Posts tagged writing
April 3, 2012 · Filed under Children, Competitions, New Zealand, writers · Tagged competition, LibraryZac, puffin short story awards, short stories, writers, writing, writing competitions
Do you love to write? Would you like to get your story published? Would you like to win an amazing prize just for writing a story? If you answered yes to all of those questions, then you’re in luck. There is a very cool writing competition that you can enter at the moment to win some awesome prizes
- 2012 Puffin Short Story Awards - to enter you have to write a story of up to 500 words. Your story could be about anything you want, just let your imagination run wild! There are three categories – junior, intermediate and senior. The winner of each category will receive an Apple iPad for themselves and 50 Puffin books for your school library (that’s such a great prize even I want to enter, but I’m too old). Check out the Penguin Books website for more information.
What are you waiting for? Get writing and you could win some of these awesome prizes.
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March 19, 2012 · Filed under Authors, Books, Scary, Star Author, writers · Tagged David Gatward The Dead The Dark The Damned Doom Rider www.davidgatward.com, horror, March 2012 Star Author, The Dark, writing
And then came book 2… And what a blast it was! Having set up Lazarus with a pretty nasty beginning, this was where I could let things get really out of hand. so I did. This is the blurb: “Lazarus Stone has been killed, resurrected, and attacked by demons. He’s all that stands between our world and the Dead. But things are getting complicated: he’s alone in the land of the Dead, his best mate Craig is missing, and he’s no idea who – or what – tricked his dad into trying to bring back his long-dead mum. Oh, and he’s wearing a corpse’s clothes. Life, he might think, couldn’t get much worse. But it will…” Writing The Dark was a steep learning curve, as most books seem to be. Here though I was seeing just how far and dark I could go, but also wondering all the way if I could sustain Lazarus’s story not just for book 2, but on into book 3.
When I do my school visits I often explain that the best way to think about a story is this: in the first part, get your character into a tree, thus presenting them with a problem – how to get down again. Then, to make the story interesting, it’s my job as a writer to do everything I can to make their journey back to the ground as difficult as possible. So throw stones at them, spears, rockets, try to chop the tree down, burn it, kidnap their family, train a flock of flesh-eating crows to take up residence in the tree…
Essentially, what I’m saying is that to make a story interesting, I have to make sure it’s nigh on impossible for a character to achieve a purpose. So that’s what I do in The Dark: I throw everything I’ve got, and a little bit more, at Lazarus. And through it all he gets stronger, more determined, and we can’t help but want to keep turning the page to find out what happens next…
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November 9, 2011 · Filed under Author Interview, Authors, Books, Children, writers · Tagged author interview, Charlie Fletcher, Far Rockaway, LibraryZac, Stoneheart Trilogy, writers, writing
Charlie Fletcher is the author of one of my favourite reads of 2011, Far Rockaway, as well as the Stoneheart Sequence. I caught up with Charlie to ask him a few questions about Far Rockaway, classic characters and writing.
- Cat and her grandfather Victor, plan to go to Far Rockaway at the end of the subway line. Is Far Rockaway based on an actual place?
Absolutely, Far Rockaway is based on an actual place. If you’re in New York you can jump on the subway, and take the A-line train all the way eastwards, under the river, through Brooklyn and across Queens on to a long sand spit sticking out into the Atlantic and then you’re on The Rockaways . Then you just stay on the train until it literally runs out of track and America too, and that’s Far Rockaway.
Of course the other Far Rockaway in the book is an imaginary place, but it’s based on two very real landscapes, Solas Beach on the island of North Uist, and the uninhabited island of Mingulay, both in the Outer Hebrides where we go every summer to recharge the batteries. They’re among my favorite places in the world.
- Cat meets some of the best characters from classic adventure stories in Far Rockaway. Was it difficult to make those characters sound authentic?
If I did get the voices of say, Long John Silver or Alan Breck right, it’s entirely because I’m a writer, and thus a thief, and I stole from the best, for example, Robert Louis Stevenson. He’s such a tremendously good story-teller and he created magnificent heroes and anti-heroes in such a well-crafted and distinctive way that their voices just can’t help but live on in your head. And if their voices live in your head, you can then imagine how they might say things the original author never made them say, which makes reviving them such a pleasure. I can often be found striding up and down my office having imaginary conversations with myself in the guise of my characters, and doing the voices at the same time. It’s a lot less dangerous than the other times when I’m acting out sword fights or bits of action in order to be able to describe them accurately, but it’s MUCH more embarrassing if any of my family walk in and catch me at it.
- The main character in Far Rockaway, Cat, is a strong, independent girl who doesn’t need anyone to save her. Is Cat based on someone in particular?
