writing – Page 2

My week in books

February 10, 2017 by Karen Comer 14 Comments

How many books have you read, skimmed, touched, discussed, borrowed or bought this week? I decided I would tally up mine!

Read

The secret scriptures by Sebastian Barry – this was my bookclub book and and it was my turn to host. Half of our bookclub had read it, half had started it. We all agreed it was a very slow start. It’s a dual narrative with both sections written in first person. Roseanne is a one-hundred-year-old woman who has been a patient at a mental hospital in Ireland for many, many years. Dr Grene is her psychiatrist. I enjoyed Roseanne’s story more because she was the more interesting character with a strong voice. When I read Dr Grene’s sections, I had to remind myself that his story was current – his tone was quite formal for a contemporary voice.
Becoming a writer by Dorothea Brande – this book was published in the 1930s, but is still relevant today, despite the 1930s tone. I reread this book because the writer discusses the two personalities of the author – the rational or conscious side and the dreamy or unconscious part. I’m interested in this at the moment because I’m trying to balance writing a logical outline for my book so I can see where the problems lie, as well as use my subconscious to solve the problems. Wish me luck!
When the teddy bears came by Martin Waddell – this is a gorgeous picture book which is a perfect present for a toddler about to become a big sister or brother. I put all my kids’ much-loved soft toys in the washing machine yesterday – 34 degrees! – and hung them on the line to dry by their ears or tails. They looked both bedraggled and comical, and the lines of teddies and penguins and dogs reminded me of Waddell’s book, with its collection of teddy bears.
The last painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith – I have only started this book but am really enjoying it so far.

Skimmed

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi – I’m doing a cooking class next weekend with a friend, based on Ottolenghi’s recipes. I didn’t know much about him at all so I borrowed my friend’s cookbooks. We are having caramelised fennel and roasted eggplant with lamb mince for dinner this week – yum!
Information is beautiful by David McCandless – my kind brother gave me this book – I did cook him a decent dinner and agreed to be interviewed for his business! Its pages show different ways to present information, trends and statistics from different types of fish, carbon usage and the connection between facial hair and the number of people one has killed! It’s a visually stunning book – would be an asset to any marketing department. I have only flicked through it but can already see how I’ll use it as a resource for inspiration, marketing and storytelling.

Touched

One by Sarah Crossan – my friend Tess, a remarkable young woman, is going to start a bookclub with some university friends and wanted some recommendations for books on feminism, female empowerment and gender roles. So this section is for Tess, as I went through my bookshelves for options for her. One is a young adult fiction book about conjoined twins – definitely empowering.
The poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver – four sisters who leave the US with their parents to live in the Congo. Different directions, different choices by the sisters in this novel.
All that I am by Anna Funder – set in Germany during the Second World War, this is a fictional account of two female cousins who work against Hitler. Chilling.
Speaking out and The fictional woman by Tara Moss – two non-fiction books by an Australian model, author and activist. Powerful reading.
The wife drought by Annabel Crabbe – this book covers the same old ground about the division of duties at work and home between men and women. A fiery read.
Motherhood and creativity, the divided heart by Rachel Power – a series of interviews with creative women who are also mothers. While the emphasis is on creative careers, many of the stories can also be applied to the business world.

Discussed

The beast’s garden by Kate Forsyth – I lent my copy to one of the lovely baristas at my local cafe because she is an avid reader. She’s just started it, so I’m looking forward to hearing what she thinks of it when she’s read a little bit more.
Zen habits by Leo Babuto – I also lent my copy of this book to another lovely barista at the same cafe because he wanted to stop procrastinating and this book has fabulous tips for creating habits to do the things that you want to do but just can’t. However, he has been procrastinating reading it so we haven’t had any conversations about it yet!

Browsed

Big magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – I love this book, and pulled it out to flip through because I wanted some tips and tricks on how to be more creative. Will probably end up reading this one cover to cover again.
Zakka compiled by Rashida Coleman-Hale – Miss 10 and I are on a sewing project roll at the moment – we made lavender sachets in the holidays. I have found a little project in this book we could sew. Now to choose the fabric from my stash – blue flowers or blue butterflies?

