seeing it paraded before him convinced him that he’d had enough. So right there and then, Albie made another decision. He decided to leave. Quietly he rose, lightly as an angel. The water slipped by him like a satin cloak and he emerged through the surface with more grace and confidence than he had experienced in his life.’ Page 8 Tensy Farlow and the Home of Mislaid Children by Jen Storer These are gorgeous descriptions that paint amazing pictures in your mind as you read. These authors seemed to sprinkle similes and metaphors (although with Salman it is liberally sprinkled), as well as using other ways of describing people, places, objects and situations. A word of caution
There was one book I read that read that I end up putting down as there was just too many similes and metaphors in the text. At one point the author used three of these devices to describe one thing. I got bogged down in trying to decipher what the author had meant. In the end I lost the thread of the story and had no idea what was happening. The Reality The reality is that we all use similes and metaphors on a daily basis, often without even thinking about it. This can be a trap for writers. Many of these similes and metaphors are so well known that we instinctively reach for them as we write. Instead, we should mix things up and breathe some freshness into our writing or else our writing will come off as trite. Writer’s Group Activity: Take a well known metaphor and re-write it within a context. (Same meaning but fresher) A heart of stone (A person is said to have a heart of stone when they cannot show sympathy or they are very cold towards you) "Watching Peter asses the girls' injury, he peered at her with a icy clinical glance. The glacier which formed his fractal heart showed no signs of shifting or melting." Jacqui. Elephant in the room (An obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about) "It sat between them like the rotten core of an apple. Each taking tentative bites around the edges, avoiding the centre." Ester Fear is a beast that feeds on attention. (Often times fear is just the warning but it can quickly turn into a beast) “Her fear intensified as their criticisms stuck fast as surely as needles to a magnet.” Anita As I was have an off day due to two ear infections I could not think of a way to rewrite A stitch in time saves nine. (Get things done on time a prevent yourself from having more work later). So I wrote how I was feeling instead. "My mind is a fog bank and the words flick out of reach like shadows." So this was a lightening quick run down of the use of similes and metaphors to jazz up your writing. I love to share as I learn, so if you have anything to add, please feel free to share in the comments. To sum up: 1. Use metaphors and similes sparingly. 2. Use metaphors that will extend the description of what the story is about. 3. Metaphors are often better to use and gives a more powerful description than a simile. Jen Storer has written a great blog post over on her Girl and Duck website. It is titled 10 Literary Devices. Or Ways to Zhoosh Up Your Creative Writing. I've just started on my first novel, so this will certainly come in handy to really enrich my writing. Check it out...and happy writing. 3 Simple Yet Effective Steps So That Your First School Author/Illustrator Visit is a Success15/6/2016 Woohoo! How exciting. You are about to embark on your first author/illustrator visit. Or perhaps you are not like me who looks at it as an adventure. “I’m off on an adventure!” Bilbo Baggins Or is it when you think of the visit and all those children looking at you, your heart leaps into your mouth and you feel like you are about to be sick? Questions roll like a storm in your mind. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to keep these kids’ attention for 20/45 minutes or an hour or two? What do I say? What props do I take? What do I need to let the school know? Who looks after behaviour? Will I be left alone with a bunch of out of control children? Ahh! I haven’t even got a book published. What do I do? They won’t even know me, why would they even bother? Can I be interesting enough that they will recommend me elsewhere? To tell the truth, some of these questions are ones that I struggled with before I went on my first school author visit. I’m an emerging children’s book author, so most of the children didn't even know my name. I was fortunate that a friend of mine, who is a teacher at the school, trailled one of manuscripts in her class for two weeks last year. This meant that some of the children were familiar with my name, and at least one of my stories. The biggest question that I had was: How can I, as an emerging author, with no published books, make a positive impact in even one of these children’s lives? It came down to the preparation, what I did on the day, as well as following up and finding out how I went. Step 1: Preparation 1. Ask yourself, ‘Who am I as an author? As a person?’ Write it down if you have to. (Click here to see my what mine are as an example). This will affect what you do on the day, and how you will run the presentation. For example, some say to use crazy hats, humour or even to rap your story. That may not suit you. So, don’t do it. But, it is essential to have fun. 2. What is your aim or goal for the visit? Write it down and keep it mind as this will help you focus and not go off on tangents. 3. Have a theme. Some suggestions from PETAA are:
