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Sally Murphy, Australian author

The Writer’s Life: Sheryl Gwyther

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I am delighted today to welcome Sheryl Gwyther who has dropped in as part of her blog tour to promote her new chapter book, Princess Clown.

Welcome Sheryl.

Firstly, for those who maybe haven’t been following the tour, can you tell us a bit about Princess Clown?

Thanks for the welcome, Sally. I’m very happy to visit your blog!
Princess Clown is a chapter book for 7-8 year olds. It’s the story of Belle, a young girl who wants to follow her dream of being a clown. One thing stands in Belle’s way – she’s the princess-royal, the heir to the throne. Does that stop her? No way!
Her clowning causes mayhem throughout the palace, from the throne room to the royal kitchen, until on a right royal occasion Princess Belle’s actions provide the solution to her dilemma.

A lot of people imagine authors as people locked away in turret rooms writing for hours and hours a day, coming out only to eat, sleep or visit the bathroom. Is that what it is like for you? How much time do you actually spend writing?
When I’m in the middle of a re-write that is going very well, I don’t even know where the day has gone. So I do have stages of hermit-like behaviour (although I have to come out to cook dinner and do house chores).
I gave up full-time work to write so I can stay at my computer as long as I like. Even our son has left home now, so I’m as free as a bird.
But does that mean I spend all day writing? No, I am sidetracked by emails, blogging, gardening, meeting up with my writerly friends, going to the movies with my husband. I consider these things necessities in life.
What other things that you do that are part of your writing life, and how much time do you devote to those?

I blog on two separate blogs – a writers’ one, and one especially for children. I also like to read a lot.
And doing research for the stories I write is important to me– I love researching and thrive on the way it slides me into stories sometimes. Then, there’s the matter of helping to publicise my books – another necessity I am becoming more at ease with.

What is the best part about being an author?

Definitely the best is being able to write stories that tumble from my head and I’m always surprised at how they end up. Life is a constant surprise! Some days are better than others – but on the bad, getting-nowhere-fast days, I’ve been writing long enough now not to get disheartened for long. Even on the days that a rejection letter might arrive. I know I have to keep writing no matter what. And continue to re-write those stories until they are the very best they can be.

And the worst?

To be honest, rejection letters are not very nice, but you can’t take them personally. And they get better over time – the rejection letters I get from publishers now are so much positive than the ones I got 5 years ago. So I figure my writing is getting better all the time.  I’m a positive person, most of the time.
The absolute worst thing about writing is sitting at the computer too long and ending up with a back pain. I forget to exercise or stretch. Very bad of me!

And, lastly, if I was an aspiring author, what would you suggest would be the best change(s) I could make in my life in order to achieve that goal?

Write lots! Read lots! Mix with other writers. Don’t listen to negative people’s opinions. Make time to write a bit every day. Never give up!

Thanks so much for visiting, Sheryl. Good luck with the rest of the tour and I hope Princess Clown sells a million!
 You can visit Sheryl online at her writers’ blog, her kids’ blog,  or her website.
You can purchase Pricness Clown online from  Blake Publishing.

And, if you wnat to know more about Sheryl and Princess Clown, check out the rest of Princess Clown’s BLOG TOUR:

Tips for Writing Chapter Books – Dee White’s blog July 6
Tips for Young Writers – The Alphabet Soup blog July 7
Extracting the Story – Robyn Opie’s blog July 8
Clowning Around – Catriona Hoy’s blog July 9
What’s in a name? + KIDS’ COMPETITION – Kathryn Apel’s blog July 10
What the heck is a ‘blog-touring’? – YOU’RE ON IT July 11
Guest blog with Sandy Fussell –  July 12
The Author’s Life – an interview with Sally Murphy July 13
Interview with Claire Saxby July 14
Workshopping with younger readers – Mabel Kaplan July 15
BOOK LAUNCH Friday July 16 – also announcing the Winner of the COMPETITION on Kat’s blog and Sheryl’s kids’ blog

Featured Blogger Friday: Sheryl Gwyther

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Today I start a new weekly feature here on my blog (drum roll please).
It’s time for:
Featured Blogger Friday
Every Friday I’ll be inviting a blogger to drop in here for a visit and to tell you all about his or her blog. Of course, I will be focussing on blogs which relate to children’s books or writing for children in some way.