Borrowed

Goodbye stranger by Rebecca Stead – my friend Renee suggested I read this as apparently Stead’s style and subject matter is similar to what I’m working on with my book. Just borrowed it yesterday from the library so I’m looking forward to a good middle-grade fiction read.
Anansi boys by Neil Gaiman – because he’s Neil Gaiman and this book happened to be lying by itself on the library shelf. Need I say more?
Fabric pictures by Janet Bolton – love a beautifully photographed craft book and the cover had me at hello!

Bought

Zero! I have a Christmas book voucher which is begging to be spent but I am trying to hold off for a little while longer.

I hope you have had an equally bookish week with fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, children’s fiction – let me know about your week in books, please.

Glimpse of greatness

September 16, 2016 by Karen Comer 17 Comments

As a reader, we want the protagonist of our story to be interesting but not perfect. We want them to reach their goal or follow their quest. They need to be vulnerable, so we can identify with them. And we want to see a glimpse of greatness – not too much because that would make them too perfect. But just enough to make us believe in their ability to reach their goal.

Last weekend, I went to a course run by Faber and Faber with Allen and Unwin – Getting published as a writer for children. Susannah Chambers, commissioning editor, was a wonderful presenter, giving us specific details about publishing proposals, editorial meetings and pitching. She explained that for Allen and Unwin to publish a book, the editors must catch a glimpse of greatness in the writer.

We all had a chance to pitch our novel to her, as well as receive feedback on the first chapter of our work in progress. Susannah’s encouraging presence made this daunting task seem possible! This kind of individual attention to aspiring authors is what sets Allen and Unwin apart from other publishers. I’ve been to many writing courses over the last six years but there’s not many that offer this kind of feedback. Susannah’s passion for books and her instinct for what worked and what didn’t work rang true throughout the whole workshop.

We also listened to Chris Miles, a children’s author, talk about his road to publication. A couple of non-fiction books, a couple of Zac Powers books, and then his children’s novel, Spurt. He reminded us that there are many opportunities out there, even if they’re not the opportunities we’re dreaming of.

We heard from Ann James, an illustrator of many, many, many picture books. She showed us her dummy books, her sketches, her finished work for books like Lucy Goosy, I’m a dirty dinosaur and Audrey of the outback. She spoke to us about the importance of ‘finding books that remind us of possibilities’. I have been to Ann’s bookshop, Books Illustrated, and I’m looking forward to visiting their new location in Albert Park one day. Now that is a place full of possibilities!

Apart from the discount Readings voucher, the discount offer on subsequent Faber and Faber course, the useful handouts and the gift of an Allen and Unwin book – yes, apart from all of that goodness! – Allen and Unwin also encourage Faber and Faber graduates to send in their work via their Friday pitch.

One of the best things about going to the Faber and Faber workshop was that my creative energy was renewed, my commitment to my writing strengthened and I felt just so delighted to be in the company of people who care about writing and publishing beautiful books.

So, my first book in my four book series for middle grade is almost complete. I’m working on a last structural edit, moving scenes around, adding in a few new ones. I’m checking my characters’ motivations, making sure I’m showing and not telling. I’m colour coding elements like setting and external goals and internal goals and tension so I can see the pacing more clearly. My writing group have offered to read another draft – thanks, team! It feels like I’m holding a woven piece on a loom, tying all the loose threads, making sure the patterns are there in the light of day, that the colours shine through, that none of the threads slip and become lost.

I’m chasing the glimpses of greatness in my protagonist, so I can send my manuscript to Allen and Unwin later in the year.

Turning conversations into stories

July 22, 2016 by Karen Comer 10 Comments

I shamelessly eavesdropped in on a conversation in a cafe this week because it was so intriguing with tones of disapproval, judgement and underlying worries. I was also part of a bookclub conversation around a table which led me to a new idea for a short story. And I had a conversation at the supermarket which left me thinking about all the small, daily stories which are invisible to us.

So if I were to write these conversations into stories, here’s how I’d start. Original material first, my spin later.

1. Judgement in a cafe

At a local cafe, I sat at a table next to three women in their eighties who were sipping coffee and nibbling pastries. Once I realised what an interesting conversation these women were having, I surreptitiously listened closely and typed as fast as I could – obviously I’ve missed a bit – there are lots of gaps!

First lady: And they think they’re going to be married after the baby comes along… well, as if that is going to happen!

