Day Three: Place, Shakespeare, and Young Adult Fiction

The Character Of Place

The Character of Place was a session that explored the importance of building the place in your story. The authors present were Sally Abbott, a senior communications professional, journalist, and first time author of a novel called 'Closing Down', Di Morrissey, a prolific Australian author, former journalist, with twenty best selling novels, and Jaclyn Moriarty, an Australian author of fiction and young adult novels, entertainment and media lawyer, and author of the 'Colours of Madeleine' Trilogy. My first impression of Di Morrissey was not an entirely pleasant one. She swanned into the session, dominating the conversation and talking about herself, ignoring her fellow panelists. Her countenance reminded me of the rich Great Aunt that visits you once a year and once a year too many, condescending to you the entire time and making thinly veiled insults. I may be completely wrong, but she just rubbed me up the wrong way. That aside, it was a very interesting session, if not a frustrating one. I felt that Jaclyn Moriarty was particularly ignored and condescended to because of her status as a young adult fiction writer. In fact, one audience member asked her a question and said the phrase "children's books" with the same contempt and tone that you might hear a racist person refer to a person of colour. I don't understand the problem that some people seem to have with young adult fiction and children's literature. In fact, something that I've noticed multiple times during this festival is that the elder members of the audience tend to be incredibly rude towards the younger audiences and the young adult literature authors. The amount of times I've heard young people talked about in a rude way, like "OH! The youth of today. With their facebooks and their snapchats. They don't care about the world. They're all so rude." I'm getting kind of sick of it, to be honest. I want to know where this bias against children's literature and young adult fiction comes from. Is it because adults think that if children and teenagers are enjoying something then it means it is of a lesser quality than "adult fiction"? This is something I'd be interested in looking into further. Maybe it has something to do with ageism?

Jaclyn Moriarty talked about her experiences with travel, and how that she gets her inspiration for places through her travel. That wherever she went, she felt like she was collecting towns and cities to use later on down the line in her writing. She stressed the importance of place, and that place "needs to be infused with emotion", as it is the setting for which all the events occur. She also spoke about the importance of editing, and that editing is not failing, it is making things better. Don't make editing personal. This is something that I also really needed to hear, as I struggle with editing, and do sometimes feel like if my work needs to be edited, it means that it is not of a high quality. This is not the case. I'm glad for coming to this writer's festival, and for deciding to do this course, as it has made me start to realise a few things that I needed to realise. Hopefully this helps me to grow as a writer.

Favourite quote of the session:

"In words there is endless potential."

-Jaclyn Moriarty 

On Shakespeare

An hour before John Bell's talk on Shakespeare starts, Chloe and I are in a line at a cafe, waiting to order. The man in front of me turns around and addresses his wife, and I realise with delight that it is THE John Bell. I turn to Chloe, my eyes wide and mouth the words "That's John Bell!". We exchange a look of delight, silently screaming on the inside, and unsuccessfully try to play it cool as I wait to order my vegetarian quiche and soy chai. John Bell is an actor, theatre director, and the founder of the Bell Shakespeare Company. He is an Officer of the Order of Australia and the British Empire, and has a career in theatre spanning decades. He is a personal inspiration, and I was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to listen to him speak on a topic which I am passionate about - Shakespeare. John Bell opened with a performance from 'As You Like It', Act II, Scene VII.

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and board of formal cut

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

John Bell has written two books, his memoir 'John Bell: The Time Of My Life', and an analytical book called 'On Shakespeare', which explores Shakespeare's works and the performance aspect of Shakespeare and Jacobean theatre. He spent 25 years forming and working with the Bell Shakespeare Company, and has now retired. John talked about his relationship with theatre, and how in his years as an actor and as a director, he's come to understand that the only bad theatre is boring theatre, and that you should make sure that you put on a good show! Having basically dedicated his entire life to Shakespeare and acting, he is quite the authority. He talked about Australian theatre's relationship with Shakespeare, and the importance of finding your own voice for Shakespeare and not emulating what you think it should look or sound like. He stressed that adaptation of Shakespearean works is important, as Shakespeare is timeless, but at the same time should show respect for the author and for the text. You need to represent the author honestly. With my heart in my throat, I asked John Bell about translating Shakespeare into Modern English, and whether or not he felt like it loses something in the translation. I queried this in regards to people being afraid to approach Shakespearean works due to the words and the language, and the fact that they may feel it is inaccessible. He answered and said that I had asked a good question, and that he felt that people should approach Shakespeare as it was written and try to attempt to understand it. But also agreed that an adaptation into modern English might be a good idea as a means of introducing younger audiences to Shakespeare. 

I've loved Shakespeare for a very long time. I find the language transportative, as it connects me with a time and place that is far away from where I currently am. Shakespeare is brilliant. It's heart wrenching and hilarious, and people don't seem to realise that. Shakespeare seems to be synonymous with tragedy, which is completely untrue. Though he is particularly famous for his tragedies, he writes comedies brilliantly. My favourite play is 'Much Ado About Nothing', as it makes me laugh and the female character of Beatrice is fiery. I'd love to play her one day. It's amazing to think that something that was written so very long ago still exists and moves society to this day. It proves that words and a good story told in a good way are timeless.

Favourite quote of the session:

"Don't imitate anyone else. Find your own voice, your own way of doing things."

- John Bell 

 

Isobelle Carmody

My sister is a rabid Isobelle Carmody fan. She was teething at the bit when I told her that I was going to be sitting in the same room as Isobelle Carmody, and would never forgive me if I passed up the opportunity to listen to her talk. Isobelle Carmody is an Australian author who specialises in science fiction, fantasy, children's literature, and young adult novels. Her series 'The Obernewtyn Chronicles' holds a massive fanbase in both children, young adults, and adults. While I've only ever read the first book of the Obernewtyn Chronicles, I can understand the connection that people may have with her as an author. To translate it into my understanding, I've been reading the books of Tamora Pierce since I could read. The Song of the Lioness Quartet holds an incredibly special place in my heart, and if I ever had the opportunity to meet Tamora Pierce in person, I'd probably cry. She was a huge part of my childhood, and she created worlds that I wanted to be a part of. Even now, as an adult, I still go back and read those books and love every minute of them. Which is why I cannot understand the bias against young adult and children's novels. How could you hate something that gives so many people so much joy? Isobelle Carmody confesses that she has never made a deadline in her life, and her advice to authors would be to finish your book in your own time. Publishers seem like an exhausting thing to have on your back, constantly pushing you for more, for the next chapter, for the next book. It's puzzling to think of creativity as an economic industry, like it's something that you can have on tap and just churn out novels. In terms of getting stuck with ideas, Isobelle Carmody suggested that she does all her best thinking in the shower, as "water is very fruitful". She also spoke about starting off with short stories and trying to get them published first, as an 'in' to novel publishing. Once a publisher picks up your short stories, often they want more.

Seeing all these successful authors up on stage, talking about their processes, their thoughts, their feelings, makes it all seem so much more achievable. Before this, a novel seemed like a far off fantasy - something that I'd always aspire to achieve, but something that couldn't be achieved.

Favourite quote of the session:

"There's an impact books can make in your childhood that carry through your life."

- Isobelle Carmody