Nathan Luff's Blog, page 10

SCBWI Christmas Bash

Just a short report to say that the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) NSW Christmas party took place last week. Along with the wonderful Wendy Blaxland and Deborah Abela, I helped organise the theatre sport festivities.

We played Celebrity Back, where everyone was assigned a secret name of a character from a children’s book and then had to guess who they were by what others said to them (for instance, the Beautiful Swan was constantly being told she’d changed). We also played versions of Death in a Minute, Postcards, and Fake Expert, all with a children’s book twist. Finally we played a mega game incorporating taboo, charades and pictionary. Such fun!!

As always, it is great not only to party with other authors and with cool-cat illustrators, but the sense of community and support offered through this organisation is brilliant.

They have just launched a new fabo website which you can visit here:

http://scbwiaustralianz.com/

 

In the meantime, here are a couple of photos: one of the three wise writers (Deb, myself and Wendy) hosting the event, and the other of Deb and myself in planning stage. Enjoy.

Summer Holiday Suggestions

It’s always difficult to decide where to go for the holidays. Do you want the beach, or would you prefer the snow? Do you crave mountains, or culture? How do you please everyone?

To assist, I have put together a list of the best places I have been to over the years, with some pros and cons for each.

NARNIA – a vast land offering great outdoor activities such as sledding and live battles

Pros

No continuing travel costs, just get a portal installed in your wardrobe
There’s Turkish Delight galore (the real stuff)
There’s a lion!

Cons

A lot of corruption, attributed to The Snow Queen’s rule
Distinct lack of souvenir shops
There’s a lion!

 

OZ  – across an enormous desert is Oz, an oasis complete with both quaint countryside and shopping-friendly cities

Pros

The capital city is spectacular! You have to wear these green tinted glasses, kind of like 3D glasses at the movie but so much better, provided you like green.
There are a lot of really short people, so if you are not tall (like me) you feel like a giant.
Good paved walking paths
There are monkeys!! Who doesn’t love a good monkey?

Cons

Getting there is difficult. Check out twister prediction websites for more info.
The crime rates are high: kidnappings, beheadings, fraud … those sorts of things.
In the Emerald City, it is hard to see if food has mould on it, because everything looks green. There’s a lot of food poisoning.
The monkeys have wings and are evil.

 

MIDDLE EARTH – unlike the middle child, Middle Earth is enormously popular and not insecure. It’s bold and spectacular

Pros

The jump back in time is great for those wishing to get away from their mobile phones. Impossible to charge cameras though.
Now Air New Zealand are flying there, apparently
Great bungy jumping opportunities off the Two Towers.

Cons

Hairy feet everywhere. This place is in desperate need of a pedicure industry.
The elves won’t perform at Christmas parties. Trust me, I’ve asked.
Oh there is a giant spider that eats people

 

There are plenty more exciting places to visit but hopefully this list has sparked some interest. Happy travels!!

A Love Letter

This is a love letter to the Children’s Book Council of Australia NSW branch.

Dear CBCA NSW,

Will you go out with me? Tick yes or no. Love, Nathan

Why the sudden love, you might ask?

Well, last night I attended the CBCA NSW Lady Cutler Dinner, where Robyn Ewing was presented with the Lady Cutler Award for distinguished service to children’s literature in Australia. It is so inspiring to hear about the wonderful things people, such as Robyn, are doing to promote the power of reading to enrich lives. Robyn is a great advocate for giving the arts in general a stronger focus in the national curriculum.

Libby Hathorn’s closing speech at the dinner was absolute evidence of this passion. When she talked about the bush poetry and stories that she grew up with, it made me think about my own childhood and the love affair I had with Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson (Andy’s Gone with Cattle is still a favourite). When growing up I discovered a rare photo my neighbour had of a young Banjo Patterson doing a handstand outside his house, which was right near ours. Perhaps that’s why I became a champion handstander.

This photo, taken from Toni Brisland’s blog shows CBCA NSW Committee Members Lisa White, Rachel Greenwood and Toni Brisland with Libby Gleeson at the Lady Cutler Dinner.

But wait, there’s more …

The CBCA NSW’s program, the Aspiring Writers Mentorship Program (previously Frustrated Writer’s Mentorship Program) is BRILLIANT and if you are an aspiring and unpublished writer, you should totally enter it – those to come out of the program include myself, Jacqueline Harvey, Oliver Phommavanh, Toni Brisland, Aleesah Darlison, Kirsty Eager and others.

The CBC2U (previously ALOUD) helps schools in economically & geographically disadvantaged areas by covering the costs for author visits.  If your school would love to give the gift of an author visit to your students, but can’t afford it, apply through the CBCA NSW today.  You could have me come and talk! Wouldn’t that be fun?!!!!! The correct answer is yes.