My daughter thinks I was inspired to write the book FOR her, which is generally true, because I write books for both my kids first. And it’s specifically true in this case because when she was about 12 she fell for a certain series of vampire related books but then suddenly un-fell for them a year later . When I asked her why, she said well, she’d kinda liked the girly romance thing and everything first time round, but on a re-read realized that the heroine was always hanging about moping and waiting for the glamorous guys to rescue her. She thought that on reflection this was ‘a bit wimpy and old-fashioned’, and that she wanted books with stronger heroines…I could have stood up and cheered. If you want to know how a Real Girl defines herself, there’s a big clue in the last four words on p.403.
- If you could meet one book character in real life who would you choose?
If it was a female character, it’d be Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. Or Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Or any or all of Terry Pratchett’s witches – Granny Weatherwax, Magrat or Nanny Ogg. Or Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. If it was a male character, then it’s Long John Silver from Treasure Island or Alan Breck Stuart from Kidnapped. Or Mahbub Ali from Kim. I was going to say Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, but then I thought that Merlin from The Sword in the Stone might be more fun, since he’s not only a wizard, but is also living backwards in time. It’d be interesting to see what he had to tell us about the future.
- What were the books that got you hooked when you were a kid?
Going from my earliest recollections, in order: being read to: Dr Seuss and Winnie the Pooh. And then reading for myself, pre-teen? Tintin. Paddington. Asterix. Any comic I could find, especially The Eagle, Victor, Hotspur or The Trigan Empire strip off the back end of a mag called Look and Learn. A book called Mary Plain, also about a bear. Biggles. Enid Blyton. The Borrowers. The Rescuers. Alan Garner. Geoffrey Treece. Rosemary Sutcliffe. Ian Fleming.
- If you could give one piece of advice to young writers, what would it be?
Read everything and anything you can lay your hands on. If you want to write: do it. Don’t let anyone discourage you about writing – LEAST OF ALL YOURSELF. Keep at it. Pay attention to everything, because everything matters. So does everyone. Keep writing, even when it’s hard. Don’t be discouraged because what you write sounds like something else you’ve read. That’s not a bad thing. Every writer began like that, and the ones that didn’t are lying. Good luck and enjoy the ride.
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October 29, 2011 · Filed under Books, Star Author, Writing Tip of the Week · Tagged New Zealand author, Star Author, writing, writing tips
When writing fiction it’s often better to ‘show’ the reader what is happening, than ‘tell’ the reader everything. For example, you can tell the reader, ‘Ziggy was sweaty’, but I’d rather show the reader with ‘Sweat trickled down Ziggy’s neck.’ Adding sensory detail helps to show what is happening – it helps the reader to picture what a character is experiencing.
One way to make sure you’re not ‘telling’ too much is to use verbs (eg. trickled) rather than adjectives (eg. sweaty). For example I might write, ‘Florian was angry’ (adjective) but ‘Florian smashed (verb) his fist into the wall’ is stronger. And Sting is a better title than ‘Sharp thing’. If you have to use adjectives then one adjective per noun is enough; and you don’t need many adverbs either (eg. not needed in: Florian angrily smashed his fist’)
This is my last post. Thank you Zac and the Christchurch libraries, it’s been fun.
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October 21, 2011 · Filed under Author Interview, Books, Star Author, writers, Writing Tip of the Week · Tagged Huber, Star Author, writing, writing tips
There are four forces involved in writing fiction: imagining, writing, editing, and hoping.
1. Imagination is the basis of all writing. This force is centred in your brain which is incredibly powerful 
at wielding it. The force of imagination has infinite range and you’ll find there’s no shortage of story ideas in the world. Science is a wonderfully bizarre source (I even used it to frame this blog). Photo: story characters are everywhere.
2. Writing is work. It seems to be such a weak force: putting one word after another; sentence by sentence. But if you keep going, the force evolves the words into something remarkable– story.
3. Editing is the refining force in fiction. It’s a strong force that can be applied by cutting needless words and shaking the story up.
4. Hope is vital for a writer. When you feel your story is worthless and you think you can’t write, hope keeps you going. Like gravity, it keeps writers grounded, and like imagination, it has infinite range.
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September 28, 2011 · Filed under Children, Fun, Star Author, Writing Tip of the Week · Tagged Authors, Sally Murphy, September Star Author, writing, writing tips
Oh dear. My month as Star Author is rapidly drawing to a close. I have really enjoyed spending time, if only virtually, in Christchurch.
As this is one of my last posts, I thought I might stop talking about myself and offer something to you. If you are reading this, chances are you love reading and/or writing. So I thought you might enjoy some quick writing activities that you can do to get yourself writing. Grab a pen and paper, and sit yourself down, then choose one of these exercise and just write.
- Write a sentence where every word starts with the next letter of the alphabet – a, b, c and so on. (for example A brown cat dropped everything…). Don’t worry if it is silly or even ungrammatical. Just see what comes out.
