Kids Book Review Interview

I have been interviewed on Kids Book Review by the lovely Tania MacCartney about the Write a Book in a Day challenge!

My writers' group, Prana Writers, is raising funds for the Royal Children's Hospital Qld by writing a children's book in one day. See more details here. You can sponsor us on the Write a Book in a Day site here .

Only one day to go!!

The Calamitous Queen with Special Guest Ian Irvine

I am so pleased to have Ian Irvine, writer of fantasy series for adults and children, visiting the blog today.

We're celebrating with Ian the release of 'The Calamitous Queen', the final instalment in his four part humorous fantasy series for 10- 14 yo children, 'Grim and Grimmer'.

Welcome, Ian. Thanks for stopping by as the last port of call on your 'The Calamitous Queen' blog tour. I've been enjoying reading all the blogs leading up to this one and it got me wondering where the ideas for the series 'Grim and Grimmer' came from.



Good question. It’s hard to remember, because I’m not the kind of writer who suddenly has a flash of inspiration in the shower, or while walking in the garden, and thinks, ‘Wow, that’d make a great idea for a story.’ Nor do I often go through the newspaper clippings, random scribbles on coffee napkins and hieroglyphs on pieces of paperbark that pass for my system of notes around here, in search of a brilliant idea I had last week, month or year. When I do delve into such uncertain troves, I end up scratching my head, wondering, ‘What the Dickens does that mean?’

But I did have a framework in mind. I wanted to write a fantasy adventure series for readers roughly 9 - 14 years. I hadn’t written for this precise age group before. My Runcible Jones books, http://www.ian-irvine.com/runciblejones.html, are much larger and more complex books for older readers, while the Sorcerer’s Tower, http://www.ian-irvine.com/sorcererstower.html, comprises small books with simple storylines, aimed at reluctant readers in the 7-10 range. I had a lot of great feedback from librarians about the latter books and wanted to write more, but this time I wanted to do larger books (45,000 words versus 10,000) for slightly older readers.

And I also wanted to write funny stories, because I felt this would make them more accessible to readers, particularly reluctant readers. Reading is incredibly important and I want to encourage it any way I can. Writing humour was a new adventure for me, and one I wasn’t sure I could pull off, since I’d never attempted it before. However there aren’t a lot of funny fantasy novels around for this age, at least not ones with strong, compelling plots, and since strong plots are my forte I thought I’d have a go.

So to characters. My huge fantasy epics, which are by far my most widely read books, http://www.ian-irvine.com/threeworlds.html, have often used strong female characters as the main protagonists, however in the Grim and Grimmers I wanted the hero to be a boy, and a hopeless boy at that, a tall, gawky kid who’s no good at sport and bottom of the class (in fact he’s just been expelled for a dreadful misunderstanding). Useless Ike. I’d not written about such a character before. I thought it would be a nice writing challenge to take this kid who’s totally cowed by life and his many failures, and no good at anything except drawing, and over the course of 4 books and 180,000 words, turn him into a hero.

A duffer of a hero needs a strong sidekick, hence I paired Ike with Melliflua di Sorrowgrove (Mellie), an apprentice thief who’s everything he’s not. She’s small, pixie-pretty, clever, hot-tempered and reckless, and has such a high regard for her own brilliance that she’s constantly getting them both into dire trouble – as when her failed spell blows Ike’s backside up to the size of an airship and he spends the next day bobbing around the ceilings of the dwarf city of Delf, being mocked by angry dwarves while Mellie laughs hysterically.

And of course, the book needs a cast of zany and bizarre characters, such as the malicious demon Spleen whose speciality is looking inside her victim’s heads (literally) to find out their deepest fears so she can take advantage of them. And the sweet but bloodthirsty old granny, Fluffia Tralalee, who lives in a cave carpeted in pink shag pile, with fluffy bunny wallpaper, yet is hiding an arsenal of weaponry large enough to start the next war. And the smirking conman dwarf, Con Glomryt, who could pass for the sleazy host on an afternoon TV game show.

