Posts tagged writing
May 19, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author, writers, Writing · Tagged Books, May 2013 Star Author, New Zealand author, Sarah Johnson, Star Author, writing
I promised I would tell you a bit more about some of the fabulous children’s writers who appeared at Word Café with me. But before I do that, I have to put right a terrible oversight…
I woke up in the middle of the night last night and realised I had forgotten to mention something, or rather someone very important in my last post. Can you guess who?
Winnie the Pooh of course! Now the Winnie the Pooh story’s not about poo at all, but Pooh Bear himself has got to be the all-time most famous poo of all, and terribly lovable and funny to boot, so I was sorry that I had forgotten him.
But now that I’ve remembered him, I might just reread his story, and his second story The House at Pooh Corner, and also some of his poems, my favourite of which goes:
Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:
“Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too.
Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.
“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.
Do you know it? It’s called ‘Us Two’ and it’s from A.A. Milne’s book Now We Are Six. A.A. Milne is the author of all of the Winnie the Pooh books, but the stories will always belong to Pooh.
Speaking of authors, I had the good luck at the Word café festival to present a workshop with a very talented author called Andre Ngapo who also lives in Raglan, like me. Andre won the Sunday Star Short Story Competition in 2008 for his story ‘Te Pou’. The story isn’t a children’s story as such, but it is about a child. After that, Learning Media contacted Andre and he has been writing stories for the School Journal ever since. Keep an eye out for him. He has a story out this month, and several more in the pipeline.
I also did a reading with another clever Raglan local, Margery Fern. Although she was reading her books, Margery is the illustrator, rather than the author. The author is her sister Jennifer Somervell who lives in Oxford in Canterbury (they’re the ladies in the picture: Margery is on the left). Together they produce a series of picture books, called Tales From the Farm about their amazing childhood growing up on a farm in the Hawkes Bay.
There’s a funny one about their father blowing up the cowshed with gelignite (a true story) and another about an old truck that they had in shed, which is now the only working truck of its kind in the world. Their next one, Josephine, is about an amorous pig (I hate to think) and then they have a book planned about an eel hunt. Now I happen to love eeling (I don’t kill them; I just haul them up on a piece of string to get a closer look at them), so I’m really looking forward to that.
The last children’s author who was there was Tui Allen. Tui doesn’t live in Raglan, but she lives in Te Pahu at the foot of Mount Pirongia, which is close by. Tui’s written lots of books for children, but her best known is probably Captain Clancy and the Flying Clothesline, about a city clothesline that escapes its city existence to live on a tropical island. Although Tui published it nearly 20 years ago, the story is still a favourite on National Radio’s story time.
For Word Café we asked all three of these wonderful storytellers what their advice was for aspiring writers and illustrators (that may be you). Here’s what they said:
Andre
Write from your experience, from what you know, where you’ve been — not necessarily physically — cover the emotional landscapes you’ve traversed. Write from the heart.
Margery
Practise, practise, practise! Team up with a writer, trial create a book together and just give it a go!
Tui
Find a great critique group. Either in the flesh or online. Make full use of it. Do your share of critiquing and develop trust within the group. Listen to them, especially their criticisms. The most important thing you want to hear is what’s wrong with your work – not what’s right with it.
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May 15, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author, writers, Writing · Tagged May 2013 Star Author, New Zealand author, Sarah Johnson, Star Author, writer, writing
What a fantastic time I had at the Word Café Raglan writers and readers festival at the weekend. Books are so much fun! And so interesting. And so are the people who read and write them.
Around 35 people came along to the workshop that Andre Ngapo and I ran on getting started in writing for children. (Andre’s in the picture, doing his stuff on the day: I’ll tell you more about him in my next post.) That’s 35 avid writers and readers of children’s fiction all in one room. It was electric.
We had a wonderful discussion about what makes a great children’s book. It reminded me why I love them so much (and also of all the things I should be doing in my stories to make them even better). Everyone agreed that there needed to be:
- lots of humour – kids (and the adults reading with them) love to laugh
- a great story – that’s a beginning, a middle and an end, with lots of twists and turns in between
- plenty of action – whizz, pow, bang, uh-oh, ah-ha, ahhhhhhh…that sort of thing
- fabulous characters – no dull and boring please
- not too many messages – the aim is to entertain
- a pinch of amazing – that special something that makes a story zing.
Can you think of anymore?
Personally, I think there is one, and it’s a bit of a magic ingredient when it comes to stories. That something is poo.
In the 20-ish years that I have been writing stories, I have noticed that, along with humour, kids love poo. Look at all the books that have been written about it.