- Write for as long as you can without using the letter ‘e’. Again, don’t worry if it’s a little ungrammatical or silly.
- Same as 2, but this time see how long you can write without using the word ‘and’.
- Find five random words by opening a book or dictionary and picking the first word you see on five different pages. Or get someone else to give you five random words. Then write a sentence, paragraph or even a story which includes all five words.
- Open the book you’re currently reading (you are reading one, aren’t you) at any page, and copy out the first sentence of the second paragraph. Now, close the book and start writing, using that sentence as the first sentence of a completely new piece of writing.
Chances are, none of these exercises will produce an absolute masterpiece. But they will challenge you, might make you laugh, and will help get your creative juices flowing.
Have fun. If you’re brave enough, post one of your efforts here as a comment for the world to see.
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September 11, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, Star Author, Writing Tip of the Week · Tagged Australian author, getting published, Sally Murphy, September Star Author, Star Author, writing
Yesterday I drove up to Mundaring, a little community just outside of Perth, where my friend, artist Frane Lessac, and I spoke to a group of people about how to get published. It was a really fun session, with Frane and me each sharing our journey to publication and then talking about the dos and don’ts of getting published.
When I sat down to blog today I thought it might interest YOU to know just how a book gets published. So, here goes.
First, long before a book is something I can hold in my hands or tell the whole world about or even read, it is just an idea. My ideas come from all over the place – from things I see, things that have happened to me, things I read about, or silly ideas which just come to me.
When I get an idea and decide to write about it, the next thing I do is plan my story. Usually the plan happens in my head – I spend a lot of time thinking about who my main character will be, and what will happen to him/her, and I work out what the main conflict or problem will be, and how it will be resolved at the end.
Once I have a pretty fair idea of what is going to happen in my new story, I write the first draft. This might take only minutes, if it is a picture book or short piece, or days and months if it is longer, but I do try to get the whole first draft written as quickly as possible before I get distracted by the next big idea.
Once that first draft is written, I put it away. I don’t reread it it, or share it with anyone for as long as I can stand. This creates distance between me and the story, and means that when I get it back out a month or more later, I am able to see what needs to be fixed – as well as what works, of course. Then I rewrite and edit and rewrite and edit and tinker until the story is as perfect as I can make it. Sometimes this takes many many months, or even years until I am happy with a story.
But, eventually my story is ready to submit and I send it off to a publisher. Sometimes, the story comes back to me with a letter saying it won’t be published (there are lots of reasons for this) but other times, thankfully, I get a phonecall or email from the publisher to say they will publish my book.
That’s when the hard works starts, because no matter how good I thought the story was when I submitted it, now I have to work with an editor to make it even better. And sometimes this can take a lot of phonecalls, emails and, of course, writing sessions. – which can take months.
When the text is finalised, the publisher chooses an illustrator, who then works on the illustration in consultation with the editor. I don’t tell the illustrator what to draw or how to draw it, though I do get shown initial sketches and have the opportunity to provide feedback.
When the illustrations are finished (which can again take months and months or oven years) , the publisher puts words and pictures together and the book is finally ready to be printed.
Then, at least a year after I had that first idea – but usually two or more years – the postman brings me a parcel, with copies of the new book for me to enjoy, and copies of the book are then available in bookstores and libraries for people to read.
It’s a long process – Head Hog took six years to finally be published – but when I hold a new book in my hands for the first time I always feel really proud.
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September 4, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Children, Star Author, writers · Tagged Father's Day, Sally Murphy, September Star Author, Star Author, writing
Hello Everyone
It’s Father’s Day today and I am sitting back relaxing with my kids – and of course my husband, who is a great Dad. In fact, he just spent three days in charge of everything here at home while I jetted off to the other side of Australia to present the Dorothea MacKellar Poetry Awards.
These awards are an amazing opportunity for young poets throughout Australia to not just write poetry but also to possibly win prizes. I was lucky to meet the prizewinners and, even though I’d read the poems a while back when I judged the competition, to get reacquainted with their poems. It blows me away how talented some of these kids are. One winner told me she’d never written a poem before she wrote one for this contest. I bet she keeps writing them!
While I was in Gunnedah I was also lucky enough to visit three schools and conduct writing workshops with some of the students. All of this mixing with young writers was exciting for me – it reminded me of when I was younger. When I was at school I was always making up stories and poems, and used to love daily writing. In my school holidays I would write novels and books, which I would give to my mum. Luckily, she kept some of them for me, so I still have some of those early stories.
What about you? Do you love to write? If so, do you share your writing with anyone? Whether it’s entering a contest or just giving your story to someone as a gift, sharing your writing helps you get feedback and support for your writing habit. Don’t be shy. Maybe you could write a poem for your dad today on Father’s Day.