There are four books in the Grim and Grimmer series. How did you know the story arc would unfold to four books?

Well, being a long-winded kind of guy who writes gigantic fantasy epics (The Three Worlds saga is 2.3 million words to date) I’d actually planned the Grim and Grimmers to be six books. But because of the GFC, my publisher was reluctant to commit to more than four, so four it became.

As it turned out, the story needed four books, because poor Ike suffers so many trials and failures that his first real success only occurs at the end of book 1, The Headless Highwayman, when he makes the firewyrm-dung fuelled balloon that carries him and Mellie to rescue the princess. And after all, if you start out with a hopeless protagonist, it takes lot of story to turn him into a believable hero.

Thanks so much for stopping by on your blog tour to answer a few questions, Ian. 

As a writer I've gained some valuable insight into the choices you make when determining character traits for your novels (27 to date). Ike is the sort of hero whose vulnerability kids will truly identify with.

You can find covers, blurbs, reviews and first chapters for the Grim and Grimmer series at http://www.ian-irvine.com/grimgrimmer.html.

And if you'd like to read other guest posts by Ian Irvine on The Calamitous Queen Blog Tour, here are the links:
 




THE CALAMITOUS QUEEN, BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

DATE HOST BLOG URL TOPIC

May 27, 2011 Gabrielle Wang’s Blog http://www.gabriellewang.com/archives/how-writers-work-ian-irvine-guest-post/#more-4295

May 30, 2011 Onyabus, Omnibus Books http://onyabus.blogspot.com// Interview

June 6, 2011 Ian Irvine http://bloggingwithianirvine.blogspot.com//

Introducing the Calamitous Queen blog tour

June 7, 2011 Nords Wharf Public School http://www.blogger.com/goog_943567517


Questions from students

June 8, 2011 Susan Stephenson, The Book Chook http://www.thebookchook.com/

Literacy and writing

June 9, 2011 Catriona Hoy http://catrionahoy.blogspot.com//

Humour and writing

June 10, 2011 Kid’s Book Capers – Dee White http://content.boomerangbooks.com.au/kids-book-capers-blog/

Review of book and interview

June 11, 2011 Sally Murphy http://www.sallymurphy.blogspot.com/

The exciting (or otherwise) life of a writer

June 12, 2001 Claire Saxby http://www.letshavewords.blogspot.com/

FFF(fun, fantasy, fiction): mix and stire (or how it all comes together)

June 13, 2011 Alison Reynolds http://www.alisonreynolds.com.au//

Why Ian wrote this book

June 14, 2011 Dee White (deescribewriting blog)Tuesday Writing Tips http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/

Tips on how to finish a series

15 June 2011 St Joseph’s Primary School http://stjyear52011.blogspot.com/

Questions from students

16 June 2011 Sheryl Gwyther http://sherylgwyther4kids.wordpress.com/


The 10 Best Things about writing 'Grim and Grimmer' + Things that Almost Drove You Nuts!

17 June 2011 Braemar College,

Christine Wilson http://cawilsontl.edublogs.org/virtural-blog-tour/

Questions from students

18 June, 2011 Writing Children's Books with Robyn Opie http://www.robynopie.blogspot.com/

The How-to's of Writing a Series

19 June 2011 Angela Sunde http://angelasunde.blogspot.com//

Where Ian's ideas for the series came from and how he knew there would be four books in it

I am grateful

Hello bloggees,

I'm guessing that's the name for those who read and follow blogs. Firstly thank you to all those who tune in occasionally or more often. I truly appreciate your support and company on my journey as a writer, illustrator and blogger.

Today I am a guest on the blog of the wonderful Dr Anita Heiss here, where I share what I am most grateful for in life. I met Anita early last year when I attended the launch of her book, Manhattan Dreaming, in Brisbane. Her effervescent personality won me over immediately and we have stayed in contact ever since. I so admire and enjoy Anita's wit, intelligence and humour mixed together with a genuine ability to connect with others.