So, it gives me great pleasure to welcome today my first Feature Blogger, Sheryl Gwyther. You can check out her blog here, but first, let’s find out a bit about her and her blog. Welcome Sheryl.
What do you blog about?

No surprise, most of my blogging is about the writing life. But, because I love to write, I also cannot help blogging about other things that grab my fancy – like travel and people and places. Occasionally, my blogs get a bit radical too! (When I get angry enough about something – like racism and xenophobic morons.)
But I have noticed one strange thing about blogging – I might start off with a topic in mind, but within the first sentence another topic forms and it’s even better. So my advice is … trust your instincts.

Who is your target readership?

Have to admit I don’t have a target in mind. I just write and hopefully someone will get something out of what I produce. I suspect it is mostly other writers and readers who click on my blog at the moment.

How often do you blog?

I blog when I have something to say. At one stage, when we were fighting the lifting of restrictions against Parallel Importation of books, I blogged once every couple of days. But now, with a work-in-progress hanging over me like the sword of Damascus, I have to work at keeping up my blog. I also have another blog with a different focus: http://sherylgwytherauthor.blogspot.com/

How much time do you devote to blogging?

A morning can disappear very easily when blogging. But it sure is fun doing it!

Do you have a favourite blog post?

Probably the one about what authors need by the bucketful! ‘PERSEVERANCE IS THE WORD’  It was popular with readers too. But the one with the highest hits was ‘840 kittens – resurrected’ (about the RSPCA) – must have been the mention of kittens.

What do you see as the benefits of blogging?

I love writing! So it’s a pleasure when people read and respond to my blog articles. Also it lets people know when I have a new book coming out, or I’ve been awarded something (like an Australian Society of Authors Mentorship). Blogging allows an author to spread her/his ‘platform’ further than ever before – could you have imagined 10 years ago, a reader in the UK reading your words and commenting instantly?

What blogging platform do you use and why?

WordPress.com is fantastic. It’s so versatile and easy to use. It has the benefit of providing separate PAGES, so can be used a website if you want. Best thing is it’s FREE. You can pay more for the .org version with lots more attributes. WordPress also has an excellent SUPPORT link and forums. http://wordpress.com./

Do you have a favourite blog to visit (other than your own)?

Dee White’s blog is always good value! And must mention, Sherryl Clark’s blog too. I’ve learnt a lot about writing from Sherryl over the years  And I can’t go past author and social commentator, Dr Karen Brooks (she’s brilliant)
Lastly, when you are not blogging, what else do you do?
Haha, the trick question, eh? WRITING, of course! Or researching, or plotting, or reading the books of other authors. Notice I didn’t mention the weeds in the garden and the breakfast dishes still in the sink.
Thanks for stopping by, Sheryl.
 
I’ll have another featured blogger next Friday, so drop by and see who my next victim – errrr, visitor – is.

What Sheryl Gwyther Likes About Children’s Poetry

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I hope you are enjoying learning what my friends like best about children’s poetry. If you’ve just arrived here, throughout March I’ve been celebrating the release of my new verse novel, Toppling. As part of those celebrations I’ve invited my friends to drop in and share what it is they like about children’s poetry. The range of responses has been wonderful.

Today, I am delighted to welcome Sheryl Gwyther, children’s author and passionate book industry and literacy supporter, who has come to tell us what she likes about children’s poetry. Over to you, Sheryl.

What I like best of all about poetry is how the poet is able to capture so much in a few words – of how images are distilled and poured into those words. That is clever writing!


I haven’t read as many poetry or verse novels for younger children as I have books, but I aim to change that soon especially with the debut of Sally’s Toppling and her hugely popular, Pearl Verses the World.