Second lady: Young people and their ideas of relationships…

Third lady: I like couples to be married before the baby comes along…

Second lady: It’s the way they’ve been brought up…

First lady: He got thrown out of the congregation…

Third lady: It’s nice to celebrate in the proper order… but you can’t tell them… no responsibility, no commitment to anything…

First lady: I heard on the radio…

Second lady: I did organise to have the carpet cleaning done… it was nearly three years ago

Third lady: The bicarb soda absorbs the stain, then you vacuum it up…

First lady: So at my first consultation, she said Medicare would pay half… it’s the least of my worries at my age!

So how juicy is that? Who are these young people who dare to start a family without a marriage certificate? And what relationship do they have with the women discussing their future? Who was thrown out of the congregation? What on earth did he do? And I am a big fan of bicarbonate soda for cleaning so I am totally aligned with the third lady! What sort of procedure is the first lady having? There’s not one but many stories here.

2. The jeweller’s talent

At my bookclub meeting this week, we discussed the relationship between the two main characters, the husband and wife from The other side of the world by Stephanie Bishop and agreed that there wasn’t much in the book to describe how they felt about each other in the beginning. One of my friends told us that a work colleague’s husband, who was a jeweller, claimed that he could tell whether a couple buying an engagement or wedding ring would stay in their marriage.

Fascinating! I am already taking notes to write a short story around this. It’s like a crystal ball, isn’t it? How many heartaches could this man have saved by refusing to sell a ring on the basis that he felt their marriage wouldn’t last? In a village in the past, would this man have been respected as an elder with great wisdom? What if he were wrong and advised a pair of soulmates not to marry? I’m not sure where I’m going with this story yet, but there are many possibilities.

3. Supermarket story

Yesterday at the supermarket, I spoke with the lady at the cash register. She sometimes goes to the same pilates class I do, and she has a slight disability. We chatted about her work at the supermarket. She told me that she worked four days instead of five because her eighty-year-old mother lives with her, and requires moving and medication every three hours – day and night. So she stays up late, then sets her alarm twice in the middle of the night to help her mother out of bed, walk her around and give her medication. Then she spends eight hours standing at a cash register.

That’s a quiet story for you. And the thing is, there’s a story like that within many families where carers and parents face every morning with quiet grit and smiling determination. These stories are worth telling.

I’m wondering if you have overheard any conversations or heard any interesting stories recently?

PS. I missed writing a blog post last week because I was sick – fine now.

PPS. The women in the photo for my bookclub story are not the women in my bookclub – we are far more glamorous and gorgeous-looking!

My own worst enemy

July 1, 2016 by Karen Comer 10 Comments

That phrase, ‘I’m my own worst enemy’ is often used in a pretty glib sort of way, a quick, shallow sort of comment to be tossed out and forgotten. Might be a conversation about exercise or food habits, maybe about a television show addiction or an inability to keep your desk tidy or go to bed early.

But I’ve been thinking a little more deeply about this because I think it’s true for so many different aspects of my life. Yesterday, I needed to be somewhere at a particular time, and I knew what I wanted to have completed before I left. I was on track – so on track in fact, that I allowed myself to do another task on the computer. And then I was not only not on track but so far behind the track that I was running late. My own worst enemy.

It’s this habit of unconsciously sabotaging what you most desire to do – whether it’s arriving somewhere on time, losing weight, doing further study, keeping a tidy house, writing a book – that makes us our own worst enemy. And sometimes I justify it by telling myself that I can’t possibly do everything I value – shower my kids and husband with love and kindness, cook everything from scratch, publish that book, find the perfect light fitting for over the stairs, attend every basketball match, make sure everyone has washed, dried, folded and put-away clothes, present a stimulating and informative workshop etc etc. But sometimes you just have to forge through all the excuses and the resistance, take off the blindfold and step into the unknown. And just write. Or whatever the number one value or priority is for you.

Going deep into writing again and again means facing that resistance and focusing with clarity on what’s really important. So that I can be my own supportive mentor and wise guru, rather than my own worst enemy.

Faber and Faber workshop – revise, revise, revise

June 7, 2016 by Karen Comer 6 Comments

Writers can make the worst audience. We’re observant – we notice the over-expansive gestures, the nervous hand movements, the change in voice timbre, the long look at notes, the unusually long silence between points, the nod of approval when someone asks an intelligent question, the red flush up the neck if the technology doesn’t work, the genuine smile as someone mentions a well-loved book …

We also have so many questions. Who handles the submission process? Do I need an agent? How do I find an agent? Explain show and don’t tell again, please. What do you mean – the slush pile is 1200 manuscripts deep? Can I have your email address? What’s the difference between a structural edit and a copy-edit? Can I make you my Nana’s sausage rolls in return for a publishing deal?