Speak to you again soon.
Sally
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August 14, 2011 · Filed under Animals, Authors, Book Awards, Books, Ghosts, History, Star Author, War · Tagged book awards, planning, poem, writing
HI EVERYONE – Are you getting snow? The weather forecasters said we were in for a big dump but in Twizel we’ve only had sprinkles so far and now the sun is shining brightly. I love snow. I love skiing on it, I love walking through it, I love how it paints the hills white. I do feel sorry for farmers and animals when big dumps of snow come though, and for people who need to drive somewhere when roads are closed or dangerous.
Congratulations to the winners of the LIANZA Awards – that’s the books librarians like the most. So well done from me to Fleur Beale, Diana Menefy, Kyle Mewburn and Vasanti Unka, James Campton and Marianna Terezow. Writers sometimes get together to talk about books and writing. I have met Fleur two times, and she has given me wonderful advice about my writing. Fleur is a very talented and hardworking writer and a gentle, caring person whom I consider a friend. I met Diana and Kyle in Auckland earlier this year. Diana had her book published by the wonderful team at Harper Collins, as I did; Kyle is a fellow South Island high country person (although he lives further south than me so he is probably getting snow right now) and he was a recnt Star Author on this blog! Kyle is also, well, let me say, I bit of a character!
The poem I am going to share today is from the third and last (?) book about Paddy. This story is currently called ‘Playing with the Past’ and I am probably about two-thirds of the way through writing it, but I still don’t really know how it is going to end or even if it is going to turn out to be a good story or not. I won’t know until it’s finished and I leave it for a few weeks or months and then read it again.
Here is a secret about my writing:
I’m not very good at planning out my stories yet, so they sometimes get a bit muddled or ‘lost’ and I have to go back and change them lots. I find that the problem with planning stories too much is that I find I don’t want to write the story because it is boring if I already know what is going to happen. Mostly, I like it when the character talks to me when I am writing and tells me what is going to happen next.
Anyway:
Playing with the Past is about exactly what the name of the story says – it’s about playing with the past in your head. Is that a good idea do you think? It does get Paddy into trouble and it means he isn’t always enjoying his own life because he is too busy finding out about and worrying about things that have happened in the past.
Here is a short poem that is in the story:
The ghost of Hooker Hut
Lives in the ladies room.
It sneaks out in the dead of night,
A shadow in the gloom.
Take care out there!
From Sandy Nelson
Writer of THE GHOSTS OF IRON BOTTOM SOUND
And from my border terrier puppy Kim, who likes:
1. Long walks
2. Food – lots of it!
3. Adventures
4. Cuddles from all of us
5. Trying to chase cats (she has to stay on a lead when we are out for walks; she is learning to not chase our cat Molly, but Molly is a tease who walks right past Kim and brushes her tail against Kim’s face in a very tantalising manner – sometimes Kim just has to give chase!)
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August 4, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, History, New Zealand, Star Author · Tagged 2011 August Star Author, Ghosts of Iron Bottom Sound, New Zealand authors, Sandy Nelson, The Silver Sword, writing
HI AGAIN CHRISTCHURCH AND OTHER KIDS: I do so hope Shaky Town is having a quiet week.
Today I have been thinking about what started me writing. That’s because some of you might be thinking about being writers. I know a girl who lives near Shaky-Town in a little town called Rolleston who loves writing and is thinking about keeping on writing when she grows up. Her name is Fable. I think Fable is a great name for someone who loves reading and writing. If you don’t know what I mean, then you need to find out what a fable is. If you find out the meaning of fable, please blog it for everyone else – Thanks heaps.
In my next post, I’ll tell you how I ended up writing a book about a boy and a warship. It was a bit of a surprise to me and to people who know me, because I didn’t know much about warships and I love the sea but I love mountains much more.
FOR NOW, I AM GOING TO TELL YOU ABOUT ONE OF MY MOST FAVOURITE BOOKS – This book was my very favourite book for many years, from when I was about 8 or 9 years old and a teacher named Mrs Scott read it to my class when I was a skinny girl with long blonde hair at Pleasant Point Primary School.
This book got me interested in history, an interest I have kept for my whole life, an interest that helped lead me into teaching and writing. Books are powerful!
The Silver Sword – by Ian Serraillier
ISBN 0-14-030146-1
The Silver Sword is about four children in Poland in World War Two. Three of the children belong to one family. The fourth child, an orphan boy named Jan, becomes their friend. The story is about what happens to Jan and his treasures (including a chicken and a silver sword) and to the family. It is an adventure story and a war story and a story about love and bravery. It’s a great book. You should read it but I’ll give you a warning.