For starters, there’s Baa Baa Smart Sheep by talented New Zealand author and illustrator duo Mark and Rowan Sommerset, about a bored sheep that tricks his mates into eating, you guessed it, poo.
Then there’s the hilarious Poo Bum by Stephanie Blake (she’s not a new Zealand author, but her publisher Gecko Press is from here) about a little rabbit who will only say one thing: “Poo bum”. That is, until he gets eaten by a wolf, at which point he changes his tune to…read it and find out.
Then there’s Captain Underpants by Dave Pilky about all things to do with undies, wedgies and toilets (that’s got to count poo). And the all-time poo-topping favourite, The Little Mole who Knew it was None of his Business by Werner Holzwarth, about a mole that is poo-ed on (it lands on his head) and runs around trying to find the culprit (and encountering many and varied poos along the way). It even has a plop-up version!
That’s just off the top of my head (the list that is, not the poo). There’s no denying poo is popular.
So at the moment I am busy writing my own story about poo. I can’t give too much away, except to say that it’s a picture book and it’s about a dung beetle who spends his nights rolling endless little balls of poo (well dung, but it’s the same thing). Until one day he looks up and discovers…
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May 7, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, New Zealand, Star Author, writers, Writing · Tagged May 2013 Star Author, New Zealand author, Sarah Johnson, Star Author, writers, writing
Hi,
I am busy this week getting ready for Word Café, Raglan’s first ever writers’ and readers’ festival. It is happening this weekend (10 and 11 May) and there is going to be an amazing line-up of writers.
I have been helping to organise the event, and am also presenting a workshop and reading some of my stories. I’m really looking forward to it, but am also a bit nervous. Like a lot of writers, although I love words, I am more comfortable writing them, than speaking them!
Still, getting out and promoting yourself seems to be part of a writer’s job description these days. And I do find that going along to writing festivals, workshops, readings and other bookish events is really good for my own writing.
Hearing other writers talk is very inspirational and gives you a real creativity boost. I always find that my mind is humming with ideas for new stories and ways to improve my old ones after I’ve listened to someone else talking about their work.
There is an American writer, Julia Cameron, who writes books for artists and writers about how to access and boost your creativity. One of her ideas is that you have to pamper your inner-writer (the place where your ideas comes from), so that it remains happy and creative. You have to give it treats and take it for days out to fun places: like writer’s festivals.
I like this idea, especially as the treats can involve fancy stationery (which I love) and chocolate (no comment needed).
I also think it’s important to go along to writing workshops and events, if you can, so you can improve the craft side of your writing. Part of writing is inspiration, but a much larger part is craft (learning how to make and structure a story, the best words to use, how and when etc).
You can learn this, just like any other skill. One way is practice. The other is by seeking out and learning all there is to know, so that when you sit down to write your story, your writing toolbox is full.
This weekend, I am going to be working alongside and listening to some very inspirational children’s writers at Word Café; I’ll tell you a bit more about them next week. After that, the next writing event I’m going to is the Golden Yarns: Children’s Writers and Readers Hui 2013, which is happening down with you, in Christchurch, at the beginning of June. I can’t wait! I wonder when I’ll find time to write?
Talk soon. Sarah
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May 3, 2013 · Filed under Children, Christchurch, Competitions, writers, Writing · Tagged Andy Griffiths, Ella, Once Upon a Slime, Twelve Doors, writing, writing competition
Check out this awesome story that Ella wrote using Andy Griffiths’ Twelve Doors writing exercise.
THE TWELVE DOORS
Good morning, stranger, and what brings you to my door?
Ah, you need not say anything, I can guess where you are heading.
How, you ask? I have seen many young people pass my door, all with the feverish look in their eyes, all heading the same way.
But I can see in your eyes, stranger, that you are still not sure about your choice, were you pushed into this, stranger, called a coward, because you were not sure? How do I know this, as well, stranger?
Ah, I am what people call a Reader. No, I do not read books, I read people. I can read their desires, their fears, their deepest regrets, yes, I can see right in to you soul, stranger. No, I do not know your name, my gift, does not allow me to see that. Nor do I wish to know it, for it makes me remember the people who walked past my door, to their deaths.
Now, stranger, tell me the real reason, you are walking this path.
Ah, wait. Close your mouth. I am a Reader, remember. Wait, I am looking into your heart, yes… yes… It is a women, isn’t it, stranger? You are deeply in love with her, you would walk the ends of the earth for her, so deep is your love for her. Now, what has she done, to make you walk this path, hmm? Ah, now I see, it is her father, yes? I thought so.