And we’re so hungry for any knowledge that will improve our manuscript or smooth our way to a publishing contract. Luckily for myself and fourteen other writers, Elise Jones, senior editor at Allen and Unwin, had all the answers for us in her workshop at 100 Story Building last Saturday. And she certainly did not show any of the negative traits above!

Elise is definitely the friendliest editor I have ever met. And she was so passionate about not only her industry, but also her workplace at Allen and Unwin. She was generous in sharing her insider knowledge and tips, and her handouts really weighed my bag down on the train and tram home!

But it was the way Elise spoke about her relationships with the authors she works with that highlighted the calibre of Allen and Unwin’s editors. She talked about the authors and their books with respect and passion, and it was clear how much she loved her job, how much fun she had with the authors and how much she cared about making their books into their best possible version. As a freelance non-fiction editor, I understand how connected you become with authors and how invested you become in the success of their books, but Elise took this to a whole new level. She was inspiring.

I sat next to my middle-grade fiction friend, Renee – I want her books to be published so my kids can read them! Between us, we asked Elise a lot of questions – apologies to the other participants if we took up too much time!

Then, we listened to Kim Kane, author of picture books, middle-grade fiction and a young adult novel talk to us about her experience of publication with Allen and Unwin. Kim’s word to describe the difference between a published author and an unpublished author was tenacity. This is not to discount talent, but tenacity – sending your work out again and again, dealing with rejection again and again, revising your manuscript again and again – is what really matters.

Twenty-three drafts over five years with many rejections for my first book – think I’m starting to learn the meaning of the word tenacity!

Interview – author Natasha Lester

May 24, 2016 by Karen Comer 12 Comments

I read Natasha Lester’s latest book, A kiss from Mr Fitzgerald, over two nights and sneaked in half a chapter here and there. Evie is a fascinating character in her own right, but when you add her culture – 1920s New York, medical school and the Ziegfeld Follies – you add another layer to her character.

Natasha is also the author of What is left over, after and If I should lose you, both contemporary novels. Natasha is a generous blogger – she blogs about her writing process and the books she’s reading, with many useful tips for writers. As a reader, I’m always interested in Natasha’s video bookclub chats to find some new stories to read and as a writer, I’m keen to learn as much as I can from Natasha’s tips. I’m grateful she has agreed to be interviewed for my blog!

KC: For any readers who haven’t heard about your book, can you tell us what it is about?

NL: A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald is about Evie, whose mother wants her to marry the handsome and wealthy boy next door. But, it’s 1922 and women are just starting to work and to live away from their families and to earn their own money. Evie thinks she might like to do this too, rather than marry immediately, and a horrific experience of helping a woman give birth in secret by a river, makes Evie determined to put her science classes to good use and to be one of the first women to go to medical school.

It’s a battle though: society and her parents are scandalised by her decision, the medical school isn’t eager to admit more women to its ranks, and Charles, the boy next door, isn’t sure he wants to marry a woman who is doing something so unconventional. So, Evie has to decide: does she follow her dream and risk losing everyone she loves, or does she become like her mother, content to spend her days on embroidery and afternoon naps?

KC: Evie is such a likeable character – she’s privileged and hardworking, ambitious and kind-hearted, naïve and later a little hardened. She’s also a Zeigfeld Follies girl and a medical student! What did you do to get to know Evie and develop her?

NL: The first thing I did was just write the first draft, to see what her story was and what kind of person she might be. Then I did a lot of research into the Ziegfeld Follies and the experiences of the first female medical students and this showed me how tough and stubborn and uncompromising she would need to be, how much of herself she would have to be willing to give up in order to chase after her dream. I re-wrote the book with this in mind, making her more determined, but also showing her courage: that she was afraid and lonely but she kept going because she wanted to help women, and she knew that there was nobody else who would do what she’d set out to do. So she evolved very organically, taking shape with each draft and with the research, which is the way I like all of my characters to emerge.

KC: The setting is almost like a character – what did you do to research New York in the 1920s?

I went to New York a couple of times—the first time I got stuck in Hurricane Sandy, which was an awful experience so I had to abandon all hopes of research. I went back a few months later and had a wonderful time in the archives of Columbia Medical School, sifting through the lecture notes from one of the first females to go through the school.