HERE’S THE WARNING: The first chapter is not about the children. It’s about the Dad having a scary time. I remember that when Mrs Scott was reading to us I didn’t like the start of the book all that much, but I grew to really, really love it.
The Silver Sword has been published lots of times. Here are two of the covers it has had. I’m sure you’ll find this book in your library. Remember to ask for help if you can’t find a book you want. Librarians love helping keen readers.
Ka kite ano From Sandy Nelson
Writer of THE GHOSTS OF IRON BOTTOM SOUND
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August 3, 2011 · Filed under Author Interview, Authors, Books, Children, Christchurch, Family, writers, Young Adults · Tagged author interview, Chris Morphew, Christchurch Storylines Family Day, LibraryZac, Phoenix Files, Storylines, writing, Zac Power
Chris Morphew is one of the awesome authors who are coming to Christchurch for the 2011 Storylines Family Day, on Sunday 21 August from 10am-3pm at Cobham Intermediate. Chris Morphew is one of the authors who write the Zac Power series (under the name H I Larry) and he’s also written the action-packed Phoenix Files series, about a group of teenagers who have 100 days to stop the world from ending. I got the chance to ask Chris a few questions before he comes to Christchurch.
What is it like to be one of the authors of the Zac Power series?
It’s pretty cool! Whenever I visit a school and ask how many kids have read a Zac Power book, I’m always amazed at how many hands go up!
What’s your favourite Zac Power gadget?
I think Zac’s Turbo Boots in Volcanic Panic are pretty awesome. Jetpack shoes powerful enough to blast someone out of a volcano? That sounds pretty good to me!
Zac Power books written by Chris Morphew
What inspired you to write your action-packed Phoenix Files series?
This might sound a bit morbid, but one of the biggest things I want to do with The Phoenix Files is tell a story about hardship and suffering. I want to be really honest about the darkness and brokenness of the world. But I don’t want to stop there. I want to suggest that the darkness and the brokenness isn’t all there is, and that maybe there’s a bigger story being told that makes the bad parts worthwhile in the end.
In The Phoenix Files Luke, Peter and Jordan learn that there is only 100 days until the end of the world. What would you do if you knew you only had 100 days left to live?
I would pray a lot. And then maybe see if I could find a super-powered homeless man to tell me what was really going on.
What was the book you loved most as a child?
That’s a tough one! There are so many!
Fiction: The Narnia series, Animorphs, Where the Wild Things Are…
Non-fiction: The Bible and books about dinosaurs.
Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
It’s a toss-up between C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.
Why did you want to be a writer?
Because I love telling stories! I think fictional stories have incredible power to help us understand the real world in new ways.
What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?
The best thing is having the opportunity to explore interesting ideas. The worst thing is usually my next deadline. I write pretty slowly, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up!
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write about things that matter. If you care about your story, then other people are far more likely to care about it too.
Check out the blog on Monday for your chance to WIN a copy of Zac Power:Fear Files or The Phoenix Files: Arrival by Chris Morphew
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June 15, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Children, Christchurch, New Zealand, Star Author, writers · Tagged Earthquakes, June Star Author, Kyle Mewburn, New Zealand author, writing
Hi Christchurch!
What a terrible time everyone must be having up there with all the earthquakes. I was really sorry to hear about it on the news the other day. I hope everyone managed to get through it all safely … again. I’m not sure what I’d do if I lived in Christchurch. I’ve only felt 2 earthquakes in my entire life. And they were just mild shakes, really. I can’t imagine how it must feel to have shakes like that all the time, and you never know if, or when, there’s another big earthquake coming. It must be terrible.
Whenever bad things happen to me, I write a story about it. It always helps me put things in perspective and get things clearer in my head. Not just what happened, but how I feel about it, what I think about, and what has changed both in me and my world. In a way, I feel lucky to be a writer. Because I know that experiencing bad things gives me good ideas for my stories. And, more
importantly, because I can remember how I felt during those bad moments, I can use those emotions and memories to make my stories a lot more powerful.
You might have heard the expression that experiencing bad things makes us stronger. I think it also makes us better writers. I also think it makes everyone better people, too. At least I hope it does!
I know you’ve all got more important things on your minds at the moment, so I’ll finish my blog now. I really just wanted to send you all my best wishes and good luck!
I’m sure lots of you have written stories about the earthquakes as well. If you’d like to share them with me, you can send them to kyle@kylemewburn.com
Best wishes from a rainy Dunedin!
Kyle
PS If you haven’t checked out the FaBo blog, there’s still time to submit a story for this week’s challenge. Just go to
www.fabostory2.blogspot.com
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June 10, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author, writers · Tagged finsihing, June Star Author, Kyle Mewburn, New Zealand author, novel writing, stalled, threads, writing
I’m supposed to be writing my Young Adult (YA) novel, but it’s becoming a bit of a struggle, I must say. Mainly because I had to stop halfway through to write two more episodes of my new Dinosaur Rescue series. And if there’s one thing this writer hates more than anything, it’s trying to kickstart a stalled project. Especially a novel.
