It’s
been just over two years since I began blogging at the suggestion of a
wonderful author who was kind enough to share her experience, time and advice.
(And she’s just as generous now.) To celebrate this little anniversary I’ve
updated my blog picture. Many thanks to Helen of HelzKat Designs for my
previous design and now I have to thank my hubby for the new creation. (I knew
I kept him around for a reason.) ;) What do you think? :)
Last
month’s newspaper column was quite the success. Many a comment has made its way
back to me regarding this phenomenon. I’m sure it’s because the subject
resonates with many parents and not because it’s yet another sign of my
misspent childhood.
My kids are impervious
to the cold weather, and from what I’ve seen, they’re not the only ones. While
I’m shivering my way to my youngest’s classroom, kids sans jumpers, long pants
and even socks surround us.
I admit that at their
age I never felt the cold either. I was too busy running around, getting into
mischief, and much to my mother’s disgust, stripping off my warm clothes
because I was too hot and putting on a completely different outfit when I’d
cooled down again. According to her, I changed outfits at least five times a
day. Now that I’m the one doing the washing and ironing, I get how annoying
that must have been.
It’s not only the cold
encouraging this epidemic of bare limbs and questionable sanity in winter. In
my oldest child’s case, putting warmth before how cool one looks (pun intended)
just isn’t on. It seems they’d rather freeze than appear in public wearing the
wrong outfit, whatever that might be. Now that I think of it, I believed that
as a teen too. I guess this ‘not feeling the cold’ business isn’t global
warming or being too busy to notice. Apparently, it’s hereditary!
My
hometown played host to a group of extremely talented authors and artists in
our biennial Curtis Coast Literary Carnivale last month. Unfortunately, I could
only attend one of the workshops on offer but what a fantastic workshop it was. :)
Mr
James Roy is a Young Adult and Children’s author. He also has a cheeky,
satirical sense of humour interspersed with a wealth of knowledge, all of which
he generously shared. While I’m inclined to write New Adult stories,
(college-aged characters) this workshop discussing the obstacles faced by teens
and their respective ‘coming of age’ stories certainly provided a solid
platform for my endeavours.
As
Mr Roy and many of us can attest, the teenage years are some of our hardest.
Everything is new. Our bodies change. (Never when we want them to and
definitely not how we want them to.)
We experience intense emotions. (Having four seasons in one day weatherwise is
nothing on how quickly a teenager’s mood can change.) We wrestle with our
naivety, (which we admit to only on pain of death and ultimate humiliation.)
And above all, we struggle to find out who we are and understand where we
belong. (Something many adults, myself included, are still striving to
achieve.) I would certainly never volunteer to relive my teens unless there was
something very substantial on offer in order to endure the horror. And when we
come out the other side, then we have to learn how to be adults. That’s not all
it’s cracked up to be either.
Mr
Roy took us through various exercises on character building. We have to know our
characters completely – who they are, what they want, what they need, their
flaws, their strengths, their hopes and dreams – anything that makes us
understand why and how they act and react to the situations we as authors
impose upon them. Regardless of the age your character is, or their gender for
that matter, you must be able to step inside your character’s head, feel what
they feel and react the way they would react. Mr Roy proved he was adept at this
skill simply by reading one of his short stories to the group from his book –
‘Town’. (Review to follow.) As he read, his voice, his stance and even his
mannerisms changed. I’m not sure he was aware of this, but I found it
fascinating. He became each character.
The more he read, the more I wanted him to continue. And because of the way he
brought his story to life, I had to buy that book. :)
I
think this was the most valuable lesson I learned in his workshop. When I am
reading my dialogue aloud, I’m not aware of any changes of character within
myself, but by making a conscious effort to do so, I know this will improve my
writing and breathe life into my stories. I will also need to ensure I practice
that dialogue within the confines of my home or at least to a very selective
audience (the cat wants no part of this) and not as I’m out walking or waiting
to pick up the kids from school. Can you imagine the looks I’d get whilst
sitting in the car having animated conversations with myself? Hmm, it may be
too late for the last one.
