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Day Two: Exploring the World of Stories

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Two more children joined the reading workshop at Friends Library today! With seven children in the cosy children's section of Friends Library, Day Two of the reading workshop was a day of learning. We spoke about the publishing process and copyright. We designed book covers. We shared myths from around the world. And we had a quiz to round things up. Tomorrow promises to be fun too! … [Read more...]

Day One: Exploring the World of Stories

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As of yesterday, I had no registrations for my reading workshop. I decided to go to Friends Library anyway. Three children came. And then one more. And one more. And one more promises to come tomorrow - all in all, it was delightful. Among other things, we played Pass the Story - a cross between Pictionary and Chinese Whispers, with the element of stories added into it. Here's how it works: Participant One picks a chit. Suppose it says 'Geronimo Stilton'. Participant One draws Geronimo Stilton and passes on his sketch. Participant Two makes a guess. Suppose Participant Two guesses 'rat'. He writes 'rat' on a sheet of Paper and passes it on. Participant Three draws. Participant Four guesses. And so on. It's a hilarious game. Harry Potter became Wimpy Kid. And Sleeping Beauty became Barbie, as did one of the seven dwarfs. The world of stories continues tomorrow - here's … [Read more...]

Skellig

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Skellig by David Almond is a human story, and like so many human stories, contains a little miracle. A scientific miracle, perhaps. Or maybe a spiritual miracle. Sometimes the two go together, along with angelic intervention, scientific study and William Blake. Skellig is not a story that wants to be believed. Yet it is not fantasy. It is not a story about magic. Yet, it contains the inexplicable. It is not a spiritual story of divine intervention. Yet, it is the story of a little miracle that brings Joy. Sparse, sometimes disgusting, often moving, Skellig is, above all, the story of a quiet boy who is not so quiet in his head. And his friends who understand. And those who don't. … [Read more...]

My Favourite Male Characters in Fiction

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I wonder why most of the fictitious characters I love and admire are female! Is it because I want to identify with my characters and it is easier for me to identify with female ones? When I think about remarkable male characters, though, I don't really run out of favourites. 1) Little Lord Fauntleroy: Just like Pollyanna, he should be too sugary to be lovable, but no. He is among my all-time favourites. Little Lord Fauntleroy is a story I tell all the time simply because it is so innocent an beautiful. 2) Rhett Butler - If Scarlett is remarkable, Rhett is even more so. The only one with the gumption to take on Scarlett as she really is without deifying her. He is one powerful character who awes me so much that I am almost frightened of him. 3) Vidal - Vidal is Devil's cub - annoying, brusque and overbearing. Yet, his relationship with his parents makes me smile and fall in love. 4) … [Read more...]

My Favourite Female Characters in Fiction

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A question that always bothers me when I'm writing is whether I should concentrate on plot or character. Plot has the power to transport me, make me gasp and thrill me. But characters... Ah, they're the people who become lifelong friends. 1) Pollyanna: Too good to be loved, but how I love her! She should be a saccharine goody two-shoes, but she's not. Her glad game changed my world. 2) Anne: Anne in Anne of Green Gables is the best of the lot. That's where my beloved "Carrots" emerges as the imaginative and dreamy spitfire I long to befriend. 3) Deborah Grantham: Faro's daughter - she won my admiration the very first time around. Independent, headstrong and dignified - the woman in control of her life. What's not to fall in love with there? 4) Darrell Rivers: No, I no longer think she is magnificent, but I cannot deny the role she played in my life as a ten-year-old. Passionate and … [Read more...]

Five Problems with Good Books

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1) I forget that I'm a writer. I pick up Harry Potter determined to see how J.K. Rowling weaves the magic she weaves. I decide that I will look at her techniques, the way she gets me involved in the story and how she slides in her humour. Five chapters - that's all it takes to get me so engrossed that I want to know what happens next (even though I know what happens next) and I don't look at anything else. 2) I sometimes (often?) imagine meeting my favourite characters and talking to them - and then become woefully depressed when I realise I cannot. Anne Shirley - I want to meet her, I want her to be my kindred spirit, my bosom friend (even if I come second to Diana Barry). I want to visit Avonlea and walk Birch Path with her. I want to share the joy of the Lake of Shining Waters with her. Why can't I? 3) I postpone everything. I can write later. I can work later. I can sleep later. … [Read more...]