4. Communicate with the school and, according to PETTA, ‘clarify the school’s expectations as to what each of your sessions will entail. You should also assess your own confidence and abilities in relation to managing a variety of student groups and, if necessary, take steps to ensure that your visit will be as successful as possible for all concerned.’ 5. Make a list of all the items you will need. Have all items ready before the day, so that you are not stressed out before you get there. 6. Have extra topics/activities to do just in case interest is waning, you can quickly move on to something else. I always follow the motto, ‘Better to have too much than not enough.’ 7. Have an activity for the children to do when they go back to class. Using what I did as an example: each class went back with a story outline on butchers paper that they would use as a springboard for their own stories. For the preps, I sent them back with a copy of my story that I had read to them. As the story is only a manuscript, I photocopied the laminated photos that went with the story, so that they could do a sequencing activity when they went back to class. 8. If you are close by, visit the school the day before to see where you will be, set up as much as possible, and check and make sure that all equipment works. "The best author visits come from when the children at the school are prepared by the teachers for the author to visit." Step 2: On the day 1. Have fun, relax and breathe. (All very important tips if you want to survive the day). 2. Crazy hats and props are good and getting the kids to join in the craziness always helps to engage with them. (I didn’t have a crazy hat, but I had a monster from one of my stories). 3. Make it fun, fast and crazy. (Thanks Georgie Donaghey for the above three tips). 4. Get there early to make sure that you have everything, everything is working, and you have time to finish setting up before the first session. 5. Just be yourself. I’m a little quirky. I love sci-fi and fantasy. I love reading and writing. I have dyslexia, and I have a passion to encourage children that are struggling, for whatever reason, to want to read and write. This all comes out in the way I speak, and what I speak about. 6. Keep to your goal for the visit. For me, it goes back to the above. So, I share a little about myself and what I like to read. I also share my ‘learning to read journey’, and what I do now. I speak directly to those children that may be travelling a similar road, to encourage them. I share about my stories, as well as where the ideas have come from for each of them. Then I read one of my stories that is suitable for the age group. My main goal was: I want to encourage just one child who is struggling to read, not give up and to keep trying. 7. Take rest breaks. 8. Chat with the children. 9. Chat with the teachers. 10. Bring your own lunch as the school may not provide you lunch. 11. When you get home, fall in a tired yet satisfied heap. I found a great resource is on the PETAA website. They have a wealth of information along with some great links to further information. Many of the above hints have come from there. Another is a blog post on the SCBWI Australia and New Zealand website. This one includes hints and tips from panellists and SCBWI members, Peter Carnavas, Pamela Rushby, Charmaine Clancy, Prue Mason and Amanda Worlley. Here they kindly and candidly shared their experiences, as well as their ideas about how to hold successful author events in schools. Make sure to check it out. Step 3: After the visit