So this is why you are walking this road to your death, you are poor, your job does not supply you much money, you have a little sister who you love dearly, but she is sick, and one day soon, you fear she will die. And this women you are in love with, she is a rich, isn’t she? And even though she loves you, and you love her back, her father, doesn’t agree to the match, yes? He does not want a poor peasant marrying his beautiful rich daughter. He thinks she should marry someone else and he has someone in mind who is very, very rich but is also cruel, yes?
And this father, he is scared that you will runaway with his daughter, makes a bargain with you. If you go to The Twelve Doors, and come back with the prize, he will let his daughter marry you and even make you a knight, so you have a position in his household. So you agreed to come on this quest.
So that is your story, stranger, and a strange one, too. I knew as soon as I saw you stranger, that there was something different about you, and now I know. You tread this path, for the people you love, not for greed, which is all the other poor souls who came this way have fallen too.
And for that stranger, I am going to give you a word of advice for what you face ahead. Now, come closer, so I may whisper in you ear.
Now, are you listening, stranger? Good. What you need to face the horrors ahead is not a weapon, but your wits. Yes, stranger, your wits. For the horrors that hide in the eleven doors, are actually spirits, evil spirits, that are desperate for fresh souls, but they can only kill the souls that are already tainted. That is why the greedy travellers that have gone before you have never came back, for their souls have been tainted with greed. Now, you, stranger, Your soul is pure, I can sense it. As the spirits try to take you soul, fight them with your mind. Think of all the good things you have ever done, and most of all think about the love you share with the women. The spirits can not battle against love for it is to pure and beautiful for them. They will slowly weaken and grow transparent and then disappear.
In each of the eleven doors, their is a spirit, and the more doors you grow through, the more evil they are…
When you reach the twelfth door, and that is if, you survive up to the twelfth door, take your treasure, and begone from that evil place. Go home and marry your lady and forget The Twelve Doors.
Now go, for I have helped you in all the ways I can.
What is it, stranger?
What is the treasure, you ask? Ah, I can not say, for it is supposedly different for everyone. Now go.
Farewell, Stranger. And… good luck.
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May 3, 2013 · Filed under Children, Christchurch, Competitions, writers, Writing · Tagged 50-word Pet Story, Andy Griffiths, Louie, Once Upon a Slime, writing
Check out Ella’s ‘Louie’ that she wrote using Andy Griffiths’ writing prompt, 50-word Pet Story.
LOUIE
Golden gold,
wagging tail
spoilt rotten
steals the mail!
Sniffing this,
sniffing that,
finding the scent
of a dirty rat!
Snoozing by the fire,
where it’s nice and hot
jumps up barking,
when he hears a knock!
Wet pink tongue,
big brown eyes,
and big happy grin,
that doesn’t lie.
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May 3, 2013 · Filed under Children, Christchurch, Competitions, writers, Writing · Tagged 50-word Pet Story, Andy Griffiths, Once Upon a Slime, Tierney, writing
Check out Tierney’s ‘Angus’ that she wrote using Andy Griffiths’ writing prompt, 50-word Pet Story.
Angus
Five foot tall,
emerald green,
my dog Angus is
easily seen.
Neighbours complain
when they lose
their mail;
it blows away because
our Angus
constantly wags his tail.
His puppy fat
is so much that
I carry him in a wagon.
Everyone’s scared,
because they think
Angus is a dragon!
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May 3, 2013 · Filed under Children, Christchurch, Competitions, writers, Writing · Tagged A Study in Custard, Andy Griffiths, Once Upon a Slime, stories, writers, writing
Check out Tierney’s ‘A Study in Custard’ that she wrote using Andy Griffiths’ writing prompt,Make the unbelievable believable.
A Study In Custard
“Scientific studies show that eating custard three times a day with fish fingers will minimize your chance of catching yellow fever; a disease cured by eating liberal amounts of custard,” says Dr. Gloopicus.
“I heard on the news that there are 154 ways of making a custard pie,” 73-year-old Mrs. Splatt explains, “but I know this to be wrong. I tried every method ever heard of, and there are actually 155.”
“Recent research findings prove that custard will withstand large shocks without being destroyed, making it a perfect substance for building houses,” says Prof. Dratsuc, who works at the University of Custard. “We are currently working on the first custard skyscraper.”
“Statistics show that 78 percent of people prefer their custard hot.” These poll results were published in Custard Monthly, a popular magazine. However, some disagree.
“Experts say that cold custard is fantastic on rough skin around areas such as heels and knees,” says supermodel Clarisse Ustard, who launched her nail polish brand this year; C. Ustard Nails. “I use custard on my skin once a week- and look at me!”