The CBCA NSW have a revamped website that is looking good:

http://nsw.cbca.org.au/

If you live in NSW and love kids books, whether you’re a teacher, librarian, parent, student, author, illustrator, or monkey, you should join. It doesn’t cost much and you will be supporting the children’s literature community.

Do it.

Bad Grammar

Title: Bad Grammar

Age group: 9-12

Publication Date: January, 2013

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Synopsis: Marcus is a warrior in the game world – a legend. He is a shy nobody in the real world – a loser.

But he’s just been mistakenly enrolled in Bad Grammar, an outback boarding school for bad kids. This place is not a resort. It’s a last resort.

Reviews: “Four out of five stars. A funny fast-paced book, full of outlandish characters and incidents, and frequent asides from The Warrior’s Guide to Everything, this is a recommended read for young adventurers.” Australian Booksellers and Publishers Magazine

Teacher’s Notes: Download from here

Where to buy: Coming soon

Behind the Scenes Information: Bad Grammar began its origin as a concept for a children’s television show and some of the characters and plot lines have remained. Work is being done on a companion book, currently titled Gasbag, which is also set at the Bad Grammar school but told from Fred’s point of view and covering events that took place before Marcus arrived. Bad Grammar was written during a May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust Creative Time Fellowship in Adelaide. The cover illustrations are by the very talented Heath McKenzie.

What the Dickens?

As this year marks the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, I am reading a biography of his life by the actor, Simon Callow. It is proving to be most enjoyable.

I do enjoy my Dickens novels. I read Oliver Twist at a young age and have slowly been going through his long list of titles ever since. I am a particular fan of Great Expectations and David Copperfield, though his masterpiece will always be The Muppet Christmas Carol. Miss Piggy was brilliant in that.

As a child, I had a burning desire to be a young character in a Charles Dickens novel – I wanted to be poor and struggling but with great expectations for my future. The desire was so great that I convinced myself my family were dirt poor and I would, at times, put my pocket money back into my mother’s purse.

I had rocks and sticks to play with. What need had I of toys?

I’m pretty sure one of my brother’s (I shall not name names) was taking money from this same purse, so really, I was funding and covering all trace of his deceit.

“One day M’ma,” I would say. “I’ll be a famous author and I’ll buy you a thousand houses.”

“What are we going to do with a thousand houses you weird little boy?”

“No, please, don’t be proud, M’ma. It is a gift of thanks for while we have so little, you have provided me with all that I need … perhaps we should sell my bed. A patch of ground is all I require. I can use leaves as a blanket …”

Then I would go and play on our new computer, or watch TV at one of the many TVs in the house.

If I’d known then how much new writers earn, I wouldn’t have been so keen to be poor. I would have patiently waited. Now who said dreams don’t come true?

Happy belated birthday Charles. I hope you had a good one.

C-C-Changes & Updates in the World of Luff

As I think I have mentioned before, change is rarely as good as a holiday, and small change, particularly 5 and 10 cent coins, is certainly nowhere near as good as a holiday, unless that holiday is to somewhere dull like the garage. Having said that, change can be great, and as proof I have recently moved into an exciting new* house.

*By new, I mean this-might-fall-down-at-any-moment old, but it is new for me.

This is exciting for a number of reasons but mostly because for the past year all of my books and DVDs have been in storage. There was a teary reunion I can tell you – mostly because of all the dust they’ve accumulated, wreaking havoc on my sinuses. The sad news is that all the books wouldn’t fit in the new/old place, so a cull was in order. I know they’ve gone to a good home, but it was still sad. I may have flung myself at the box as it was torn from my arms …

Above: Just one of my many bookcases basking in the sunlight again.

Another great benefit of moving is that also in storage was my Halloween costume for this year. Phew, just in time!! Stay tuned for photos.

Bad Grammar Update

Right, so it’s now only a couple of months before Bad Grammar will hit stores. I’m told it will be available from about the 18th of December. The cover is done. The pages are typeset. I’ve done my final proofread. It’s getting exciting. I’ll update this website shortly with the cover art etc. It’s all looking great – Walker Books have done an excellent job.

I also received my first review, from Australian Booksellers and Publishers magazine. They gave it 4 stars (out of 5) and it was one of their top picks. Yay!

The Manuscript in Progress

After my week of binge writing down on the South Coast, I have another draft completed of my new manuscript, currently titled Gasbag. Gasbag is set at the same school Bad Grammar is, but is told from a different character’s perspective – in fact it’s told from my favourite character from Bad Grammar, Fred. I have a review from this book also, but the review is from my wife, so her comments are probably harsher than a normal critic. She said it was ‘hilarious with so many laugh out loud moments.’ I will be doing a bit more work on it before the publishers get a chance to have a look. Fingers crossed. If they don’t like it, it will be back to the drawing board, and instead of a holiday to celebrate, I’ll have to dress the garage up like Bali. Again.