Thankfully, my eyes were opened to the joys of verse novels for older children when I read Steven Herrick’s verse novel, Cold Skin. It was one of those books you cannot put down until it’s finished – and one in which the story and the characters stay in your mind for a very long time. I consumed Herrick’s Lonesome Howl and By the River in the same week – stories that wrung me out emotionally, but left a feeling of peace in my heart, and so glad I read them.
When I was at school, we studied Australian poetry and learned to say many poems off by heart. The ones that stayed with me created such strong images in my mind, I’m not surprised they have been perennial favourites for many Australians even in modern times.

Like Dorothea Mackellar’s My Country. Her words could never mean any other country except Australia. I like the way her poem accepts all the adversity, the harshness and beauty of this country, but it makes no difference, she loves it unreservedly.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains…..

Kenneth Slessor’s Beach Burial, written during WW2 is so evocative, so sad and beautiful. (It’s worth reading the whole piece.)

Softly and humbly to the Gulf of Arabs
The convoys of dead sailors come;
At night they sway and wander in the waters far under,
But morning rolls them in the foam.

Between the sob and clubbing of the gunfire
Someone, it seems, has time for this,
To pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows
And tread the sand upon their nakedness;…..


It makes me happy to see how children’s poetry books and verse novels are once more popular with publishers. It means that librarians and teachers encourage children to read poetry and to perform it. And that children will discover worlds they may remember forever, with emotions that will touch their hearts.

A loved poem is a friend you can take anywhere.
Thanks for dropping by Sheryl. I love the image of a poem as a friend!

Guest Blog: Sheryl Gwyther

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The month of celebration in honour of the launch of Pearl Verses the World continues today, with a visit by guest blogger, Sheryl Gwyther who shares a poem and some of the thoughts behind its writing. Welcome Sheryl.

A MURDER OF CROWS
This little gathering is a tribute to a bird at the bottom of the popularity list – a bird we can’t do without. Sheryl Gwyther May 6 2009

CROW

Glossy black, green & purple sheen,
piercing pale eyes see all.
Pariah of city, suburb and street.

Scavenger of schoolyard waste,
your only threat walks upright
as shang-hai, rock & bullet you taste.

Intelligent, clever & bold, old crow,
you alone know how to eat toad
and live.

(c) Sheryl Gwyther

Humans have an almost universal opinion about crows – noisy, ugly, dirty, creepy, pests – the list goes on in many languages. But there are many who recognise the status of a crow … whether from the grandeur of a winged mystical being or the depths of an efficient garbage disposal unit.

Family CORVIDAE
Genus Corvus

CROW
RAVEN
JACKDAW
ROOK
CROW

SAYINGS
As the crow flies. European origin
I have a crow to pick with you. Old English
Jim Crow. American
To eat crow. 1812-1814 Anglo-American war
Crow-eaters. South Australians
Crow’s nest. Sailing term
A gathering of crows is called a MURDER

CORVINE HUMOUR

Q. Who brings Christmas presents to all good little crow boys and girls? Santa Caws
Q. Where do crows congregate to have a cold one? The Crow Bar
Q. What do crows like to drink in the morning? Caw-fee
Q. What sort of crow sticks to a wall when it hits it? Vel-crow

MYTHOLOGY
Crows and ravens appear in mythology, from Ancient Greece and Rome to the Native American, African, Hindu and Aboriginal Dreamtime legends.
In the cave paintings of Lascaux, birds are drawn that looks very much like crows.
An Inuit myth tells of how the Raven invented light by throwing chips of mica in the air.
Shakespeare mentions them in half of his plays.
Crows are mentioned in the Koran.

AUSTRALIAN CROWS
Little crow Corvus bennetti
Torresian crow Corvus orru
Colombo crow Corvus splendens
Australian raven Corvus coronoides
Forest raven Corvus tasmanicus
Little raven Corvus mellori

I write junior fiction rather than poetry although, like all poets, I love words. When I wrote the Crow poem I thought of what crows look like, what they do and how people feel about them. Also I knew about one very special trick crows have been intelligent enough to learn up here in Queensland.