Me, Sheryl Gwyther and Anita Heiss (photo Anita Heiss)

'Dr Anita Heiss is the author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women's fiction, poetry, social commentary and travel articles. She also lectures on Indigenous Studies, is an Indigenous Literacy Day Ambassador and a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales.'

In Manhatten Dreaming, a commercial women's fiction novel, Anita Heiss has brought modern indigenous culture and an internatonal setting together in a fun light-hearted plot.  Her aboriginal heroine, Lauren, is offered an art curator fellowship in New York. But how does she choose between her dream job and her commitment-phobic boyfriend back home?

This year Anita has followed up the success of Manhatten Dreaming with the equally fun novel, Paris Dreaming.



I attended the launch for Paris Dreaming at the State Library in Brisbane and had a magical evening in the Red Box Room as actors performed excerpts from the novel. The Red Box has three walls of glass overlooking the Brisbane River and if you blinked you'd have thought you were on the Seine.



This was followed by French Martinis, hors d'oeuvres and an elegant young woman crooning Ediath Piaf songs on the balcony below.



And did I mention the Eiffel Tower?



Living the author life is not all Martinis and French raspberry macarons (yes, there were those too.) But when it is I am very grateful, and I am sincerely grateful for all the friendships I have made in the writing community.

Pop over to Anita's blog to read my post on what I'm most grateful for and then come back and tell me your top five.

I'd love to hear it!

Lights Out

Today I am guest blogger on The Soup Blog's 'Lights Out' series of posts by children's writers and illustrators, telling what they used to read as children after they were sent to bed. Find out what my brother used to do to scare me after lights out...

The Soup Blog lets you know what’s going on behind the scenes of Alphabet Soup magazine, an Australian magazine for children aged 6 to 12 who love books and creative writing. The Lights Out series of posts is to celebrate their new Undercover Readers Club for kids. Check it out.

Juggling Point of View

Have you ever had trouble with Point of View when reading a novel? Do you stumble when the author jumps from one character's thoughts to another's (head hopping)? Does it pull you out of the story and make you wish you were at the movies instead?


Recently my writing critique group were discussing how to best explain 'head hopping' to new writers and also how to handle Point of View in our own writing. Our characters might happily jump from scene to scene  like puppets on a string, but every now and then we unintentionally cross the threads of the story, tangling the whole plot and confusing our readers.

So to avoid twisting our characters in knots I have invited Dee White to my blog today to explain 'Point of View'. Dee is visiting here Under the Apple Tree as part of her Tuesday Writing Tips blog tour.

Hi Dee!

Grab a spot on the blanket in the shade. The coffee is ready. Some of our other visitors might want to have a cuppa with us too. Do you want cream with your apple pie?

Hi Angela, thanks for inviting me here today. No thanks, just the pie will be fine.

So Dee, tell us how you decide on the best point of view when writing your stories. Is it a matter of just choosing your main characters?

Angela, to know which point of view suits your story, you have to understand the options first. Here's an explanation:

FIRST PERSON POV


First person point of view uses ‘I’ or ‘we’.


It allows the narrator to tell their own story. This point of view tends to be used where the story is concerned with the emotions of, and outcomes for a particular character. This is the POV I used in Letters to Leonardo because I wanted the reader to get close to Matt, my main character. But I varied the format; changing from narrative to letters and back again – using the letters to reveal more intimate things about Matt.

First person POV is limited in that it only allows the reader and the writer to see, hear, think and feel what the main character sees, hears, thinks and feels.


A way around this however, is to tell the story in first person from more than one character’s point of view.


Street Racer, the current YA novel I am working on is written in first person from the point of view of two characters, Rick and Kate. I have chosen very different voices and formats for each of them to tell their story. Angela, this is a way to ‘head hop’ even if you are writing in ‘first person’.