Hoping all is well in your world. Tootles.

Songs About Writing

Looking for something to distract you today? Check out these video clips! These are my favourite songs about or related to writing. Enjoy.

Everyday I Write the Book by Elvis Costello

Rewrite by Paul Simon

Write about Love by Belle & Sebastian

I Could Write a Book by Rogers & Hart performed by Harry Connick Jnr

Paperback Writer by the Beatles

Typewriter Tip Tip Tip from Bombay Talkie

Are you a binge writer?

I am. This is something that I have only recently discovered after chatting with author Sue Whiting, a reformed binge writer. Sue now writes a small amount every day, and she tells me this is a much healthier way of writing, especially for busy people. Is she right? Let’s take a look, shall we?

What is binge writing, or BW as we will now call it? BW is where a writer works on a project obsessively over a continuous period of time.  During this period, the writer only thinks about his or her work.

The more time spent BW, the more dangerous it can be, and the more annoying it is for others. But is it all bad?

The benefits of BW

It’s fun! I love being caught up in my imaginary worlds. Slaying a dragon is always going to be more fun than feeding a dog.
You get a lot done in a relatively short period. When I write a little bit here and a little bit there, I always forget where I am up to, or how my characters speak etc – so I have to reread what I’ve written and then I get caught up editing things instead of writing new stuff and getting a first draft completed. BW means you can go full stream ahead and don’t have to keep going back and reading where you’re up to.

The downside to BW

It is not sustainable. If you BW for too long, your head may explode, or worse, you will lose your grip on reality completely, for example, you may accidentally slay your dog instead of feeding it.
You look and act like a crazy person – often in a state of BW, you don’t get out of your pyjamas, you forget to brush your teeth, you eat badly, you talk about people who don’t exist … it’s not a good look.

Looking at these lists, I think it’s clear that the healthiest and most productive type of writing is to do what Sue does, and write a little bit every day – and force yourself to do this. That way, you get things done, you don’t forget where you’re up to, and you don’t look like a crazy person. Plus your dog doesn’t end up being slayed.

However, for those, like me, who simply can’t give up their BW style of writing just yet, here are some tips for healthier BW:

Set a finite period for BW and tell all your loved ones. Life is full of distractions: cooking, dishes, cleaning, laundry, lunchtime karaoke … by setting a period of BW and telling all your loved ones not to distract you during that time, you can more easily escape. Setting a period also gives you a deadline and we all know how great deadlines can be to keep a writer motivated.
Reward yourself. Set daily goals and reward yourself with a treat, such as a candy bar, an episode of television, or a dance break.
Where possible go somewhere different to write. I find if I try to binge write in my normal setting, I get much too distracted by all the things I have to do, and just generally by the book I could read, the movie I could watch, or the things I could eat. By choosing a foreign location, you can avoid procrastination by not bringing any distractions with you, except as rewards to ration. If you can escape to this writing place on your own, that’s even better.

Fellowships are a great example of this healthier style of BW.

When I wrote the first draft of Bad Grammar, I was living in Adelaide with no friends nearby and no television, so I was writing all day and into the night, for a period of 14 days straight. I was living in the world I had created, spending time with the characters I was writing (they turned out to be excellent company). After two weeks I had something to show people. I repeated this a few months later, spending another 2 weeks fixing things and then I had a manuscript to submit to publishers. No one saw me in my crazy state. It was perfect.

Based on that success, and with my wife abandoning me this week so she can go to New York, I am locking myself away in a coast house and engaging in some more BW to get my new manuscript, Gasbag, up to the next draft level. Time to pack my pjs and buy some microwave dinners. Time to spend some quality time with the people in my head …

Wish me luck.

And then, once this one is done I promise I’ll set myself better writing practices. I will. Well, I’ll try …

School Holiday Madness

These school holidays I am going to be busy running sessions with kids. So if you identify as a kid, or you own some, check out these events:

Sydney Opera House – Creative Play

The Gruffalo’s Child is a cool performance at the Sydney Opera House and I will be in the foyers running interactive storytelling sessions with kids. So either before or after seeing the show, come hang out with me. Together we’ll sing, dance, dress up and journey into the deep dark woods. Ages 4 plus.

WHEN: Monday 24th, Wednesday 26th, Wednesday 3rd, Thursday the 4th. Various times throughout the day up until about 2pm.

WHERE: Western foyers, Sydney Opera House

COST: FREE.