“It’s a well-known fact that lying in a bathtub full of cold custard improves your chances of passing exams by 35%,” claims mathematics teacher Ms. Yellow. Ms. Yellow gives out cartons of custard for her students to snack on while studying.
Nine out of ten doctors reccomend keeping a 2-litre carton of custard in your fridge for first aid emergencies. Custard can cure sore throats, paper cuts, headaches and hunger.
Sir C. Cream was unable to give his opinion on the matter, as he was tragically killed when he was sucked into a patch of custardsand while studying foreign custard recipes in Africa. May he rest in custard.
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May 3, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, Competitions, Fun, writers, Writing · Tagged Andy Griffiths, competition, Once Upon a Slime, Terry Denton, writing
Andy Griffiths, the author of Just Crazy, Just Tricking, Zombie Bums from Uranus and The 13-storey Treehouse, has just released his book about writing, called Once Upon a Slime. In this very cool book he gives lots of tips about writing and some activities to help you become a better writer. You’re probably looking for something to do in the holidays so why not try an Andy Griffiths writing challenge.
In the box below there is a writing challenge from Andy’s book, Once Upon a Slime. Why not try it out and post your writing here on the blog. Just post your piece of writing as a comment at the end of this post, along with your name and email address. At the end of the week we’ll choose our favourite piece of writing and the author will win a prize pack of goodies from Typo.
Make the unbelievable believable
Add a made-up piece of nonsense to the end of each of the following sentence beginnings.
- Scientific studies show…
- I heard on the news that…
- Recent research findings prove that…
- Statistics show…
- Experts say…
- It’s a well-known fact that…
- Nine out of ten doctors recommend…
For more great writing ideas check out Andy Griffiths’ new book, Once Upon a Slime.
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May 2, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, Competitions, Fun, writers, Writing · Tagged Andy Griffiths, competition, Once Upon a Slime, Terry Denton, writing
Andy Griffiths, the author of Just Crazy, Just Tricking, Zombie Bums from Uranus and The 13-storey Treehouse, has just released his book about writing, called Once Upon a Slime. In this very cool book he gives lots of tips about writing and some activities to help you become a better writer. You’re probably looking for something to do in the holidays so why not try an Andy Griffiths writing challenge.
In the box below there is a writing challenge from Andy’s book, Once Upon a Slime. Why not try it out and post your writing here on the blog. Just post your piece of writing as a comment at the end of this post, along with your name and email address. At the end of the week we’ll choose our favourite piece of writing and the author will win a prize pack of goodies from Typo.
50-word Pet Story
Tell a story about – or describe – a pet you have owned (or would LIKE to own) in exactly 50 words. See how much of your pet’s personality you can convey in those 50 precious words.
It may help to write the story first and then subtract any words that aren’t strictly essential until you have 50. Your title can be any length.
For more great writing ideas check out Andy Griffiths’ new book, Once Upon a Slime.
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May 1, 2013 · Filed under Children, Christchurch, Competitions, Writing · Tagged Andy Griffiths, Andy Griffiths Writing Challenge #1, Once Upon a Slime, writing
Check out this awesome story that Bailey wrote using Andy Griffiths’ ‘Write a Story Starring You!’ writing exercise.
The Red Stilettos
I looked over my shoulder. Miss Andrew, my new teacher, was looking down at me.
”What are you doing, Bailey?” she said in a sharp voice.
”Um, not much,” I replied, turning the page of my maths book and hiding my doodles. Miss Andrew clip-clopped in her bright red stilettos over to the grubby blackboard.
”Right, for homework you can copy out the twelve times table ten times.”
A muffled groan came from the children. They started to pack their things up. ”I will meet you at music class,” she smiled, showing off her shiny white teeth. But there was something wrong
with her teeth. They were unusually pointy, and had little red specks on them.
She stepped forward to my desk and looked around. She walked behind the desk. I could feel her breathing over my neck, then I remembered her pointy teeth and spun around. She shrieked then her eyes went black. A tall crumpled collar was supporting her head. Her black cloak was smothering the paint-stained ground. She was still wearing her red stilettos. She screamed again, then swished her cloak and was gone in a puff of black smoke. Now I know not to trust my teachers.
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May 1, 2013 · Filed under Children, Christchurch, Competitions, Writing · Tagged Andy Griffiths, Andy Griffiths Writing Challenge #2, Once Upon a Slime, writing, writing challenge
Check out this awesome story that Tierney wrote using Andy Griffiths’ Twelve Doors writing exercise.