To avoid confusion, I change the point of view at the end of each section or chapter – this makes it very clear whose story is being told, and whose POV it’s being told from.

Yes, Dee. I enjoy reading first person Point of View.It makes me feel very close to the main character. But what about 3rd person? This is the Point of View I use the most in my writing. Do you have any advice on avoiding problems here?

THIRD PERSON POV

Third person allows for more description and information. But it still enables you to tell a story from a single or multiple points of view.


Third Person Intimate or Limited


Third person intimate/limited is very much like first person. It limits you to only seeing, hearing, thinking, feeling and understanding one character, but you can find out additional things about them in the story.


For example,


Chris lay on the soft ground next to the goal post wondering how he would ever face the team again. If only he’d taken more time – if only he’d sunk the kick. Chris had played with the Roosters for the last three years and in all that time he’d never missed a goal. Now when it really mattered he hadn’t been able to handle the pressure. He’d let the team down, and Dad would be furious with him. He was the Rooster’s coach and had high expectations of his son.


Here we can see what is happening from Chris’s POV.


Third Person Omniscient


This is the point of view that allows you to head hop from one character to another. You, the writer, know everything about all the characters and can go in and out of their heads and report on their feelings and thoughts. It allows you to tell the reader things that none of the other character knows.


For example


Chris slumped on the soft ground next to the goal post wondering how he would ever face the team again. If only he’d taken more time – if only he’d sunk the kick. Chris had played with the Roosters for the last three years and in all that time he’d never missed a goal. Now when it really mattered he hadn’t been able to handle the pressure.


“You let the team down! You let me down!” Jeff Mason dragged his son up by the shoulder. He loved being coach of the Roosters, and he hated losing – especially when his own son was to blame. How could he have missed from that distance? “Come on we’re going home.” Jeff strode towards the waiting Mercedes, glancing behind every now and then to make sure Chris was following.


Neither of them saw the Rooster’s captain, Joel Anderson sneak up to the car and slash each tyre, one by one.


Here you can see what’s going on in Chris and Jeff’s head, and information is being revealed that they don’t know about.


The important thing about whichever point of view you are writing in is that it has to be consistent. You have to stay in that POV. You can’t change from first to third person mid stride.


If you are writing in third person omniscient, it’s possible to have more than one point of view in a scene, but you need to make sure that it flows from one POV to the other – and it’s not a good idea to change mid sentence.


If you stumble over the transition bits or they seem clunky then the reader will find this too. Changing POV mid-scene can also weaken the tension that you have gone to so much trouble to build.


If you are writing from one character’s POV then they can’t know what is going on inside another character’s head unless that character tells them. Just like you can’t know what’s really going on in someone else’s head unless they tell you.


Angela, I hope this clears up some of the ‘mystery’ around POV. Thanks for your question, and for inviting me to your blog.


Thanks Dee, it does. I guess it's like driving along behind another car. You know what you (your POV character) are seeing, thinking and feeling, but you can't know what is happening in the mind of the other driver (character). And your reader can't know either.

Dee, thanks so much! I really appreciate you calling in today to talk about Point of View. I've been enjoying your blog tour and just want to point out to visitors that you can see more of Dee's tour at the blogs and dates below:

2ND February 2010
Claire Saxby’s blog
http://letshavewords.blogspot.com
Writing Picture Books - Leaving room for the illustrator.


9th February 2010
Dee White’s blog
http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com
Reviewing ‘There Was an Old Sailor’
Reviewing vs Editing skills.


16th February 2010
Sandy Fussell’s blog
www.sandyfussell.blogspot.com
Writers Need to be avid free range readers


23rd February 2010
Robyn Opie’s blog
http://robynopie.blogspot
How to make your story longer – adding layers.


If you have any comments or questions for Dee or myself, please post them below. We'd love to hear from you!


Dee, do you have time for another slice before you go?