I also went to the New York Public Library’s Theatre on Film and Tape division at the Lincoln Centre and pored over boxes of wage sheets, programs, letters, and photographs about the Ziegfeld Follies, which Evie joins in order to support herself through medical school.

And I walked the streets of Greenwich Village and the Upper East Side, two locations which feature heavily in the book, and where much of the architecture is the same as it would have been when my characters walked the streets in the 1920s. I studied 1920s transport maps to be sure my characters caught the right trains, a memoir of a female ambulance surgeon, and books and articles about the obstetric practices of the time.

KC: I loved how the sibling relationships between Evie and her sister Viola were mirrored by the relationship between the two Whitman brothers, Thomas and Charles. Did you set that up deliberately or did that theme emerge as you wrote the book?

NL: I’d wanted to write a book about two sisters from the outset, and I also had the idea of them living next door to two brothers, and that one of the brothers would end up with the sister nobody expected him to. The rest of it emerged out of the writing: I always find that I start out with the vaguest of ideas and, somehow, in putting words down on the page, the real story behind the idea emerges.

KC: How long did it take to write your book, and what was your process? How many drafts did you work on?

NL: It took about 2 years, not that I was working on it that whole time. When I wrote the first draft in 2013, I still had a 3 year old who wasn’t at school, as well as my 5 and 7 year olds who were. So I wrote during his nap time only and, that year, I wrote the first draft and at least 2 more redrafts. Then, the next year, my son was in Kindy two days a week and I had more time to work on it. By then, I knew I had an agent who wanted to represent the book, but I needed to do another substantial re-write on it. Once that was finished, in late 2014, it was pitched out to publishers.

KC: Did you have any difficult moments during the writing of this book? What made it difficult and what helped you to continue on?

NL: The most difficult thing was thinking it would never be published, and wondering what I would do if it was rejected, and I could no longer justify being a writer. I love writing, and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But I knew I was taking a huge risk: changing genre, which would mean changing agents and publishers and that, to pull off all 3 of those things was almost impossible. But the thing I’ve learned over the years is that you can’t let any of the self-doubts stop you from writing. You have to sit down and write anyway. So I made myself keep going, despite the fact I was so worried that moving from contemporary fiction to historical fiction might not be the most sensible thing to do! It was what I wanted to do, however, so I just had to go with my gut.

KC: What did you love most about writing this book?

NL: The actual writing. It was the most fun and joyful writing experience I’ve ever had. I loved every minute of it and couldn’t wait to get back to it everyday. I thought about the book constantly. I loved the research, loved evoking the setting of 1920s New York, loved exploring Evie’s character, loved getting the world of the Ziegfeld Follies onto the page, loved exploring the way birthing and obstetrics has changed so much in less than 100 years. And I especially loved making Evie a fighter, who did whatever she could to push against the views of society and the men in charge who thought what she did was preposterous.

KC: A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald is such a visual book – I can see it as a movie! Who would you like to see play Evie if your book became a film?

NL: This is such a hard question because I hardly ever watch films and so I’m hopeless with remembering actors’ names. If Cate Blanchett was younger, I could easily see her as Evie – although Cate Blanchett is so amazing she could probably pull of being a girl in her early twenties!

KC: How do you manage to stay present for your family and also absorb yourself in your writing? I’m looking for tips, please!

NL: I’m not always present! My family knows that I’m apt to nod my head at them with a glazed look on my face which means I’m thinking about my book and not listening to them at all! What I try to do is to carve out time, and to let them know that I’ve carved out those times. So, when I’m in the middle of a structural edit and need to work on weekends, I’ll let them know that in advance so they understand Daddy is the one in charge and that they need to ask him all their questions. I find that the more I communicate with them about what I’m doing, the prouder they are of me and my books, and so the less they mind if I need to work; they understand that I’m working for a certain amount of time and I will come and play a game with them at the time I’ve promised.

KC: I know your next book is due for release next year. Can you tell us anything about it?

NL: My next novel, due to be published in 2017, begins in England on the last day of the first world war. The main character, Leonora, suffers a huge loss which forces her to move to New York. The book is about the start of the cosmetics industry, and Leonora’s role in taking the lipsticks she used to make in her father’s chemist shop to the women of New York. At the same time, she has to change the way society thinks of cosmetics: that they shouldn’t only be worn by movie stars and ladies of the night but that they can be worn by ordinary women too. Part of the book takes place in the years 1919-1922, and then skips ahead to August 1939, in the month before the second world war.

