sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Poetry Friday: Dear Herbert

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Hello from Adelaide!

I am really fortunate to be here as the guest of the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust, on a Creative Time Fellowship. These fellowships are amazing: each recipient is given the gift of time and space to write, or illustrate, for a whole month.

And what a gift that is. Like so many other creators, I have a day job which keeps me busy, and has kept me especially busy over the Covid years. So the gift of a month out of the daily routine, with accommodation and a change of location so that I don’t slip into usual routines, is amazing. Couple that with the loveliest support from the volunteers at the trust, to ensure I have everything I need, and I could well be in heaven.

While I am here, my goal is to complete drafts of two books – a verse novel and a historical. Both are projects I have planned for some time, and I am really excited to have time to get them down.

The verse novel actually started out as a picture book manuscript, which I just could not get right and so kept putting aside. But, no matter how much I neglected it, for several years the main character Herbert has been whispering to me that I needed to write his story. And, eventually, I realised that Herbert, and the other characters, were going to need more space than a picture book provided, to each tell their stories. They needed a verse novel.

So when I sat down here in Adelaide I had a plan for this story, and was ready to start writing. But something very unexpected happened. Herbert, it seemed, was not going to behave himself. While the other characters were very aware that verse novels are usually written in free verse, Herbert seemed to have other ideas. In fact, he seems to have a poetic mind all of his own!

So, it seems, I am writing a verse novel where the main character just breaks out into rhyme like a Winnie the Pooh sidekick (I half expect a tiddly-pom to appear at any moment). But, oddly, it seems to be working, so far, and I am just going with the flow. And, while I don’t generally share drafts of my work in progress here on my blog, it seemed a good exercise to write to Herbert and tell him what I think about his penchant for rhyme.

Dear Herbert

You’ve been whispering to me for years
telling me your story
dropping little reminders –
like the beautiful daffodils
that bloomed so delightfully
this Spring
and the homeless man I encountered
on my walk this morning.
You have made sure
that I won’t leave your story
to rot
in my ideas folder
or notepad.
You have whispered
plot points
at random times –
some of them most inopportune.
And I have listened
and set aside this time
to get your story into shape.
But why
oh why
oh why
did you not ever tell me
that you must speak in rhyme?
Yours in bemusement
Sally

It didn’t surprise me that Herbert decided he must write back.

Dear Sally

I have a story

that much is true

which  I’ve whispered and muttered

and shouted to you.

You’ve taken your time

to pay me good heed –

the years have gone by

since I planted the seed.

I’ve waited, impatient,

for my day to come

and meantime it seems

I have mastered the drum

of rhythm and rhyme

and all it can do

so pick up the pace

and carry it through.

You’ll see that my story

will work out this way

with your free verse sincerity

and my sense of play.

Love, Herbert

 

Somehow, I think Herbert is right. The little pockets of rhyme are very fun to create and, hopefully, will give a sense of play in the midst of more serious moments. Time will tell.

I’m getting back to work now, but not before I  head over to see what my fellow Poetry Fridayers are doing today. The roundup is hosted by Matt. And, if you’d like to keep up with what I’m doing in Adelaide,  I’m posting daily  glimpses on Instagram .

Writing a Series Vs Writing a Stand Alone Story

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Cover Sage Cookson 1I’ve written over 40 books (actually, hundreds if you count the ones I’ve written that haven’t been published) and the writing of each one has been different. But Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape is the first book in my first ever series and, as such, I was keenly aware as I wrote it of how different writing the first book in a series is from writing a stand alone story.

  1. Firstly, before I could write story number one I had to have a strong premise for the whole series: strong enough to cover at least four distinct stories (since that was the number specified in the initial contract). I needed a premise that would give my characters opportunity to experience conflicts (problems) which would be varied but revolve around the same characters. I came up with the idea of a girl whose parents were television chefs, since that would allow me to use varied locations and scenarios.
  2. Secondly, I had to plan my characters. Every story needs characters, but again, in a series, I had to plan not just the main characters – Sage, her parents, and her best friend Lucy – but also minor characters. In the first book I decided there would be two ‘baddies’ and I had to decide if they would be recurrent characters and whether they would be bumbling baddies or really nasty. This would set the tone for the rest of the series and was really important. In the end I decided my baddies would be not comic-book bumbling, but still a bit silly rather than horribly bad.