The Twelve Doors
The Doors. Most people haven’t heard of them. Perhaps this is a good thing. After all, everyone who hears of the Twelve Doors is sure to go searching for them…and each journey ends in the same way.
Traveler, I don’t know who you are, or what your life is like. But I do know that it is for the better if you leave. Go- return to your life, to your family and your home. One day, you will forget all this. You will be happier knowing nothing about the Twelve Doors. You insist. I thought you would. Very well…I will tell you.
The Twelve Doors are hidden in the darkest corner of the earth, concealed in a thick jungle in South America. You will never find it on any atlas. If you wish to find the Temple of the Twelve Doors, you must use this map. Here- take it. Don’t ask me how I got it. By following the instructions on the map, you will lead yourself into this jungle, through the humid air and thick vines. Finally, if you have been careful, you will enter a large clearing. In the centre there will be a large temple, with hundreds of steps leading to the top. The climb is long, but if you wish to find the Cup, you must be willing to do anything, least of all climb these steps.
If you reach the top, you will find twelve doors, each rising up from the ground like gravestones. Inside each one is a spiral staircase, leading down into the labyrinth of horrors within. Eleven of these doors will lead you to certain doom. Only those with strength, courage and wit can escape. However, the twelfth door contains the Cup- and the Cup is the thing that tempted the unfortunate adventurers that came before you, traveler. What is the Cup? It is described only by legend, as no-one has seen it but the person who put it there, so many centuries ago. According to the myths, it is a large silver chalice, studded with precious gemstones. If you fill the Cup with water, the water will turn into a powerful elixir that can heal all wounds. When sprinkled on the ground, the water makes trees grow that bear apples of solid gold. Who-ever finds the Cup will gain a never-ending supply of this water, which brings fame, fortune beyond compare, even immortality. Of course, the odds are that you will first have to face at least one of the booby traps laid out for you.
One door leads to an empty chamber. When the adventurer enters, the door is locked, and they are entrapped until their bones turn to dust. Another door conceals a bowl of poisonous fruit, so ripe and beautiful that even the most strong-willed can’t resist taking a bite. Another door takes you to a room full of venomous vipers. The other eight hold many more horrors, from wasps to trapdoors to ancient Aztec beasts, that supposedly remain only in myths. However, traveler, if you manage to survive these eleven tombs, the Cup is yours.
You seem speechless, traveler. You have a decision to make, although I already know what you will choose to do. Oh? A question? How do I know so much about something so secret? When I was young, traveler, I accompanied several adventurers on their quest for the Cup. I refused to enter any of the Doors, choosing to watch as my friends succumbed to their greed. I will not tell you any more. There is nothing I can do to help you. You must go now. Your fate awaits you, traveler.
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May 1, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, Competitions, writers, Writing · Tagged Andy Griffiths, competition, Once Upon a Slime, Terry Denton, writing
Andy Griffiths, the author of Just Crazy, Just Tricking, Zombie Bums from Uranus and The 13-storey Treehouse, has just released his book about writing, called Once Upon a Slime. In this very cool book he gives lots of tips about writing and some activities to help you become a better writer. You’re probably looking for something to do in the holidays so why not try an Andy Griffiths writing challenge.
In the box below there is a writing challenge from Andy’s book, Once Upon a Slime. Why not try it out and post your writing here on the blog. Just post your piece of writing as a comment at the end of this post, along with your name and email address. At the end of the week we’ll choose our favourite piece of writing and the author will win a prize pack of goodies from Typo.
Write a TO DO list
Make a list of all the things you HAVE to do in a typical week. Now make a list of all the things you would LOVE to do instead. Combine both lists to create your ultimate TO DO list.
For more great writing ideas check out Andy Griffiths’ new book, Once Upon a Slime.
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April 30, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, Competitions, Fun, writers, Writing · Tagged Andy Griffiths, competition, Once Upon a Slime, Terry Denton, writers, writing
Andy Griffiths, the author of Just Crazy, Just Tricking, Zombie Bums from Uranus and The 13-storey Treehouse, has just released his book about writing, called Once Upon a Slime. In this very cool book he gives lots of tips about writing and some activities to help you become a better writer. You’re probably looking for something to do in the holidays so why not try an Andy Griffiths writing challenge.
In the box below there is a writing challenge from Andy’s book, Once Upon a Slime. Why not try it out and post your writing here on the blog. Just post your piece of writing as a comment at the end of this post, along with your name and email address. At the end of the week we’ll choose our favourite piece of writing and the author will win a prize pack of goodies from Typo.
Twelve Doors
Imagine that you are standing in front of twelve doors. Behind one there is a fabulous treasure. Behind the others are eleven of the most dangerous things in the world. Describe what lies behind each one.