Thank you, Natasha! Natasha has written a prequel to A kiss from Mr Fitzgerald – so if you’d like to meet Evie, it’s available as a free download here.

5 tips for writing about setting

April 26, 2016 by Karen Comer 10 Comments

My second children’s novel is set around the Yarra River in Richmond, Melbourne. Yesterday, we all went for a walk/cycle/scooter ride around the Yarra, and while I made sure the kids didn’t fall into the river, I took photos and notes on my phone.

This is what I was looking for:

The season – what season/season is your novel set in? Think about the weather, the clothes your characters are wearing, the light at different times of the day, the colour of the trees, the balance between inside and outside living, the food they will eat. If your characters are experiencing the harshest winter of all times, they are hardly likely to be having an earth-shattering conversation with the antagonist on the beach with the glaring sun on their bare shoulders.
The five senses – touch, taste, sight, sound, smell. Are your characters appreciating the different colours of the changing autumn leaves or are they smelling roast chicken and an apple pie in the kitchen? Are they eating hot chips at the footy or are they smelling the jasmine in spring? Can they touch the wet grass in winter or are they pulling up handfuls of freshly-mown grass in spring? Can they hear a street protest from their city apartment or can they hear kids playing from a nearby school?
Is your setting quiet or loud? Is your protagonist surrounded by lots of people constantly? Does she work in a noisy environment? Does he live by himself or with others? Does she like to do things by herself or with others? Does your protagonist live in a city or rural area? Is your protoganist surrounded by music or silence?
View the setting through your character’s eyes, not your eyes. My 12 year-old protagonist is not going to notice the same sorts of things that I will. He’s a street artist so on his river walk he’s looking at the graffiti as much as he’s looking at the river. He’s going to notice other kids’ bikes and shoes, not anything to do with adults.
Use the setting to add details to your plot. My protagonist is going to have conversations while cycling on the river track, so he might have to call back over his shoulder to his friend behind him. There are office buildings and apartment blocks and restaurants looming over the river – there are characters who live or work in those buildings who will interact with my protagonist.

C. S. Lakin in The twelve key pillars of novel construction writes, ‘The more you have the setting of each scene affect and impact your characters in some way, the more real and personal your story will feel.’

It’s hard to imagine Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights being so mysterious and brooding without the backdrop of the moors. Barbara Kingsolver’s The poisonwood bible is set predominantly in the Belgian Congo – the place is almost a character it is so important. The remoteness of the lighthouse off the Western Australian coast in M. L. Stedman’s The light between oceans means that the characters make decisions based on their isolated living there.

The settings in our lives are important. Bet you can remember something particular about your grandparents’s house – I remember the coloured aluminium cups with silver bases, lined up neatly on top of my grandparents’ fridge. The table you eat at every night, your favourite restaurant and the view from one particular corner in it, a favourite beach, the street corner where you meet your children after school … these shape our lives and our daily interactions with others.

Which books evoke the strongest sense of setting for you? Is it an amazing international location or is it the local and familiar?

How to make blank books for kids

April 5, 2016 by Karen Comer 4 Comments

As well as reading books, the kids and I have been making some books as well. Perfect holiday activity. Here’s instructions for two different types of books to make – one with a sewn binding and the other with a stick and rubber band.

Excuse my photos – I don’t usually post my own photos as I can’t claim any skill with a camera!

Sewn binding blank book

Place five pieces of white A4 paper on top of a coloured piece of A4 paper.
Make sure they are stacked neatly, and then fold in the middle to make an A5 size book.
Use a sewing machine to sew down the crease, doubling over your stitching at the top and bottom.
You can use white cotton and snip off your threads to make it look neat or you can use a contrasting cotton like red and leave the thread ends dangling for an artistic look.
It will take you longer to thread your sewing machine than sew these books – so it’s worth making a pile of them at once!

