I have a love/hate relationship with snow. I love the beauty of it and the inspiration it can provide. I hate the way the UK grinds to a halt with a bit of snow. I hate it even more this year as I can't risk falling and it is making me feel very old and trapped in my home.
Many years ago if it snowed when you were at primary school suddenly all classes were adapted. Everything was changed to accommodate snow related exercises. You would be given the chance to write about it. Now as we are older I think sometimes we forget about that joy, so for my students, who couldn't get to class on Friday as the university was closed and the snow fell out of the sky, I sent them an email asking them to write about the snow. I wonder what they will come up with. Maybe today I will write about it too.
In the meantime a good friend sent me this poem via her over heated environment and it is just so beautiful I had to share. It is 'Snow' by Gillian Clarke:
We're brought to our senses, awake to the black and whiteness of world. Snow's sensational. It tastes of ice and fire. Hold a handful of cold.
Ball it between your palms to throw at the moon. Relish its plushy creak. Shake blossoms from chestnut and beech, gather its laundered linen in your arms.
A twig of witch hazel from the ghost-garden burns like myrrh in this room. Listen! ice is whispering. Night darkens, the mercury falls in the glass, glistening.
Motorways muffled in silence, lorries stranded like dead birds, airports closed, trains trackless. White paws lope the river on plates of ice in the city's bewildered wilderness. It appears in her collection Ice which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, 2013. How fabulous are some of those images - 'ice is whispering' for example? This post serves no purpose other than to celebrate wonderful writing and snow. A former student posted this piece of music and suggested you looked out of the window at the snow as you listened to it and then try and write something. Be inspired. A good exercise I think. The music is Balmorhea's Winter Circle
Last week at the launch of The Golden Egg Academy we spoke about the importance of support for writers. Writing is not easy and you spend an awful lot of time on your own so having others to talk to about it is invaluable. This week has been a tough one for me what with starting teaching again, trying to write a whole ream of new modules and prepare a revalidation document AND write a book proposal was leaving me feeling totally exhausted and fairly deflated. But then the wonderful Candy Gourlay set up the 7 meme on Facebook. She told us we had to go to the seventh or seventy seventh page of our current work in progress, go seven lines down and post the next seven lines.
Firstly, it was wonderful to see brief and tantalizing snippets from so many people. But then it was the comments I got on my few lines by friends who I respect and admire - they were so enthusiastic - all wanting more. The way Trafficking is set out it wasn't feasible for me to use that so I used my new work in progress which currently only has two chapters written - Persephone's Pegasus - so it is very raw and I don't often share this early on. But it reminded me of how good it felt to have feedback on your work. It gave me a new impetus and thanks to a snow day the uni was closed and I was able to do a bit of my own writing when I had finished what I needed to. It felt good. I realised how much I miss writing when I can't get to it. It makes me feel whole again and lifted my spirit enormously.
I have watched a good friend, who has been through a difficult year which has impacted on her time and ability to write, find her writing mojo again and the work she is producing is outstanding. It is something that I have come to accept, if you are a writer you have to write to feel well and good about the world. Matt Haig spoke about his battle with depression and how writing helped him in a post he did for the Book Trust. It was powerful and humbling piece to read.
Never underestimate the importance of support when you are writing. It can come in all sorts of forms. I know some will disagree but Facebook and Twitter can be a great support. I have made some fantastic friendships through Facebook and keep in contact with many, many writers from all over the world. I had the joy of a fascinating conversation about metafiction in children's literature with the inimitable Philip Ardargh earlier this week. It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Facebook. Critique groups are another great source of support whether face to face or online. And of course there are groups like the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators who provide support too. (Also look at the Golden Egg website to see what support you can get there) Just remember to keep writing and keep talking about it. And if you have friends who write remember they need support too.