For more great writing ideas check out Andy Griffiths’ new book, Once Upon a Slime.
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April 29, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, Competitions, Fun, writers, Writing · Tagged Andy Griffiths, competition, funny, Once Upon a Slime, Terry Denton, writing, writing tips
Want something to do these holidays? Enter the Andy Griffiths writing challenge and you could win a Typo prize pack.
Andy Griffiths, the author of Just Crazy, Just Tricking, Zombie Bums from Uranus and The 13-storey Treehouse, has just released his book about writing, called Once Upon a Slime. In this very cool book he gives lots of tips about writing and some activities to help you become a better writer. You’re probably looking for something to do in the holidays so why not try an Andy Griffiths writing challenge.
In the box below there is a writing challenge from Andy’s book, Once Upon a Slime. Why not try it out and post your writing here on the blog. Just post your piece of writing as a comment at the end of this post, along with your name and email address. At the end of the week we’ll choose our favourite piece of writing and the author will win a prize pack of goodies from Typo.
Write a story starring YOU!
You don’t have to be able to make up imaginary characters or exotic settings to tell a good story. A fast way to create fun, believable-sounding stories is to start with the character you know best in the whole world (YOU!). Choose one of the following scenarios and describe what you would do and what happens next.
- You wake to discover that you can no longer speak – you can only bark like a dog.
- You are in class. It’s a hot day. Your friend starts taking off their clothes…their shirt…their shoes…their socks…their pants!
- You have a strong suspicion that your teacher is a vampire and, worse still, you suspect that they know you have discovered their secret.
So get writing and see what you can come up with!
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April 26, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author, writers, Writing · Tagged April 2013 Star Author, David Hill, New Zealand author, Star Author, writers, writing
I’ve spent quite a lot of time this week working on TWO novels. Does that sound impressive??
First, I’ve been going over the page proofs of a novel that’s coming out in June, called Brave Company. It’s about a teenage NZ seaman, who is on a NZ frigate during battles in the Korean War of the 1950s. Page Proofs are the final stage before the novel is actually published. Everything is set out exactly as it will be on the pages of the book, numbers and illustrations and all, and the author has to go – very carefully – through them, seeing if any mistakes have been made. There hardly ever are any; editors are a very efficient lot. But a final check is always a good idea.
The page proofs come after a series of stages in the making of a book. First, the author writes it. (Easy! Simple!) Then, if the publisher likes it and agrees to publish – and this often doesn’t happen; please don’t think that everything I write gets published – the editor will make suggestions on how to improve the book (add details here; cut bits out there; stop describing so much; stop the feeble jokes, etc) and author/editor work on these till they agree. This part can take weeks. After that, the designers make suggestions about cover, set-out, illsutrations / maps / diagrams, etc. And then come the page proofs.
The second book I’ve been working on is one I wrote over the winter / spring / summer. It’s about a NZ teenager in the 1970s who somehow gets involved in French nuclear tests in the Pacific. How? You’ll have to read the book – if it ever gets published. If that does happen, it won’t be till next year. I researched it, I wrote the first draft. I wrote the second draft. I wrote the third….. And now I’m going over and over it, taking out a sentence on Monday, putting half of it back on Tuesday, getting the book as good as I can before I submit it.
So that’s what the author’s life can be like. It can also be full of pleasure. When you write anything – a book, a story, a poem, a letter – you make something that never existed in the world before. It’s special. It’s unique. And that’s something that nobody can ever take away from you. So the very best of luck with your own writing and reading.
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April 19, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author, writers, Writing · Tagged April 2013 Star Author, David Hill, New Zealand author, Star Author, writing
I took a day off during the week. Yes, authors are allowed to take time off, especially when they’re as lazy as I am. My wife Beth and I (I write about my dear wife a lot in my short stories for adults; I also write about my kids and grandkids in my children’s stories – but I always change details so they don’t recognise themselves and beat me up.)
I’ve lost track of where that paragraph was going……Yes, my wife and I rode a golf-cart along a railway line for 120 km. You know those funny little motorised carts that you sometimes see golfers trundling around golf courses in? A tourism business in Taranaki where I live has converted some so they run – very slowly – on railway lines, clattering along past farms and through tunnels. We rode in one from Stratford to Whangamomona and back. Isn’t “Whangamomona” a brilliant name? It’s right in the middle of inland Taranaki; it has no shops; one hotel, a population of about 20 people, 200 dogs and 2000 sheep. I may write a travel article about it.
I’ve also been trying to write a story about when I was learning to ride a bike for the first time, years and years (and more years) ago.