Then, because there is so much to know about crows I collected more information and made an artist book to put it all in. It’s called Crow.

You can visit me online at http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com/ or
www.sherylgwyther.net

Thanks for visiting, Sheryl.

Seven Answers to Seven Questions: Sheryl Gwyther

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Today we are joined by children’s author, Sheryl Gwyther, who has come to answer my seven questions. Thanks for joining us, Sheryl.

1. Tell us a little about your publication credits. Tell us about the genres you prefer to write, and your current projects.

My first junior fiction was Secrets of Eromanga, an adventure set in the dinosaur-rich fossil fields of north-western Queensland. This (Fleeting) Life, a short story in The Weekend Australian Review section, and non-fiction articles in Pearson Education’s children’s magazines Explore and Comet.

I love writing adventure stories, probably because I enjoy reading them. And I love writing interesting characters who sometimes decide what genre the story is (whether I approve or not).

I have three projects on the go – this is my usual ‘modus operandi’. But I’ve now finished the re-write and sent off to publishers Decibelle, the adventures of a very loud fairy (tintookie, actually – the Australian version of a fairy); polished McAlpine & Macbeth again after not touching it for two years. That was fun – I love this story to bits!
But now I’m concentrating on finishing the first draft of Ngarrabullgan. It’s got four POVs and four eras through the history of an astonishing mountain in far north Queensland. I love the challenge, but it’s sending me grey!

2. How long have you been writing for children?
Since 1999. This is the longest I’ve ever stayed in a job – my previous record was four years – I get bored quickly once I excel. Mmmm, maybe that’s why I’m still writing??!!


3. How much time do you spend each week writing and/or revising? And how much time on other writing-related tasks such as promotion, researching markets and so on?
The time I spend on writing varies from day to day. Some days I spend hours writing, some it’s procrastinating time. Well, the budgies cage has to be cleaned out!
I love re-writing the first draft – it’s when that creative part of my brain feels free enough to fly on silver wings.

For me, first drafts are mostly HARD work (except for Decibelle, which was like magic). But the hard yakka is worth it in the end! I do all the usual researching markets etc. And for my next published book I’ll do more promotion, I promise!
I’m about to make a CD package with lots of information and activities about dinosaur fossil hunting in Queensland to accompany a copy of Secrets of Eromanga. Hoping schools will be interested.

4. How much time do you spend reading children’s books? And what are you reading right now?
I read every day (it’s part of procrastinating time, remember?). Just finished Louis Sachar’s Someday Angeline and Michelle Paver’s Outcast. Now I’m on to Pauline Luke’s Bronco, Fi, Maddie and Me, and Tim Winton’s Breath.


5. What advice would you give other would-be children’s writers, or share with other professional children’s writers?
Read aloud to yourself what you’ve written – it’s the best way to pick up when the rhythm of the language is not working. Stay positive even when the rejections roll in (regard them as part of your apprenticeship!) Surround yourself with other children’s writers – I get much joy from my connections to the many friends I’ve made through writing.

Join internet support groups, and organisations like The Australian Society of Authors (ASA), your State’s Writing Centre and subscribe to children’s books review magazines like Magpie and free websites like Sally Murphy’s Aussie Reviews. And read and learn from ‘self-help’ books on writing – there are a million of them.


6. What is your favourite online resource for children’s writers? Why?
Definitely PASS IT ON (PIO) newsletter – available every Monday. And the Australian Writer’s Marketplace (either in book form or online). It’s available from the Queensland Writers Centre.


7. Do you have a website or blog? What else do you do to promote your published works and/or your writing skills?
My website is www.sherylgwyther.net
I also have a blog: www.sherylgwytherauthor.blogspot.com
Also on the list of authors for Show & Tell Promotions so I get to visit schools and libraries.

Thanks for joining us, Sheryl. If YOU would like to be interviewed here, drop me a line.

sallymurphy.com.au