As all writers love cake and I am midlife (sort of) here's My Friend the Chocolate Cake with A Midlife's Tale
A couple of years ago Imogen Cooper, senior editor with Chicken House, came to the university to talk to our MA students and it was one of those instances when you meet someone and you feel like you have known them for years. We become instant friends. The more we talked the more we realised we felt the same about books and writing (she even liked my own writing - big plus!). She is the most wonderful and inspirational person I know. Her passion and her ability to edit books is outstanding so you can imagine how thrilled I was when earlier this year she approached me to see if I would be interested in joining her in a new venture - The Golden Egg Academy. I didn't need to think twice, my answer was an immediate 'yes'.The chance to work with the likes of Imogen, Christine O'Brien (editor at Chicken House, OUP and Frances Lincoln) and Beverley Birch (editor at Hodder) was not something to be missed.
Yesterday was the hatching of The Golden Egg Academy down at Bath and it was a glorious afternoon surrounded by friends, authors, would be writers, agents and publishers. So much laughter and a glorious cake. The event was 'hatched' by the inimitable Barry Cunningham of Chicken House who called us all a panel of scary ladies - I have never been called that, it was quite an empowering moment! He then went on to speak about the importance of readers and having great books to inspire them. We all then spoke a bit about our thoughts regarding children's books. I mentioned how important children's literature is and what The Golden Academy can do for you; Imogen spoke about how you must know what your novel is about; Beverley followed her by talking about 'understanding your voice,' and then Christine finished off with discussing finding your inner child again. Following a brief respite for cake, actor and team member, Suzanne Cave, read out excerpts of work from Kay Varley, Christina Vinall and Claire Difazio, all of whom went on to discuss how they had been working with Imogen and the difference it had made to their work. All this was achieved with the help of Nicki Marshall and Zoe Taylor. (Huge thanks has to go to everyone for such an amazing day)
So much laughter!
The Golden Egg Academy is all about the holistic approach. It is about working with you as a writer and building relationships as well as working on your manuscript so it is the best it can possibly be. There will be editorial surgeries, workshops and one to ones available. We are all looking forward to working with you. Please do check out the website and see what a difference it could make for you.
In the meantime this is what all writers do: Sitting, Wishing, Waiting....
On Thursday the Daily Mail published an article by Tanith Carey entitled 'The 'sick-lit' books aimed at children: It's a disturbing phenomenon. Tales of teenage cancer, self-harm and suicide...' It has caused quite a stir and not just with me. To me this is typical sensationalist reporting that hasn't really thought through what is being said. There is the odd academic reference to offer credibility and a single quote from an author offering a defence. (I suggest you read Phil Earle's books - they are brilliant) But there is a lot more out there that counters what Ms Carey says, which she has very carefully avoided.
For a start, sick children in books are not new. Just think of Heidi, Little Women, The Secret Garden and What Katy Did. In some of these books, steps back in mock horror, someone dies! Did it stop people reading them? No! There is a reason for this, sometimes children want to read about the reality of their lives and many of them don't live perfect lives. This is not going to change and neither should it. I am not saying that all books should include teenage cancer and self-harm but I do believe if they are relevant to the story and are well told they should remain. I feel the same about sex, drugs and alcohol. I should also admit I am not truly convinced by suicide story lines and whether they fit in at the moment but that in the main is based on the fact that I have not read any of the books mentioned that deal with suicide so don't feel I can comment.
I am an academic as well as a writer and my PhD looked at the representation of sex, drugs and alcohol in British young adult fiction. Yes, I admit the representation has changed and become more graphic but I feel this is only a reflection of what children are able to access via the TV and the Internet. I do not (and neither does my research) see it as a reflection of what children are actually up to. For me, and backed up by my research, books are all about the vicarious experience. The children may never intend to take drugs etc but they want to know how to react in any given situation. This is what books can do, they can provide the vicarious experience between the safe page turning of a good book. It should not be knocked nor should it be dismissed. Books that deal with contentious issues need to remain. They need to offer children a chance to escape and ask questions of themselves and the text in safety. A book also means you can go back to certain bits whenever you want to if you are still unsure. No one is going to know because reading is a private matter.