1. Send a ‘Thank you’ email to the school. 2. Send a follow up email with a feedback sheet with no more than four questions as teachers are very busy. Some authors don’t bother with this. But I did as I felt that this would help me to be able to improve as this was my first visit. Here is a link to a feedback form that I used. 3. Write down what you have felt about the day. i.e what worked and what didn't. 4. Gather feedback, as well as your own observations, and see how you can improve for your next visit. Find some further tips on preparing for an author visit by Sue Lawson over on Sheryl Gwyther’s blog. And if you are a teacher thinking of asking an author for a visit, check this blog post out on how you can make the most of the author visit. UPDATE: July 2017. Jen Storer has written a great post on How to Survive School Visits. I hope that this has been useful in some way. I love hearing from my readers, so feel free to comment and share. Today I’d like to welcome Ester to my blog. Recently she tag-teamed with me to run an Author/Illustrator visit at Kosciuszko Street Primary School in Traralgon. About Ester: Since early childhood she has been an obsessive doodler. She still has old school reports with angry comments such as “it is impossible to read Ester's work as it is covered in scribbles!” Growing up in Townsville, North Queensland, her imagination went wild with Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree and she obsessed over the details of the illustrations in the comic books Tintin and Asterix and Obelix, as well as the dark, elegant line work of Victorian illustrators such as Arthur Rackham. Now, as a primary school teacher, she doesn't know who is more excited during storytime–the kids or her! How many times have you done workshops with children in schools about illustration? I did workshops at Morwell (Crinigan Rd) Primary School last year–also at OSHCare4Kids and I have taught elements of illustration informally as part of lessons in other schools where I have taught. Kids are amazed to discover that the illustrations in books aren’t just spat out of a computer program–someone actually creates them! And there’s a big process to it–that’s another thing–it’s not instant! It’s fun to come into the classroom and not be the teacher–just have a bit of fun and give a bit of cheek–and let the teachers deal with behaviour management etc. As a teacher, I sneak in art anywhere I can–I have managed to get less confident kids to write by illustrating their stories in funny cartoons for every paragraph–good motivator – and it gives them a sense of their story being something worth sharing with others. What was different about this one at Kosciusko Street Primary School? This time I was tag-teaming, with you, Miss Meg! What was cool about this is that we are an author and illustrator team–so we were able to refer to each others’ work and how we are working together. One thing you and I have in common is a passion for inspiring kids to create–and that making stories is something they can do alone or with friends, and isn't just something you do in class. What preparation do you do before the day? Woooah... heaps! Illustration is a big process–and when you're demonstrating that process to all grade levels in a school, you really do need to show different things. Schools are on a tight schedule so you have a small amount of time as well. I probably dragged the kitchen sink with me, because I wanted to show the kids the whole process, thumbnails, separating the text into pages, character sketches, and how you decide on the style and medium-(not in that order)–that's a LOT! Everyone works differently. I am not a neat, systematic person, so my process involves messy scrap-folders of resources pictures, hundreds of very chaotic and scribbly draft ideas, and thumbnails that probably make no sense to most people at all (I am working on neatness...blah!) I also wanted to show them the “bloopers”–that is, the pictures that don't end up in the book. They got a bit of a laugh out of those. Years ago (when I was thinking about doing book illustration, I showed some early attempts to Australian author and illustrator John Winch while he was visiting the Australian Museum in Canberra. He commented “you seem to have a thing for bottoms–all your characters have big bums!” Funnily enough I realised that they do keep appearing–that gave the kids a bit of a giggle. What did you do during the workshops? I thought I showed them the process of illustrating a book, but looking back over the film footage, I realised that I leapt about like a hyperactive lemur, drawing crazy pictures while making odd sound effects... one day I will grow up... How did the children respond to the workshops? We had fun- lots of giggles and good interaction. Kids are an honest audience- they let you know if they are interested or not pretty quickly. I had a few children approach me during lunch to show me their drawings and stories, which is great–as the whole purpose for something like this isn't even so much to show kids how to write or illustrate, but to encourage them to give it a go themselves–like I said, to value their ideas and talents. What was your favourite comment from the day? Me: Does anyone