Rubber band and stick book

Place three pieces of white A4 paper on top of a coloured piece of A4 paper.
Make sure they are stacked neatly, and then fold in the middle to make an A5 size book.
Use a guillotine or scissors to cut your books. Our books measured 10.5cm long and 7cm wide but you can make them smaller than this. You can make two books from the A4 size paper, with some scraps left over.
Choose a sturdy twig from your garden or the park and snap it if necessary so it is just a little shorter than the length of your book.
Use a single hole punch to punch a hole about 1.5cm in from both ends of your book, along the folded side.
Put the stick on top of your book, with an end over each hole.
Thread the doubled loop of a rubber band through one hole from the back and put it over the stick.
Thread the other doubled loop of the rubber band through the other hole from the back and put it over the stick.

Of course, you can use your blank books for any type of writing or drawing project. Mr 6 started to write a story about Jack and his soccer boots. Miss 9 began a story about a girl who wanted a tiger for a pet. With each story, we used these writing worksheets as prompts for the story. I find it’s easier to start with the character, then ask what the character wants. Often kids are great at coming up with a character, but then don’t know what to do with their character. The writing worksheets guide kids to

create their character
work out what their character wants
think of some obstacles or an antagonist that might stop their character getting what they want.

And there, you have your story started!

Let me know if you find these worksheets or blank books useful.

April writing

April 1, 2016 by Karen Comer 11 Comments

A quarter of the year gone! I am equal parts contented and disturbed by this – contented because every passing month brings us closer to the end of our renovation. And disturbed because, well, every passing month means the year is flying by, my kids are growing older and my writing is progressing too slowly for my liking.

I recently read a book on time management – 168 hours, you have more time than you think by Laura Vanderkam – I’ll write a separate blog post on this later. I followed her suggestion to keep a time log for a week, tracking time from waking up to going to bed, in half hour increments. Tedious – yes! Illuminating – yes! Because I could see that I spent more time in March on our renovations than writing. And my writing moved slowly.

So I don’t want to make any grand writing plans in April because I need to catch up on my writing and blogging, and because it’s school holidays. And because my husband and I have started watching House of Cards!

I’m pleased I sent off my first book into a publishing competition and to a literary agent. Fingers crossed. I’ve written half a short story – will finish it off this month and send it off to another competition. And I’ll keep going with my second book, using all the gems of information I gained from Kate Forsyth’s writing workshop.

Thank you for reading my blog – I’m so grateful for your support and interest.

The dark heart of writing and parenting

March 22, 2016 by Karen Comer 10 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how writing and parenting go hand in hand, and how my parenting informs my writing or my writing influences my parenting. Both these aspects of my life are so important and entwined for me. These three qualities come to mind:

1. Empathy

I have written a few times on this blog about how reading makes us more empathetic, and writing does too. Last week, my husband and I dealt with three separate mini-crisises with two of our kids. It took all my parenting skills to remain empathetic and calm! And this also called on my writing skills – to imagine yourself in the shoes of your character (or kid), to have enough perception to see the bigger picture, to see these small incidents as merely plot points in the growth of my characters (or kids.)

2. Invisibility

Sometimes writing, like parenting is invisible. Some of my best parenting moments have not been witnessed by anyone – the many times I got out of bed to breastfeed my hungry baby, no matter how tired I was. Or the one exchanged look across the room with Miss 9, which told her everything she needed to know at the moment. Or deliberately choosing to make the inner, positive shift in mindset which changed the whole mood for my family. Some of my best writing is in a letter, only read by one person. One of my finest pieces of writing is the letter I wrote to Mr 12 for his confirmation last year. He keeps it folded up tight and safe in his wallet.

3. Depth

It also takes such heart and courage to go into the dark places, in both writing and parenting. It’s so much easier to skate on the surface of both, to fob off a cry for help from one of my kids with a ‘It’ll be ok, it’ll sort itself out’. Or to say, ‘I expect better from you, don’t do it again’ instead of spending more time talking to find out why there is a change in negative behaviour. Or to merely state that my character is lonely, rather than show her wandering around the playground by herself. It would be so much easier to dismiss these emotions rather than delve deeply into them, and have those conversations with my kids about how they are feeling and why they are expressing themselves in anger, rather than recognising that they are sad or confused. And it would be easier to write ‘Freya was lonely’ rather than create a back story and a history which develops her character into someone who is unsure of herself. This dark heart of parenting and writing requires commitment and courage. But if I’m not prepared to go there for my kids and readers, then I’m letting them all down.

I am not a published author and I am not a perfect parent, but I am here and committed for the duration of both paths.

PS. I’ll be taking a short break over the Easter holidays. Have a lovely Easter, thanks for reading my blog and I’ll be back in a week or so.