Reading as a child/teenager is all part of working out who you are. It is all part of the search for an identity. Books are a chance to try on different voices and identities to see how they fit in the safe environment of between the pages.
The article says that there is a risk that it will encourage people to self harm etc if they read these books. Well on a simplistic level, if you read lots of crime stories do you go out there and commit a crime? Yes, there may be a minority that will do something wrong but that is the case for everything and you can't assume that they wouldn't have done it anyway. I also note she mentions Twilight but fails to mention how it shows an abusive relationship as being acceptable. I can only assume she doesn't see that as a problem.
Yes, I am passionate about this as I feel it is important to give children chances to read about life. They may never chose to do that. They may only ever read fantasy but it should not be up to us. I am confident that the gatekeepers that are in place like publishers, editors, booksellers and librarians will protect children from unsuitable books (this could be an issue with self published books but that is for another post and not for today). The most important thing for me as a writer is to provide stories that are well written and that children want to read. I am not all about shock tactics but will use contentious issues if they fit into my story and that is never going to change. The most important thing to me is that we offer books that children can escape into and, as I said earlier, to ask questions of.
Here is a bit of Teenage Dirtbag because it seems appropriate as I used to listen to it with my, then, teenage children and who are now delightful adults despite having lived 'interesting' lives...I know how lucky I am that they have turned out how they have.
It is the last day of 2012 and I have had a look back at my post for this time last year to see what I said. I had had such a momentous year in 2011 I was then feeling quite lost and wondering what 2012 could bring me to top it. Well no, it didn't top it, (I don't think anything ever will) but it was still pretty damn good.
What I could never of anticipated at the beginning of the year was that I would have a 'proper' job (or two). In September I was lucky enough to get a .5 lecturer's position at Winchester after several years of being an HPL. It is an amazing feeling and one that still, even now, doesn't feel quite real. I am still waiting for someone to wake me up and say 'Ha! Only joking...' But in the meantime I keep working hard at it and love it so much even through all the stress. I then also got the position of Skills Development Manager for all post graduate students at the uni - that is going to be very exciting and challenging as a position.
A year ago I had no idea either that I would be involved in a project with the gorgeous Imogen Cooper - The Golden Egg Academy. Such an exciting experience and another chance to work with some incredible people. I cannot wait for the launch in January. I think GE is going to grow and grow next year beyond any of our thoughts or expectations. Bring it on. On the creative side I am still (yes I know) working on Trafficking and have also started a new story as well. I wonder what 2013 will bring for them?
I also had no idea I would have a new knee - a very shiny one according to the brochure that the very excited surgeon showed me before he inserted the contraption in my leg. It is apparently the 'best in the world'. I am sure in the long run it will be amazing but I am still battling through times of intense pain. I can't wait to be without crutches though. I did manage to ride the static bike the other day so can't wait to get it moving even more. I should add at this point that I will be eternally grateful to my children and Jen W and Nicky S who helped me get through some really dark times in the last few weeks. I owe you all.
That brings me neatly on to friends. I am lucky I have some amazing ones who have brought so much joy, laughter, writing, art and music into my life. Some are many miles away and some are very close. Friends are an important part of life and I treasure every single one of you. Thank you for being part of my life. I hope all your dreams comes true in 2013 and for many of you I know that would be a publishing contract.
There have been some low moments too of course. However, if you don't have those how could you appreciate the good. But I am not going to dwell on those. I had a chapter in a book published and I gave a couple of papers - one at Great Writing 2012 and one on technology in creative writing at a conference held at Winchester in July. Of course to start the new year I have been invited to co-write, with AM, a chapter for another book as well. What else shall I do next year? Well the aim is to get another book proposal out there based on my PhD and maybe a few more conferences. But we will see.
Oh yes next year....a momentous year for many reasons. Firstly I am going to be fabulous 50 in February and I fully intend to embrace the idea of fabulousness! Secondly, my beautiful daughter is getting married in September to a fantastic man and that is going to be one hell of a celebration. I know I am lucky with my family and how much of them I see. Watching N grow into a toddler is one of my greatest joys. Seeing my boys develop into men that I am proud of as well. I wondered what other excitement 2013 will bring me.