have any questions about illustrating books? Prep: My cousin has a guinea pig and his name is Charlie and he eats potatoes. What has been some of the feedback from the day? Cameron, Grade 5/6 teacher: “Esters enthusiasm is infectious and her quirkiness was a real bonus. The students were absolutely enthralled by the detail in her fantasy pictures, and comments after the session had them thinking about how long they must have taken, and how many drafts it must have been. It has led to increased emphasis on illustrations for stories with varying sizes throughout the texts.” Liz, Grade 5/6 teacher: “Ester’s art work has inspired the students to illustrate picture story books after the workshop. All the students were very engaged and had lots of questions about Ester’s techniques, and they were in wonder of her beautiful art works. There was such a great variety - the students were blown away. They were really surprised at how hard an illustrator must work to illustrate a text by thinking out of the box and not just drawing the words - showing the students that the illustrations are their own text.” Jacqui, Grade 2/3 teacher: “The students were so excited that they couldn’t wait to get back to the classroom and begin their own illustrations. They were particularly excited to create their own ‘Imagine’ pages and everyone wanted to take home the amazing charcoal drawing they watched Ester create during the workshop!” What are you currently working on for others? I am seeing the first edits of Lily Fabourama Glamourama (Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!) which I illustrated for Emma Mactaggart, the author of Imagine. I am in my final stretch finishing a book for singer/songwriter Merelyn Carter (of country music duo Carter and Carter) called To the Moon and Back–Granny's Space Rocket Adventure. The book accompanies the music album To the Moon and Back–and it's going to be great! I ran the text past a panel of kiddy experts (a few primary school classes) for ideas on what they would like to see in the illustrations, so I can't wait to go back into their classes with the book and show them their ideas as a finished product. Merelyn's grandma character is based on herself, and she's a pretty slim, foxy and glamourous kind of gran. But the gran in my illustrations is rather portly and wears spotty undies. One of my grade 2/3 “panel” at St Mary's Newborough pointed out that “being in zero gravity would be very good for fat grandmothers with arthritis!” (Important to note!). I am also working on what I intend to be a beautiful, highly detailed heirloom-style Christmas book called Shop on the Corner by Joanne Creed. I finally caught up with Joanne at the Meet the Publishers KidsLitVic2106 Conference in Melbourne in early May, and she is an amazing writing talent. I am a details person and this is an opportunity for me to go crazy on detail- it's that kind of book. Do you have anything that you are personally working on?
I have my own story, Gnerk, which is a long-term project. You can read about it on my website. Everyone has at least one thing that they must must must create- this has sat in me for years, struggling to find its own voice. I finally began to really find it while studying art in my thirties. I began trying to write “for kids” and found myself sounding trite and cutesy- (vomit!) when I chucked away the rules and just let the story tell itself (or was it that spider that took over? You'd have to read it to know that one!), that it really took on a personality of its own. So, what is next for you? You know exactly what, Megan! You and I are going to create the wonderful Raymund and the Fear Monster! Like Gnerk, it's been turned over and inside out many times, and it's beginning to take on its own unique shape. I have designed the monster (even I”M scared!!!) and have my big, messy collection of resources, scribbles, thumbs, character sketches... and of course our best resource- our panel of kid- experts to help us along the way! Thanks for sharing with us, Ester. It’s been a lot of fun. I am sure that many people wonder about illustrators and what they do. It's been enlightening. If you want to know more about Ester and her work, head on over to her website. Ester de Boer (illustrator) and I were very privileged to be asked do a whole school Author/Illustrator visit during Education Week on the 17th of May, by our good friend and fellow writer’s group member, Jacqui. She is a teacher at Kosciuszko Street Primary School. Bonus! Ester had already done a few Illustrator talks, so she was quite comfortable. She knew what she wanted to do and what to expect. As for me, I had to put my thinking cap on for a while. I asked myself, ‘What do I want to achieve during this visit?’