I’m a great fan of writing about your embarrassments and disasters and mistakes. Other people always enjoy reading about them, and you always feel much better after you’ve turned them into a story or poem or play. So I’m writing about how I could never stay upright on the bike; how I’d manage to pedal for a few metres only, then I’d start wobbling or leaning over to one side till I fell off. I just couldn’t seem to learn how to keep moving and stay on the seat. To make it worse, there was a guy who lived along the road from us, who was really good at sports and anything that involved being fit and confident. He could ride a bike and do no-hands tricks on it, and stuff like that. Every time he saw me trying to ride, he’d sneer and yell sarcastic comments.
Then one day I could ride. Just like that. My Dad had taken me down to a rugby field where nobody was playing, and he’d walked along beside me, holding the bike while I tried to pedal. Suddenly his voice sounded distant, and I realised he WASN’T holding the bike any longer. I was riding by myself.
I still fell off a few times, but I’d learned the trick. And a couple of days later I was riding (very carefully) along our street and met that other guy. I’ll never forget the amazed look he gave me. So that’s what I’m trying to write a short story about, and I think that in the story, I’ll make him so amazed that he falls off his bike into a hedge. That’s another thing I sometimes enjoy writing about: getting revenge on people…..
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April 12, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author · Tagged April Star Author, David Hill, New Zealand author, Star Author, writing
I’m one of those authors who likes to try different types of writing, and I’ve been spending part of this week writing a long (1750 word) book review of some YA novels. They’re all by New Zealanders, and the are all GOOD.
So do try David Hair’s Ghost’s of Parihaka, a funny and frightening story of modern kids who keep being pulled back into the past where scary things are happening. And Anna MacKenzie’s Cattra’s Legacy, her novel of a young girl in a lost kingdom who has to save her people from a dark, advancing enemy. And Des Hunt’s Phantom of Terawhiti, in which the paw prints of a strange beast are found on the coast near Wellington. And R L Stedman’s A Necklace of Souls, the first novel by this Christchurch writer, in which a girl of high birth and a boy from the humblest of backgrounds unite to face a frightening foe.
I’ve also been away for a day – flying up to Auckland to visit St Kentigern College, where I was teaching a writing workshop and talking to some of the classes who have read my books or stories (poor things). I had to get up at 5 am – not good – to catch the plane, but it was brilliant watching the west coast of the North island crawling along below us, with the low morning light making long, dark shadows across the land. The waves on the coastline looked as if someone was lifting up the edge of a duvet to show its white underside.
In the writing workshop, I suggested that the best way to become a writer is to STEAL: to watch and listen, to get ideas from what people say and do; from what you read. We talked about topics, and the very nice kids tried a piece of writing about “A Moment You’d Like To Go Back To” – a moment in sport or performance, or with an animal, or at a special place, that was so brilliant, you’d like to relive it. OR that was so embarrassing or disastrous, you’d like to go back and change it, or stop it from happening. They came up with some terrific ideas.
I’ve finished the story that I mentioned in my last blog, about the kid who likes making terrible jokes, though I’ll probably go back and add some more jokes later. And I’m waiting for the page proofs of my newest novel to arrive from the publisher, so I can check them one last time. It’s called BRAVE COMPANY, about a teenage NZ sailor in the Korean War of the 1950s. It’ll be in the shops about…..May or June. I hope.
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April 5, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, History, New Zealand, NZ Post Children's Book Awards, Star Author, writers, Writing · Tagged April 2013 Star Author, David Hill, My Brother's War, New Zealand author, NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2013, writing
I guess the main event for me during the first week of April has been that I’ve been lucky enough to be short-listed for the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards. My novel My Brother’s War is in the Junior Fiction section, so you all have to rush straight out and vote for me!
Authors are always asked “Where do your ideas come from?” and the idea for My Brother’s War came from my Uncle Fred.
The book is a story of two NZ brothers in World War 1. William can’t wait to enlist in the Army, and experience the thrilling adventure of war. Edmund however is a Conscientious Objector: he believes that all war is wrong, and he refuses to enlist. So he’s arrested and sent to prison. In different ways, the two brothers are sent to the terrible battlefields in France. What happens to them? You’ll have to read the book to find out, heh, heh.
Anyway, my Uncle Fred was my father’s eldest brother, much older than my Dad. He was a gentle, white-haired farmer, always shy and quiet. I never took much notice of him. Then Dad began telling me about him – how he’d been in WW1; how he’d fought in France and been badly wounded by shell fragments; how he had nightmares for years afterwards, and ended up totally opposed to war. So the book really began because I wanted to honour someone who mattered to me. A lot of what I write starts that way.