    Sage Cookson, the title character, is a girl who has lots of adventures.

    Sage Cookson, the title character, is a girl who has lots of adventures.

  3. Thirdly, I needed to consider the level of self-containment. Some series must be read in the order of release to make sense, with each title leaving the reader on a cliff-hanger so that they want to read the next book to find out what happens next. Others are so self-contained that each book stands completely alone, and there is no need to read one to understand the others. I decided I wanted to sit somewhere between those two extremes: I want each story to be resolved so that a reader is left satisfied, and I also want a reader who picks up book 2 or 3 or 4 not to feel lost. But, at the same time, I want my characters to develop over the series. So, the books are sequential, but after Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape, each book will include enough mention of back-story that a reader isn’t left confused, without those earlier stories being ruined for a reader who wants to go back and read them out of order.

 

I am still working on the series, and the exciting news is that there will be at least six books in all. And, as I write each book I think back over these three points, and continue to learn more and more about series writing. I hope Sage Cookson won’t be the only series I write in my career.

In the meantime, Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape is now available online and in good bookstores.

A Picture That Paints a Thousand Names (Well, Almost)

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When I was researching for and planning 1915, I realised that a famous photo which I had looked at many times was, in fact, of the 11th Battalion of the AIF and, as such, would form a perfect starting point for my book. Stanley, my main character, is a member of the 11th and,as such, would have been in that  photo (were he, of course, not fictional).

So, a photo that I had already loved become even more treasured as I wrote. The photo is of the 11th in front of, and on, the Cheops Pyramid, in January 1915, a few months before they landed at Gallipoli. It’s an amazing photo because it features over 700 men, and  although it is a formal shot, the poses of the men, their faces, and the items they are holding give a glimpse into the many different personalities of the men.

Last week,  I took my son to the Curtin University  Open Day and, when he went off with some friends, I found myself wandering a little aimlessly. Something called me into the John Curtin Gallery. I thought perhaps I might see some art. But what I saw as I walked through the door took my breath away. There was my photo – the Cheops photo – blown up to almost  lifesize proportions on a wall. I burst into tears and then smiled, amazed at what I was seeing.

curtin 4

The reason the photo was there was because in this, the centenary of the year it was taken and the men pictured in it fought in the Great War, a project is underway to identify the men in the photo. Anyone who has a family member who might be in the photo is encouraged to try to identify them within the photo. You can find out more about this project here or contact  WAGS

I sat in front of the photo for ages, amazed at just how much more can be seen with it enlarged. The clarity is amazing. I chatted to other viewers, and had a wonderful conversation with a young boy who pointed out an Aboriginal soldier related to a class mate, and told me both how proud he was of him, but also his sorrow at the difficulties faced by Aboriginal soldiers on their return to civilian life.

Afterwards, I sat at a nearby table and made a red felt poppy, which I placed with others in front of the picture. I hope nobody minds that I dedicated mine to Stanley, who is very very real to me.

curtin 2 curtin 5

 

 

Teacher Characters # 2: Miss Bruff

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A few days ago I chatted about why I include teacher characters in my books, and introduced you to Stanley and Elizabeth from 1915. Today, I’d like you to meet, if you haven’t already, one of my favourite teacher characters.

Who is my teacher character?  Miss BruffPearl Verses the World

What book does she appear in? Pearl Verses the World

Why is she there? When I started writing about a lonely girl, I knew she was very lonely at school. Setting a large part of the story at school necessitated a teacher, but as soon as I introduced Miss Bruff with ‘her singsong voice’ and her passion for poetry, I knew she would be a major character in Pearl’s story.

