When I think of my childhood there are a few key memories:

3.       Being the first girl on the school football team.

2.       Family bike rides to get 99 ice creams.

1.       Reading Brer Rabbit.

What a wily rabbit he was! Always up to no good, dangerously clever, alarmingly funny and he always got away with it…poor old Brer Fox and Brer Bear never stood a chance! And this isn’t the zip-a-dee-doo-dah Disney song version either; this is Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit by Julius Lester with black and white illustrations!

It’s funny what you remember from a young age. It’s interesting too, that despite the popular titles of the time; it’s the old ones that I went back to again and again. I’m not alone in my musings. Highstreet bookshop The Works conducted a survey in recognition of International Children’s Book Day on 2^nd April, finding “that classic children’s books and characters are still holding favour with kids throughout Britain”.

A voting poll took place and showed that while JK Rowling’s Harry Potter is the nation’s best ever character, it is Roald Dahl who wears the crown for best children’s author. With a 50% majority books like The BFG, Matilda, The Twits and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory have been well and truly cemented into place as the best ever children’s books, as voted by UK children. The Boy That Lived succeeded to second place with 30% of votes but he was sandwiched between another classic, Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.

Parents also took part in the voting. They put Dahl in first place, seconded by Potter with Rowling in third place. The Works stated “parents’ own preferences [are] presumably swaying their little ones’ reading habits”. Interestingly, 51% of parents admitted that their kids are reading the same books that they did as children. It was also found that while children do own and use e-readers, 88% still prefer paperbacks.

There must be something about those old books that attracts children of every generation. Is it the characters? The writing style? The illustrations? Maybe it’s the fact that you need to use your imagination so much more? Whatever it is, there’s no denying that those are some of the best books ever written and that many adults will think of their childhood and remember reading about the exploits of those famous characters. Maybe even some will remember Brer Rabbit getting up to no good.

It’s often said that nothing can beat a good book and what better way to enjoy reading than sharing your favourite stories with your young family? Perhaps the old ones really are the best but if you’re thinking of writing a children’s story then check out these top 6 tips from an earlier blog!

Image credits:

1 2 3 4 5

At what point is it that people become more interested in the writer than their work? Earlier this week I read an article, the gist of which is that the personal letters of O Pioneers! author Willa Cather are to be published in defiance of the terms of her last will and testament.

True enough, it was not long ago that I wrote of the posthumous publication of a recently discovered essay by Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson. However, it is the fact that Cather expressly forbade the publication of her personal correspondence with friends and family that is the issue.

Janis Stout, who is publishing this work with fellow scholar Andrew Jewell, commented that Cather “no longer belongs entirely to herself. She belongs to everyone.” Surely the pains that Cather took to destroy her private letters before her death is proof enough that she wholeheartedly wanted to belong entirely to herself, and only herself? Cather’s reasoning for doing so was to be judged solely on the merit of her professional writing, yet here we are.

I can understand the intrigue of a writer’s personal life and relationships, particularly the impact of those relationships on their creativity, but does that then tarnish the mystery and majesty of their great works? I would say at this point that it might be extremely disappointing to learn that your favourite book was penned when the author was under the influence of drugs, but since many classics were let’s suggest instead that it might be extremely disappointing to learn that your favourite book was not penned when the author was under the influence of drugs! Either way, you can appreciate that some things are better left alone.

Still, Cather is not the first writer to have their personal life probed. Even when alive, speculation about Lord Byron’s private life was rife. Birth defects, unknown sexuality, scandalous affairs, illegitimate children, extensive debt, living abroad and outspoken politics all catered to a social stigma, and awe, of the beloved poet. In fact, when his corpse was returned to England from Greece for burial at Westminster Abbey it was refused as Byron was accused of ‘questionable morality’.

Oscar Wilde is another English writer that met scandal in his life that is still of great interest to the public today. Renowned for pursuing a life of pleasure and decadence, much like his fictional creation, Dorian Gray, Wilde ended up being tried and sentenced for gross indecency with other men. Ironically, he set the trial in motion himself when he took his lover’s father to court for libel accusations. So concerned with his reputation, it was eventually taken from him with 2 years of hard labour at Reading prison and a penniless life thereafter. If you are intrigued by what happened to Wilde in prison and in his subsequent self-inflicted exile then you can explore it on stage with Rupert Everett in The Judas Kiss until the 6^th April.

As one person’s life and death becomes the public’s entertainment, perhaps there is just no denying that we all love to know each other’s secrets, dirty little ones or not… Can we ever escape our life in death? The actions that we take are still what we are remembered for, whether those actions were to write a classic or modern masterpiece or to pursue unhealthier and more damaging acts. Even Percy Bysshe Shelley did not escape my attention when it came to his actions in life. I suppose, at the end of the day, we’re just all gossip whores.