I don’t expect to win in the Awards, by the way. There are wonderful books by other authors. Do read Kate de Goldi’s The ABC with Honora Lee, or Mandy Hager’s The Nature of Ash, or…or ANY of the other finalists.
Anyway, I’ve also been writing during this week. I sit at my untidy desk, in a little room between the kitchen and the back porch, in a small side street in new Plymouth, and I mumble to myself and scribble and scratch on the paper. I’ve been writing some book reviews, plus a small story about a kid at a new school who wants to seem special, so makes up all sorts of stuff about herself, and gets into a real tangle. It’s full of terrible jokes. I like writing terrible jokes……
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March 26, 2013 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author · Tagged Lee Murray, March 2013 Star Author, New Zealand author, NZ Book Month, Star Author, writing
What a busy weekend I had with lots of ‘writerly’ activities going on. On Friday evening I was thrilled to attend the Oceanbooks New Zealand Book Month event, Celebrate!, which included the launch of Beyond This Age, a collection of speculative fiction written by intermediate school students, edited by ME and my colleague Piper Mejia (that’s her hiding behind me in the photo below).
It was fun to meet some of our student contributors, many of whom were having stories published for the very first time, a cause for great excitement. Believe me, no matter how old you are, it’s still a thrill to hold a book in your hand knowing that you have played a part in its creation, and especially to see your name in print.
Our competition winners, Ashleigh (right) and Helena (left) received flowers from the very glamorous Susan Brocker, one of Tauranga’s best-loved writers for children. The author of titles like Restless Spirit and Saving Sam, Susan was one of the Beyond This Age competition judges, who helped behind the scenes to select the winning stories, as well as those which would go into the anthology.
Apart from our intermediate school writers, a number of other writers were also there to launch their first book in print, including Kathy Berger Sewell who launched Hāere Ra Harry, a picture book beautifully illustrated by artist Andria Brice, and Garth Lawless, a new talent on the fantasy scene, who released Guardians of the Shimmer, the first of a trilogy.
Also attending was Des Hunt, well-known New Zealand author of favourites like Cry of the Taniwha, The Crocodile’s Nest and Crown Park. Des delighted guests with books he had enjoyed as a boy and imparted an important message about the need for quality New Zealand literature to educate, inform and inspire our young people, a significant theme, I think, for New Zealand Book Month.
And then on Saturday, I met with the central branch of the Speculative Fiction Writers of New Zealand. Just like sports practice, writers’ groups are great for keeping writers motivated, helping us learn new techniques, and providing new information about books and publishing. It was also a great day to sit on the deck and eat chocolate cake!
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March 11, 2013 · Filed under Books · Tagged Anna Mackenzie, Conflict, New Zealand author, writing, young adult
What a great sun-filled weekend here in the Bay of Plenty!
One weekend last year, I attended a talk by one of my favourite authors, Anna Mackenzie, who hails from that other well-known New Zealand bay – the Hawkes Bay. Many of you will know Anna as the author of books like High Tide, Out on the Edge, Shadow of the Mountain, The Sea-wreck Stranger, Ebony Hill, and Finder’s Shore. (Wonderful stories – and more ideas for your New Zealand Book Month reading list.) Anna told our group how she’d been passionate about writing from a young age – she even showed us an exercise book full of stories written while she was at primary school, all beautifully illustrated in colour pencil. What struck me was that very early on, Anna had cottoned on to the idea that for a story to be successful it needs conflict. This was made very clear, because in her now-tatty exercise book of handwritten stories, little Anna had spelled out the word BUT in bold capital letters. Already, Anna had realised that there is no story without BUT, no story without conflict.
Take a look at the following story ideas. Can you see that it’s not until we reach the word BUT, when the conflict is introduced, that they start to get interesting…
- Tara and Mikey head off to the beach with Dad BUT the car breaks down outside a creepy farmhouse…
- Aroha leaves her potato bread in the laundry to rise BUT when she comes back, something else has grown instead…
- Jonathan goes to footie practice BUT he’s had to bring his gear in his little sister Gemma’s pink backpack and now the guys on the team are laughing at him…
You’ll be pleased to know that Anna has a brand new book coming out in just a few week’s time. Called Cattra’s Legacy, it’s the story of 13-year old Risha, whose father dies suddenly, leaving her an outcast in the mountain village where up until now she’s lived a simple life. BUT Risha disguises herself as a boy, leaving the village with traders on a quest to discover the truth about her mother, Cattra, and her heritage. Sounds great, doesn’t it? I’m going to pop into the library and reserve a copy…
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