Monday, April 12, 2010

Welcome to my World

This is such an exciting time to be a writer!

I have just been to see How to Train your Dragon based on the hilarious books by Cressida Cowell and I have been reminded once again of the magnitude of scope that we as writers now have before us.

Imagined worlds are coming to life on the big screen more and more. Did it start with Harry Poetter? Lord of the Rings? Should we look further back to the ground-breaking Neverending Story and The Labyrinth? Children's and Young Adult novels have become increasingly popular as films and the better the technology - the more realistically these fantasy worlds of the writers blaze into existance in surround sound and high definition! Fantastic!

But are we losing the story? The essence of the characters? The magic of each individual readers imagined scene? Did Daniel Radcliff look like your Harry? Was Jacob big enough? Did Svalbard match the splendour of the ice bears fortress of your daydreaming?

I am a fan of film-makers that work with the writers, if possible, to portray the best possible version of their story. I hope fans of the books realise that to grasp the entirety of the book and transfer that into film is an exceedingly difficult task. I try to separate the book form the film and end up totally enjoying both on different levels.

But this is kind of getting away on me! This blog is a welcome and an introduction to who I am and what I write and my great aspirations to share my stories and dreams with as many young people as possible. And I don't just mean 'young' in biological age!

I have just completed my first Young Adult Fantasy Novel entitled The Nereid. It is the first part of a trilogy called The Morningstar Wars.

Next week I begin my first round of workshops for 9 to 13 year olds on creative writing and will endeavor to take 20 kids on a journey into the realm of story. From conception to completion - plotting to publication - the aim will be to publish a collective of Tales of Discovery by the years end! I am soooo excited!!

All this while balancing a part time job, four superific kids, a renovation and freelance consulting. Note: I say this with the grimmest of determination. There are those unbelievers who say I need to learn to say no. I know how to say no, I just don't ever think to!

But I love what I do. I love my kids and their enthusiasm and complexity and exuberance. I love talking and listening to other kids about their dreams, their ideas and their work. I love working to make businesses achieve better results and I love writing. Simply, foreverly - I will write.