Being in schools and, mixing with children was not foreign to me. I had helped out in schools for years as a parent helper. I also have a Diploma in Education Support and I spent may hours in various schools on placement. In the past, I had run a youth group for teens for about ten years. I figured that I could do this. The only thing that I was concerned about was how my body was going to hold up for the day. (I have fibromyalgia). The day dawned cool and gusty. The wind nearly whipped my display out of my hands on the way to the office. I was shown to the library where I set up my display. The bell rang and an excited group of preps were ushered in and were seated on the floor. This was it. Sink or swim. I was a little nervous at first. But then I got into the swing of things and I was on a roll. To every class I announced that they were the first children to hear the story that I had written and was sharing with them that day - that no other child on the face of the planet had heard it. The kids seem to listen intently as I shared my story growing up with Dyslexia. I told them about the books I loved then. I encouraged them not to give up even if it is hard to read and write. I shared my story for 4-8 year olds, Saving Sophie. It is about two dogs that go missing, and it is based on a true story. The preps loved it. As they were little, and I didn’t have an illustrated book, for those that are more visual, I found photos off the net that I used throughout the story. Some were of the original dogs. I had made copies for them, as well as a copy of the manuscript, so that they could have an activity to do when they got back to class. We then looked at where ideas for stories can come from. Then we brainstormed an outline for a story...with hilarious results. (I think that a story about a dancing elephant and some chickens going for a picnic on the beach maybe in the future). Onto the 2/3 and 3/4 grades. I shared my story growing up. Then I shared a story that I had written 5-8 year olds, Riley and the Fear Monster, about overcoming fear, which got applause and thumbs up from all. Then onto the writing of stories and, ‘Stories are everywhere’ workshop. The kids were keen to take back to class with the story outline that they had completed. Next up were three grades of 1/2 classes which followed the same pattern as the last class. After recess, two grade 5/6 classes. I read them my story for 7-11 year olds about overcoming fear, Raymund and the Fear Monster. You can read more about why I wrote Raymund and the Fear Monster here. Raymund came before Riley. Riley I wrote after I did the Picture Book course through the Australian Writers Centre late 2015. It was my attempt to make Raymund fit the rules that I had learned. Riley works. Raymund needed to be written in a different way, and the grade 5/6 classes loved it. (Insert Happy Dance! here.) There was a great deal of excitement in the air - a lot of questions about my other stories. One of my favourites was, ‘I like your writing. Have you written chapter books?’ When I said no, he looked disappointed. When I said that I have a couple that I am working on, he was happy again. Another was, ‘I really like your stories, especially the one that you just read. When will it be a book?’ So that is how the day continued. Each followed the outline, the plan - yet each was different, especially in the responses, and the stories that each group came up with. I loved the look of surprise and astonishment when I announced that they had just created an outline for a story. At the end of each session they would take what we had worked on back to class as an activity, with a reminder that the outline was just a place to start. You can change things if your story needs it. I finished off the day with another 5/6 class. Rather than be quiet (which is why Jacqui gave me these guys at the end of the day because she thought that I would be exhausted), they got so super excited during the workshop, they kept forgetting to put their hands up. They were talking to each other about ideas for setting, characters and plot scenarios. It was not a quiet room. Buzzing with excitement and lots of questions. Brilliant! Loved every minute! By the end of the day I was exhausted, and could barely walk, but walking on Cloud Nine. Was it worth it? You bet! Why? From my experience:
Feedback from the school: Michelle Hibbert: Principal
Jacqui Johnson: teacher grade 2/3
Cameron Tingay: teacher grade 5/6
So this was a wrap-up about my visit. In the next couple of weeks I will share about the prep as well as for some useful sites that I found during my prep. I do like research. Fun! Fun! Fun! But not everyone does, so I hope that this will help someone out.
Here is the main site that I used. The website Primary Education and Teaching Association Australia has some great hints and tips for authors preparing to do author visits. If you are one of the students, a parent of a student, or teacher from Kosciuszko Street Primary School, feel free to leave a comment. If you are an author and have had a successful author visit, feel free to share your experience as I love hearing other peoples stories. UPDATE: 7 Tips to Ace Your School Author Visit Everyone else, feel free to share or comment. I love hearing from you. |
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