What role does she play? For much of the book Miss Bruff seems an antagonist, she wants Pearl (and the rest of the class) to write rhyming poetry. Pearl hates it. She thinks Miss Bruff just doesn’t get her, But, when Pearl has something terrible happen in her life, she realises Miss Bruff is a lot more understanding that she seemed. And Miss Bruff learns from Pearl, too.

What did I learn writing about her? Miss Bruff reminds me a lot of myself as a teacher. Too often I just assume that if I’m enthusiastic about something, then my students will be, too. I learnt to perhaps stop and view things from my pupils’ viewpoints, and to remember that if there are twenty five kids in the class, there will twenty five different experiences.

Favourite Miss Bruff moment? I don’t want to give too much away, in case you haven’t read the story, but I love that Miss Bruff comes to see, after hearing Pearl read her poem outside of school, that poetry doesn’t always have to rhyme.

It is easy to portray teachers as either really nice or really horrible. I hope that readers of Pearl Verses the World, and my other books, can see that teachers can grow and learn, too. My next post in this series will look at Miss Timms from Toppling.Pearl

Pearl Verses the World, illustrated by Heather Potter and published by Walker Books, is available from good bookstores. It is also published in the US by Candlewick Press, and in the UK,under the title Pearl, by Walker UK.

Teacher Characters #1: Stanley and Elizabeth

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I get asked all the time how much my books are inspired by my own life. While none of my stories is fully autobiographical, and I don’t like to embarrass my family by putting them directly into my stories, I know that things and people around me do influence my work, and even sneak into my books, sometimes unintentionally.

One thing I have noticed is the number of teachers in my books. One reason for this is that I write children’s books – and in most kids’ lives there are teachers. But, on top of that I was (am?) a teacher myself for so many years, that they sneak into my books even when I don’t plan on them being there. And, if I’m honest there’s a bit of me reflected in those teachers – either in the teacher I was, or the teacher I wish I was.

So, who are my teachers, and why are they there? In this series of posts, I’m going to introduce you to some of my teacher characters. First up, I’m going to talk about my most recent teacher characters.

Who is My Teacher Character? Stanley Moore, and his twin sister Elizabeth.

What Book do they appear in?1915

Australia’s Great War: 1915 (that’s Stanley, with the amazing eyes, on the front cover).

Why are they there?

When I was planning 1915, I needed a soldier character who young readers could relate to. I thought about an older brother, a teen who had put his age up, a parent, lots of things. But then I read about the impact of the Great War on school communities, and realised that Stanley could be a teacher, which would connect him with children back home. When I wondered who could be teaching his old students, I decided it could be his sister. This again would strengthen his links with the home front, which was a side of the war I really wanted to explore.

What role do they play?

Stanley is the book’s main character, and Elizabeth plays a strong supporting role. Stanley has left his teaching job behind to enlist in Word War 1 (also called the Great War), and Elizabeth is now teaching his former class. Stanley writes letters and poems for his students, and Elizabeth has them write back, helping them to understand what is happening at Gallipoli. Both show great compassion to their students, even at times when their own lives are difficult.

What did I learn writing about them?

1915 is my longest published novel, and so I learnt a lot about character development as I put myself into Stanley’s shoes, and then Elizabeth’s. I also learnt about the impact that having a teacher at war could have on the children back home, and on the whole school community. And, as a teacher, I was reminded that stuff that happens outside the classroom can have a big impact on what happens inside the classroom. I wish as a teacher that I could be as intuitive as this pair.

Favourite Stanley moment?

Spoiler alert. One of Stanley’s friends, Miles, is also the father of two of his students. When Miles is killed, Stanley takes the time to write to the boys and let them know their dad was a hero.

Do you have a favourite teacher character in a book you’ve read? I’d love to hear about him or her. And I’ll be back in a few days to talk about another of my teacher characters, Miss Bruff.

Australia’s Great War: 1915, published by Scholastic Australia, is available in all good bookstores.

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