In the meantime, this is how I am going to approach 2013, I hope you will join me, let's dance....don't stop me now!
I don't normally take photos of my legs and my laptop but there was a specific reason. A call went out by the Notes from the Slushpile lot of photos of us writing for their 12 Days of Christmas blog....it seemed a good idea at the time. Check it out here: http://networkedblogs.com/Gg1yz
Anyway, in case you hadn't guessed, I have just undergone some surgery and because of the amount of pain I have been taking huge amounts of drugs including morphine. I kept thinking of all those amazing writers who produced incredible stuff whilst consuming vast amounts of laudanum and wondered when my moment was going to come. When were these amazing words going to fall out of my fingers onto the screen? They didn't, they have stayed resolutely buried within my grey matter, which has got greyier by the day.
I have been reading (and rereading as the drugs seem to make taking anything in an impossibility) an essay by Zadie Smith entitled 'Rereading Barthes and Nabokov.' It is a good essay and I intended to write a highfaluting response - again mega fail on my part - one day I will but not yet. What I did keep getting attracted to was an idea of Milan Kundera's that she mentions: 'Great novels are always a little more intelligent than their authors.'And I believe this is no less the case with children's books when you write them. They should take the author beyond what they know and understand in the same way. My great friend Foucault talks about this too when he says 'it would probably not be worth the trouble of making books if they failed to teach the author something he hadn't known before.' This flies in the face slightly of 'write what you know' but if we only wrote what we knew a lot of books would never have been written - how may of you went to Wizard schools, have ridden on the back of polar bears or have fallen through the back of a wardrobe to find a Narnia....
Writing is in fact all about challenging everyone - not just the writer but the reader too. Taking them to all sorts of new places. Opening the reader's eyes and giving them a chance to dance in new worlds. The point with children is they often understand far more than they can articulate so the books you write for them need to be a challenge too.
...and that's as far as I can go with my response to the essay. And my dreams of amazing words dissolved in the morphine blues. Maybe next week will be better I will see the world clearly again and in the meantime something for me to escape into:
I had a very different post planned for this blog but just couldn't bring myself to write it following the events in the States on Friday. I don't think there was one of us who didn't hug our children or grandchildren tighter that night. This photo is of my grandson when he woke up and found a Christmas tree had sprouted in his lounge on Saturday morning. Last year he was too young to take much notice but this year it was a little different as you can see.
It is those precious moments, a mere snapshot, that mean you can build a whole life time of memories. On Friday a young man decided to wipe out any future memories for so many families. They will be left with the ones they already have, which will be unbelievably precious and they will never let fade. But there are no new moments to be made. Their lives hit a sudden and cruel full stop. I cannot imagine how you handle that but there are many people all over the world dealing with just that. Wars, conflict and crime punctuate our lives.
There are, quite rightly, a lot of arguments and chest beating going on about the gun laws in the US but we all know it is so much more than that. What about mental health care provision? Where's that? I was lucky enough to have a full knee replacement this week, fully funded by the NHS, I will be fighting fit in a very few weeks. If I was in the US I doubt I would have been able to afford it. Don't get me wrong, we are not perfect, there is a lot wrong with our country too. And I am not going to use this post as a political diatribe there are many who can do that way better than I can. There are times when we need to stop and look at ourselves and what we are doing to this world.
If I am honest my thoughts are with the survivors and with the families who have lost someone. They will be getting through each day at a time. Facing the world wondering how they can do it. As a writer of children's books I am aware that a lot of innocence will have been lost on Friday. It is my hope that these children can find ways to recover their childhood a bit by disappearing into good books that will take them by the hand and remind them how to live again.
Sending everyone who has lost someone strength and love as we head towards this holiday season
vided that full and clear credit is given to me, Vanessa Harbour, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. This is my personal blog and as such these are my opinions. The information provided here is on an as-is basis; I make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use.
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