While you’re writing it, you almost lose yourself in the world you’ve created. There are so many threads of the story to keep hold of, it needs a lot of concentration and focus. My wife, Marion, often gets a bit annoyed at me when I’m in the middle of a novel because I’m often off in my own little world instead of listening to her. I know I should be listening, but my fictional world is often just as real as my real world. And the characters in my fictional world have much more serious things going on. Resolving their issues becomes very important to me, and so takes up a lot of my brain.
But if you have to STOP writing a novel for any length of time, everything starts falling to pieces. You lose your grip on all those story threads. You lose interest in your characters, too, because they’ve become mere characters again, not almost-real people. They’re no longer important people in your life, they’re just words on a page. And sometimes, you lose interest in your whole novel. When you read it again, you wonder why you ever started it. It’s a terrible thing.
Sometimes your loss of interest is simply because of all the above. Or because you suddenly realise you were never too sure where your story was going anyway. (Which is what happened to my last YA novel which I got halfway through about 3 years ago …) And sometimes it’s because you’ve got new, bigger, better ideas knocking on your imagination. Why finish the OLD story when there’s a more exciting NEW story crying out for attention? Oh, and there’s one more reason – because finishing it suddenly just seems TOO HARD.
Read the rest of this entry »
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June 7, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author · Tagged holiday, June Star Author, Kyle Mewburn, New Zealand author, penguin, Star Author, writing
Did you have a fun holiday? I did, even though it wasn’t a holiday, really. I wrote all morning as usual, then worked in my garden all afternoon.
Actually, I don’t have normal holidays. Not the same holidays as other people, anyway. I work every day until I finish whatever I’m writing. If I’m writing a novel for older kids (like right now), I don’t have any holidays for 6 months at least, sometimes a whole year. But it’s such fun, usually, that I don’t mind.
In fact, even when I DO go on holidays, I like to write for a few hours every morning. Writing is my job, but I also write for fun. Sometimes on holiday I play around with writing rhymes or poems. It’s like doing exercise, except it helps keep my brain fit for writing. What do you like doing on your holidays?
If you haven’t guessed already, I LOVE my job. It doesn’t even feel like a job most of the time. (Except when I have to re-write a story 17 times – THEN it starts to feel like a job. The worst job in the world. Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day? Well, THAT’s what it kind of feels like to be re-writing the same story over and over again…)
On a normal day, I get up around 7 o’clock, make a pot of tea, then go straight to my computer. I check emails and Facebook, and reply to any letters etc. Then I re-read what I wrote the day before. Usually I have to spend the next hour or two re-writing to make it better. When I think it’s ready OK, I write some more.
My brain normally gets tired around 2 o’clock, so I finish. It’s hard to write when your brain’s not working. After lunch, I work in my garden if it’s fine. If it’s raining, I read or sometimes write some more. Or sometimes I get in my helicopter and fly down to Antarctica to visit my penguin friends. They always bake a lovely fish cake for me. Yum!
OK, I better get back to work. If you have any questions, just ask!!
Catchya lata alligata!
Kyle
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May 27, 2011 · Filed under Children · Tagged poems, poetry, writing
Hi everyone
At my school lately, we’ve been writing poetry about sadness.
I’m putting mine on the blog because it goes in deep and you really feel it.
It’s a sad sad day, when you feel deaths ice-cold fingers.
It’s a sad sad day, when your curiosity turns on you.
It’s a sad sad day, when anxiety presses on your mind.
It’s a sad sad day, when your hopes are crushed.
It’s a sad sad day, when your struggle was for nothing.
On happier terms,
we also did lots of poetry on Autumn surrounding the senses.
For example,
Autumn is the bliss of warm water, as it runs through your fingers.
Autumn is the taste of smoke, as you sit by the fire.
Autumn is silence, nothing at all.
And lots of others.
We’ve also done Quinquan.
Darkness
Cold,Dark
Unforgiving,unloved,kills
Night
By Kezia.
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May 26, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Children, New Zealand, Star Author, writers · Tagged May Star Author, New Zealand author, poems, poetry, Sharon Holt, Star Author, writing
I assume we are all getting the rain this morning. (It just became heavier when I wrote that!) I feel inspired to give you one of my poetry secrets – and rain is a good thing to write about.
I call these “Instant Poems” – because they’re quick to write and they get your brain working fast.