1 2 3 4 5

To carry on my ‘S’ theme I should really post this on a Saturday or Sunday but there’s no time like the present, which in turn compliments the topic…

In writing, as in life, people only want the good stuff. It’s true that we all have to work (and it’s even better if you enjoy what you do) but work only serves to fund what we really want. Homes, cars, nights out and hobbies are all traded for the regular 9-5. When you get home from work and you fancy being a bit brain-dead in front of the TV, you do not want to watch the adverts. Luckily, with the magic that is live pause, we can now ignore them. If only the same could be applied to reading.

Like work, a novel has peaks and troughs. There are exciting moments of action, and there are the bits of paperwork leading to the action. Short of ripping out pages we can’t fast-forward a book (audiobooks don’t count here). Instead, we have to rewind to the very beginning and hope that the writer isn’t a waffler.

Stevenson

The Strand magazine recently published a newly discovered essay by Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson, dating from 1881. He advices the reader of how best to be a writer, which is essentially to keep your prose short and sweet, “…twaddling detail would simply bore the reader’s head off.” Ergo, no waffling, babbling or beefing up allowed.

Simplicity

Sound advice from Stevenson there, no doubt. There are times when details can be everything to the progression of a story but then sometimes it is the very omission of those details which drives the plot forward. Keeping it simple is the firmest counsel I can give and it is advice I should take myself sometimes! Preferring visual descriptions I can be what my family call ‘flowery’ but if I want to paint pictures then I should be a painter!

Speed

Like a joke, like a meal, like a belated present, delivery is everything. The speed that a story is told at can be what holds a reader’s attention. The events taking place are what will dictate the progression of the story. Action is fast, information is slow. Juggling between these two is quite a balancing act so get it right. And remember your audience; children, adults, trekkies, or something else entirely?

Suspense

Tension and suspense are practically decided entirely by the speed at which your plot is moving. The protagonist’s actions, thoughts and emotions should appeal to the reader and it is by living vicariously through the characters that the sentiment you, the writer, is trying to create will be transferred to the reader. This could dictate their entire experience of the novel and be the difference between a book about a boy who meets a pirate, and Treasure Island.

So there you are, my 4 ‘S’ guide to smart writing for the day. Only by getting back to the basics, of deciding what we really want and what we are trying to say will we be able to pen a worthwhile story. Revisiting the reason that you started to write in the first place is a strong motivator, and in all cases, writing is rewriting anyway.

Image credits:

1 2 3 4 5

Will someone please tell me why Hilary Mantel’s observations of Kate Middleton are so newsworthy? And why David Cameron has nothing better to comment on? He must have done a Superman quick-change to plug the recession, win the Iraq war and legalise same-sex marriage in the UK while I was on my lunch break to think it of national importance to comment that “what she’s [Mantel] said about Kate Middleton is completely misguided”. Oh shut up, Cam.

Making observations about other people is nothing new, it’s why newspapers sell! But how dare Mantel turn her attention on the UK’s sweetheart! She’s only a multi award-winning author with a CBE…what does she know? Comparisons about the Duchess of Cambridge’s portrayal of royal life in contrast to that of the People’s Princess may not be wholly unfounded. They are, after all, different people and when has that ever stopped anyone including the press having a go at making observations of Kate themselves? *cough* Chi *cough*

There’s really only one way to settle it. An epicKate vs. Hilary smackdown. Like so many women before them these strong, intelligent, independent women could be reduced to nothing more than big-boobed bitches with claws – Mantel apparently already has the sharp tongue of a comic book villain.

It is nothing new, in the end. Not since the 1930s and 1940s have there been “real” women in comics and certainly not as the heroine. Instead, women are the girl next door, the damsel in distress or the femme fatale on the verge of a psychotic break, and each of them apparently incapable of functioning without a male lead.

That is until the release of My So Called Secret Identity. Will Brooker, AKA Dr Batman, is a seasoned pro in the world of comic book academia and it was his observation of the portrayal of women in comics that gave birth to Cat, the antidote for the industry and the poster child of modern superheroines. What’s her superpower, you ask? Her mind. Telepathy, you hope? No, intelligence. Are you serious, you cry? Deadly.

It is pure and simple but it is also deliciously empowering. How often have women looked at Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Catwoman and thought how they would love to be like them, only to remember that solely plastic surgery gives you that body and solely radioactive chemicals give you those powers? It shatters the fantasy but now Brooker has given us a viable character to believe in and share adventures with. (It may even be feasible for Joe Bloggs to get the girl for a change).

She is a twenty-something, pretty-enough, PhD student who becomes involved with a superhero subculture. Cue the cape, the sidekick, the villain and the love interest and suddenly you’ve got a comic on your hands, but a new one that women, as well as men, will read and love.