LAUGHING YOUR HEAD OFF! WITH NATHAN LUFF AT THE SYDNEY STORY FACTORY*

* Please note I can’t guarantee your head will come off, so don’t sue me if you find yours still attached afterwards. I’ll try my best.

The Sydney Story Factory is a new not-for-profit creative writing centre for children and young adults. It is dedicated to igniting the spark of creativity in every child. In this workshop students write and perform a short comedy script. Fantastic for children 7 – 11 years old.

WHEN: 25 SEPT & 2 OCT, 10AM – 12PM

WHERE: Sydney Story Factor / Martian Embassy, Redfern

COST: FREE

Find out more at sydneystoryfactory.org.au

In other recent news:

I had a wonderful time yesterday afternoon at the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) NSW Branch AGM. I met the dedicated and enthusiastic committee members and I got to do a presentation alongside the following brilliant authors and illustrators: Susanne Gervay, Sue Whiting, Serena Geddes and Sarah Davis. They were all so great to listen to and Serena and Sarah’s illustrations were so beautiful and cool.  Thank you so much to the CBCA NSW Branch for inviting me to be part of it. Also the cake was delicious.

I received a cup from this event, which makes it 3 cups I have received as gifts for presenting, or helping out … and as anyone knows, once you have at least three of something, you have a collection!!! Bring it on people. I want to be able to drink tea for a month without having to do the dishes.

The Birth of a Book (warning: contains graphic imagery)

With Bad Grammar reaching the birthing canal, I thought I’d give you a little insight into the process of getting a book ready for birth.

What to Expect When You Are Expecting

Earlier on in the year I blogged about the first structural edit of Bad Grammar, where I added nearly 10,000 words, mainly to describe things (why should I have to do all the work, don’t readers have imaginations??). This of course greatly strengthened the book and I learned a valuable lesson about writing prose. Now let me take you through the second structural edit where I had to cut 4000 words to get it down to a manageable size.

Cutting 4000 words at first seems fairly daunting (but every word is a gem!) however when it comes down to it, it is easier to cut great quantities of words than you think. Simply Tightening sentences and getting rid of superfluous words knocks off a couple of thousand. I discovered I am addicted to the word just. I used it 163 times. Most of these instances I just (ha ha) removed the word and it didn’t affect anything. Now the book has 46 instances of the word that I just (ha ha) couldn’t part with. We’ll see how many more go in the copy edit phase.

So the second structural edit for me was about trimming the fat and ensuring the story flowed smoothly. Whereas the first structural edit really focused on the central story arch, the second structural edit gave more attention to the supporting characters, ensuring they were utilised to their full potential. After every draft you think you’ve got it perfect but of course there are always things to change. There is that famous quote about books never being finished, just abandoned.

So what happens next in the journey of the book?

I get a copy edit this week, where someone much more knowledgeable about the English language scribbles all over the manuscript in a secret code – at least this is what happened with Chicken Stu. I was given a code breaker sheet to tell me what all the different squiggles meant and then I had to go through and approve the changes, or not. The copy edit also helps point out the repetition of words, the awkward sentences and stuff what is like that.

The cover is in the process of being finished. I asked the publisher a while ago how long is spent on the cover and apparently with most books, the cover design starts right when the contract is signed with the author. Concepts and ideas are discussed – in my case, an illustrator was hired and drew up some different ideas that were then pitched at a sales and marketing meeting. I’ve seen the rough drawings of the cover and I think it looks great – really dramatic. You don’t always get to see the cover at this stage – with Chicken Stu, I only saw it when it was at finished stage, and then I could offer my opinion. My opinion is always the same: Couldn’t my name be bigger, like HUGE. I know of a first time author – I won’t mention names – who hated their first cover because of how it related (or didn’t) to their book. At the time I thought they were being a bit precious but the end cover design was so beautiful – so I think it does pay to be vocal, while still having an appreciation that publishers do this for a living and of course they want your book to sell.

After that there is the typesetting and design of the actual text. If my last experience is anything to go by, the author is again able to peruse this – and this is the last chance to proofread everything. You’d be surprised but even at this stage you can find errors. This stage is exciting because your book is starting to look like an actual book.

Sometimes before books are finalised and released, versions of them are used for both reviewing purposes and for international sales. Bad Grammar will be travelling to Frankfurt for the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, arguably the biggest book fair in the world. Already my baby is travelling the world and it hasn’t been born yet! Also, new titles are presented to a sales team – these are the individuals who go out to individual bookshops and convince the booksellers why they should put in a HUGE order for your book.

So there you go, there is a bit more insight into the process. Below is some footage of the birth of Chicken Stu (not for the squeamish)

Later in the year I’ll take you through the next phase: what to do with a newly born book, including marketing and nappy changing techniques. Stay tuned!