Line 1: (Use one of these choices…or something similar for the opening)
The rain falls…
The rain pours…
The rain comes down…
Line 2: Hint – this is where we think of something similar to the rain
Choose one of these examples, or one of your own: tears, overflowing tap, waterfall, river…
So if we choose waterfall, our first two lines could be…
The rain comes down
Like a waterfall tumbling over an invisible cliff…
Lines 3 and 4: This is where we brainstorm a waterfall (or whichever other similar thing we chose)
Waterfall brainstorm: rushing, thick, thunderous, hidden air pockets, heavy, loud, white out, never ending, incessant, persistent, wet, vertical, soaking etc
We can do anything with these words for lines 3 and 4. Here is an example of how we might use those words together
It thunders head first to its destination below,
Soaking everything in its path instantly
Line 5: This line is about you, your feelings or your wishes.
Start with: I wish, I feel, I think, I wonder, I want
Here are some possibilities:
I wish we could return to the dry sunny silence of yesterday.
I feel scared that it will never end.
I think the ground is a magnet for the rain.
I wonder if Heaven is crying.
I want to run outside and drink every drop.
Finally: here’s how our rain poem might look…
The rain comes down
Like a waterfall tumbling over an invisible cliff.
It thunders head first to its destination below,
Soaking everything in its path instantly
I think the ground is a magnet for the rain.
So, there you are. An instant poem about the rain. You can use this technique to write about anything in five lines. I would love to read your instant poems!
Bye for now
Sharon
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May 10, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Children, Star Author, writers · Tagged Sharon Holt, Star Author, writing, writing secrets, writing tips
Hi there
In my first blog post I promised that I would reveal a few writing secrets. Here’s the first one: Write about what you Know
This morning my daughter told me about a writing assignment she has to do at school today. She has an idea for a story, but wasn’t sure how to stretch the idea out. I told her one of my writing secrets… write about things that you have really done, felt and experienced. So if you want to write about a farm, think back to a farm you visited. Remember the smells, sounds, sights and thoughts you had that day. You can put several ideas together from different farm visits too. The key is to make your writing seem “real” to the reader. If you haven’t been to a farm – ever – then it’s pretty hard to write about it. Seeing something on television or in a picture helps a bit, but your writing isn’t quite the same as the writing of someone who has really experienced a visit to a farm. It’s the real life experiences you write about that make your reader want to keep reading.
For example, in my book called “No Survivors”, I wrote about the main character being bullied at the bike shed for the diary entry on Tuesday 4 September. If you get a chance to read that bit, you’ll understand what I mean. There is no way I could have written that if it hadn’t really happened to me. Your writing doesn’t have to be totally about things you have really done and seen. However, if you add plenty of “real” stuff from your own experience, it will be much more interesting to the reader. Hope that helps!
Sharon
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April 18, 2011 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author · Tagged horses, New Zealand author, Stacy Gregg, Star Author, writers, writing
After a whole week of brilliant sunny days, on the actual day of the dressage competition it was absolutely hosing down! All the same, I decided to ride and so I took Ash along in the horse float in torrential rain to Woodhill Sands where the competition was being held. By the time I’d tacked him up both of us were soaked to the skin. We were also so over-excited about doing our first dressage competition in almost a year that Ash entered the ring with a giant buck! He settled down after that and we managed to get two rosettes – one for third place and one for fifth. I liked the fifth place one the best because it was a very pretty shade of pink! It wasn’t exactly a stunning effort on our part, we could have done much better! But I’m sure we’ll improve for the next show and we had lots of fun!
It is school holidays at the moment so I’m planning to go riding in the forest with my daughter tomorrow. I love the forest! The woods are full of deer and the stags are in the roaring season at the moment and they sound like lions when they make their mating calls!
Meanwhile I have work to do! I need to get started on my new book – Pony Club Rivals: The Prize.
Starting a new book is always hard and first chapters are the most difficult ones to write. I thought I might give a few tips on getting started for all you keen writers out there.
My Top 5 Writing Tips:
- Make a map of the plot before you begin to write. I often draw myself a map of all the chapters before I begin. I don’t usually stick to the plan, but it helps me to get my ideas sorted so I can start. I keep the map pinned to the wall above my desk.
- Figure out the key themes for your story. Who are the main characters going to be? What’s going to happen to them? What lessons will they learn in the course of the story?
- Set yourself achievable goals for writing. Try writing a page a day or a chapter a week. Goals are important because if you don’t have a ‘deadline’ or a target then it is hard to motivate yourself.
- Don’t ever give up because you have ‘writer’s block’. This is no excuse! Sit down and make yourself write something – anything! If I am having a bad day I still force myself to write – there’s always something worth keeping in the rough draft and you can go back and rewrite it up later.
- Be your own writing critic. Once you’ve done the rough draft go back and read it and think about how you could make it better. Then rewrite, rewrite and rewrite again!
I hope those hints help you. As for me – I should really go and get started on that novel right now!