And
now the review - ‘Town’ is a collection of thirteen linked short stories
regarding the teens of a fictional Australian town for which Mr Roy won several
awards. These stories will take you through countless emotions, even the ones
you buried deep within you with the vow never to let them surface again. One
story involved the start of the school year, something a few of us looked
forward to, while embracing the idea of meeting someone new with interesting
results. Adults are the enemy and even doing the right thing can land you into
trouble without knowing why. The stories explore love, hate, despair, tragedy,
cunning, confusion, acceptance, confidence, accountability, responsibility and
the kind of decision-making that could alter their lives forever. And believe
me, they do.
One
story in particular that resonated with me was about a teen on the verge of
womanhood, who accepts a date with an older boy. Instead of going to a party as
he stated, he takes her out to a secluded area to meet with a few of his mates.
She’s the only girl there and the moment I realised where he was taking her,
the adult (or perhaps the mum in me) told her she was making a huge mistake.
She needed to tell him to take her home. She should have made him stop the car.
Then she could have run back to town, to safety. Of course, the character
didn’t listen to me. She realised too late the danger her decision beheld. The
scary part is, in my naivety at the same age, how easily I might have made the
same choice the character did. What’s scarier is the knowledge my kids will soon
face those same choices. Hopefully they won’t be as naive as I was, which is
why that particular story will be the first one my oldest child reads.
You
can find out more about Mr Roy here.
I’ve
another novel to add to my reading list so here’s a shout out to a lovely lady
on her debut novel ‘Spirit of Love’ by J L Addicoat. And here’s the blurb:
“Old buildings have an eerie haunting
feeling, and the 17th Century Manor house in the Cornish countryside Julia
intends to restore, is no exception. Originally her dead husband’s dream, she
feels it’s up to her to complete it in his memory. When she arrives, she
realizes it’ll take more than a quick clean to put the dilapidated old Manor to
rights.
While exploring the
house, she feels as someone, or something, is watching her. Darting shadows and
movements, seen from the corner of her eyes, seem to confirm sinister
happenings at the Manor in the past. The discovery of an old diary hidden in a
chest of drawers and the story it tells, lead Julia in a different direction
than she originally thought she would be taking”.
You
can find out more about Ms Addicoat here.
Speaking
of reviews, I’ve mentioned previously that I placed in Romance Writers of
Australia Little Gems ‘Moonstone’ Anthology and here is my very first review. :) It may be short and sweet but it
certainly gave me a reason to smile.
Now
to address the over-achieving - my notes are coming along for the new novella. The
time line and chapter breakdown are complete so I know where this story is
going and how it will end. There are no guarantees though what could happen on
the way there. Sometimes these characters like to make ... suggestions. I also
conducted my first research interview, which was a success thanks to the very
generous nature of the interviewees who answered my questions and then raised a
few more points to help round out one of my characters. :) And I’ve started on the novel rewrite –
but let’s just say I’m tearing it to shreds rather than reconstructing at this
stage. On the plus side, I’m far too busy for housework. ;)
Happy
reading everyone. :)
Your husband is VERY clever. I love the new blog design.
ReplyDeleteGreat post -- excellent & true column re kids, clothes and who cares about the temp?
You sound so busy and happy - inspiring!
[D, I tried to email you, but the server bounced it back - apologies if you get three copies of my less-than-inspired email :) ]
Thanks, Jenny. I will pass that on to Matt. :) There'll be no living with him after this. LOL
DeleteI've had a few comments on the column. Seems to be an offence to which many can relate. :) And yes, busy, but don't seem to be getting anything done. :/
There's been a few problems with my email. Hopefully they'll be sorted soon.
Thanks for commenting. :)
Congrats on the new set out DD. (Congrats to hubby too)
ReplyDeleteI read through the naivety of the teenage years. You could have been describing me and some of my exploits. How innocent we were all those years ago. Would I go back to relive my teenage years, maybe, if I knew everything I know now. But that wouldn't be fair, would it.
Thanks for the shout out as well. I really appreciate you doing that for me.
Now, you've had a short story published, when are we going to see a novel?
Looking forward to reading it.
Keep up the good work and let me know what you think of my first born written words.
Thank you, Jenny. He'll be pleased to hear it. :)
DeleteAh the innocence of youth. Yes, if I had to go back, I'd rather go with life experiences and the wisdom to make better choices.
You're welcome for the shout out. I am looking forward to reading it. And I am working on that novel. My turn will come. :)
Another great read Danni and a wonderful new blog picture from Matt ��
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the read, Tina, and yes, Matt did a great job with the new look. :)
DeleteThanks for dropping by. :)