The gap between readers has been bridged in one fell publication. All that it took was for someone to realise that there are differences between people, between male and female readerships, between characters and between opinions. Perhaps that is all that needs to be realised and commented on when it comes to Kate and Hilary. Except that wouldn’t sell many newspapers. Still, I wonder what superpowers Kate and Hilary might have?

There is no right or wrong when it comes to fashion and perhaps that is why it is loved by so many. Just look at the number of designers, models, photographers, celebrities, exhibitionists and voyeurs that are flocking to London Fashion Week already. They are expressionists and enthusiasts. The British fashion industry alone is worth £21 billion to date so as an integral cog for the economy and the country I wonder, as designers influence consumers, who influences the designers?

Family, nature, business, music, film and literature all have something of interest to offer a creative mind. Culture, then, is surely the prime influence on a designer or indeed on a creative in general, no? It is no different in writing. Something of the culture surrounding you, whether it is your family and friendship dynamics, your work ethos, a sunny day or a moving piece of art, can spark an idea or an image that snowballs into a sentence, a paragraph, a page, a novel.

In that case, how important is fashion in literature? I would say hugely important. As on the stage, fashion has a part to play in characterisation and the creation of suspense and drama. Fashion is such a personal expression for many people that it can tell a story before the character has even begun to speak. Seeing a man sitting centre stage dressed in a dirty and ripped shirt with tousled hair, his head hanging low, can tell you plenty without a word being uttered. It serves to enhance the realism of the play, and can be used the same way in writing.

Fashion is an indicator of the setting for a story, as well as hair and make up. It can also be a tell-tale sign of the type of person that the reader can expect to learn more of. A man in armour and carrying a sword suggests a knight; a woman in a red evening dress with red lipstick suggests a femme fatale, and so on.

For adaptations of literary works, any mention of fashion can be extremely useful. Not only does it give direction to the overall production and the costumers but it can also help actors to see themselves dressed differently to embody their new persona.

Of course, theatre is not the only place where fashion is important. Filmmaking can also take plenty of direction from the details that an author provides about their characters. Recently, the V&A ran a Hollywood Costume Exhibition in London: “Inspiring fashion on the catwalks as well as taking ideas from contemporary designers, telling the audience about the character without saying a word, and capturing the essence of the film, costume design at the cinema has a long and involved history.”

A huge variety of costumes were on display, including some of the most iconic fashion statements in film history. The little black Givenchy dress made famous by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, originally a novella by Truman Capote; Vivien Leigh’s green curtain dress from Gone With the Wind, adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s novel; Dorothy’s gingham dress, worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, from L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel. Even costumes from The Dark Knight Rises were featured, created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane for Detective Comics. Where would Hollywood be without the creator’s blueprints when it comes to our beloved superheroes and romantic heroines?

Undoubtedly, the creation of these renowned characters by skilled writers and artists was spurred on by cultural influences and social commentary relevant to them at the time. And equally, the creation of some of the designs that will be flaunted on the LFW catwalks will have been, however subconsciously, influenced by society, theatre, films and literature of our time.

*LFW starts today, 15^th February, and ends on Tuesday 19^th February.

Who doesn’t dream of being recognised for their work? It’s a natural want. Even if you have done a particularly good job of typing up a report or if you have successfully made Sunday lunch without setting the kitchen on fire, it’s just nice to be recognised.

It is no different in writing. There are a number of prizes for which writers can be nominated, and indeed all the best have been. Why not aim to follow in their footsteps? The sad fact is that most writers were not recognised during their lifetime.

Henry David Thoreau, Franz Kafka, Emily Dickinson, Anne Frank, Stieg Larsson, Sylvia Plath. All are well known, well loved and well dead.

Each of them a writer who did not live to experience the impact of their creativity on readers or the world. But then, did they even set out to impress and to win awards? Probably not. More likely they just had something to say.

This is a list of just 17 prominent awards for literature and it makes you think “I have something to say”. Then I remember that I have to finish my book first…

Nobel Prize for Literature

National Book Award

PEN Faulkner Award

National Book Critics Circle Award

Pulitzer Prize

Governor General’s Award

Giller Prize

Man Booker Prize

Whitbread Prize

Hans Christian Anderson Award

Newberry Medal

The Smarties Prize

Margaret A Edwards Award

Edgar Allan Poe Award

Hugo Award

Nebula Award

World Fantasy Award

_________________________________________________________

 ”Plath seems to be hinting at an awareness of the way death certifies an artist’s memory…”

Reading this after posting, I thought this article was along similar lines. It’s interesting to read that perhaps even Plath queried what was to become of her writing and of herself after death.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/02/11/sylvia_plath_s_last_poem_on_the_50th_anniversary_of_her_death_read_edge.html