X Stacy
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November 30, 2010 · Filed under Authors, Books, Children, New Zealand, Star Author, writers · Tagged Des Hunt, Star Author, Star Author November 2010, Steel Pelicans, writing
It’s now time to start writing. Beginning a story requires a lot of thought. In the first few chapters there is so much information that the reader needs in order to make sense of what is happening. The difficulty is giving that information without making it boring. Here are the first four paragraphs of Steel Pelicans.
“As always, the view was fantastic. Looking north Pete could see across Port Kembla to the centre of Wollongong and a little further up the coast until the haze merged sea and hills into one. Somewhere up there, less than 50 kays away, were the southern suburbs of Sydney.
The view to the south was equally spectacular with a long curving golden beach backed by the near vertical hills of the Illawarra escarpment. In the foreground, a group of surfers floated, waiting for the swells that could be seen arcing across the bay. Pete wished he was down there with them instead of up on the hill acting as lookout.
It hadn’t been his idea to come here. He’d wanted to do it in the culvert down by the shore which was where they normally went. But Kyle had said that his new and better bomb needed somewhere different, and as usual Kyle had got his way. So Pete had been sent up onto the lookout to warn if anyone was coming, while Kyle and the others broke into the building below. So far, the only spies he’d seen were the pelicans riding the updraft in the afternoon sea breeze.
Hill 60 was its military name. During World War Two it had been the home of the guns that had protected Port Kembla against attack from the Japanese or the Germans. Neither came and the guns had long been removed leaving a few concrete buildings and a honeycomb of tunnels. Kyle reckoned it was the perfect place to test his latest pipe bomb. This was made from more than just matches. He’d added a chemical from school that would, in his words, make it nuclear.”
The explosion will, of course, go wrong, giving an exciting start to the story. It also gives the opportunity for Pete and Kyle to show their strengths and weaknesses. I like some excitement at the start as I believe it helps the reader connect with the story. Once I have their attention, I can then take things a little slower for a couple of chapters or so, and get all the essential information out of the way.
That brings me to the end of this month of blogging. I’ve enjoyed it, and have been surprised by the way that writing about the story has helped me develop my ideas. Will Steel Pelicans ever get published? I don’t know. All I can say is that it is seven years since I had a book rejected by a publisher. That doesn’t mean that it couldn’t happen again: I’m always wary that if I let my standards drop I could once again get one of those dreaded rejection letters. If it is accepted, it will be 2012 at the earliest before it appears in bookshops. And it might not even be called Steel Pelicans. As a writer I can never be sure of anything until a contract is signed.
Many thanks to Zac and the team at Christchurch City Libraries for their help and encouragement. Ka kite.
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November 26, 2010 · Filed under Adventure, Books, New Zealand, Star Author, writers · Tagged Des Hunt, Star Author, Star Author November 2010, Steel Pelicans, storyline, writing
By the time I’ve got the characters sorted, it’s time to give serious thought to the storyline.
I start at the end. Now this might sound a little crazy, but I like to know how my stories will finish before I start. To me writing is like a journey: you start from where you presently are, and end up in a different, new exciting place. And just like a journey, I think it is best to know where you are going before you start. That means I have to know what the climax is before I begin writing.
By doing it this way, I find that I don’t have to do as much editing. After completing any story there is always material that gets removed and some that gets added. It’s always hard to take out pages that you’ve spent hours writing; probably those words will never be used anywhere else.
I try to avoid this by good planning. But it is possible to do too much, and become a slave to the plan. A good story will flow in directions that were not anticipated. Characters often get a mind of their own and insist of doing things that you never thought they would. As a writer, you have to let that happen or the story will end up lacking something. It’s called verisimilitude. This word is pronounced ve-ris-i-mil-i-tood. It is a hard word to define, but here goes.
Writers of fiction are professional liars – everything we write is made up. If we do our job well then all this made-up stuff will seem real. However there is lots of fiction that can never be real: fantasy fiction is an example. And yet while we are reading it, good fantasy can seem very real – that’s if it has verisimilitude.
Take a Harry Potter story: if Harry were to pull out a mobile phone and begin texting, it would destroy the whole feeling of that reality. Likewise if one of my characters pulled out a magic wand and zapped the baddies, you would probably stop reading. Verisimilitude is an easy thing to destroy, but hard to create. If a critic says that some part of one of my stories seems contrived, then I know that I haven’t achieved the V-word, and it’s probably because I have too carefully followed my planning.
I can already see some things in my planning for Steel Pelicans that might affect the verisimilitude. One is the age of my characters: they could be a little young for the things I have in mind for them. But I don’t want to make them too much older as they could become too old for my readers to relate with. So I’ll have to watch what I ask them to do as I write the story, which could mean that the climax will be quite different to what I have in mind. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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