Suzy Davies's Blog: Book News, page 20

Hope

Through the dark night of the soul,

Hope comes in - a hand to hold,

Hope walks side by side with you

dispels Fear, to start anew.



Whenever Fortune ebbs and flows,

when company is needed most

yet still evades you,

alone, bereft,

you know that Hope will help you best.



For Hope has wings,

rises above

all that’s Hate

and chooses Love.

When you’re downtrodden,

and at your end,

Hope flies in,

a faithful friend.



And you’ve known Hope for many years,

for someone taught you that Hope cares;

in memories, you know her softest glance,

the way that Hope gives you a chance.



For Hope - she’s timeless, you’ve known her long -

and all you needed was to be strong,

to have humility and self-esteem,

the courage to fulfill your dream.



Hope is an angel of the light,

who guides your prayers,

whispered at night -

someone who chose to believe in you,

so Hope guides everything you do.



Copyright Suzy Davies.11/08/2017. All Rights Reserved

.

How to Depict Emotions in Children’s Fiction Books, and Why This is Important.

Perhaps one of the most valuable lessons in life is the one about feelings. How do we communicate how we feel, and how do we “read” other people’s emotions, so that we understand them? I believe that empathy can be learned, and in this article, I want to explore the ways in which we can show young readers how our characters feel, and at the same time analyze why it is important that we teach children about emotions in our books.

At a very basic level, we can state how a character feels and say our character feels happy, excited, contented, sad, jealous, scared and so on. This is a useful way to help young children build a vocabulary which they can practise and draw on. Good illustrations will help children match the emotion to the facial expression or bodily gesture.

A popular way that writers stick by the rule, “show don’t tell,” is to illustrate emotion with a bodily feeling. Saying that someone is shaking when they are scared, feels dizzy when they are excited, are common examples. This method helps children associate a cognitive label we give to the emotion with the physical feeling. It helps children identify, and name emotions, from the signs and physical manifestation of their own and other people’s emotions.

Cinema and animation have a lot to teach us about writing emotion into a children’s book. Think about how a camera focuses in on a character’s reaction to the emotion of another character. We see their reaction to the emotion, rather than the face and body of the person expressing it.

From noticing the reactions of others to the character, older children are able to identify and anticipate- in their imaginations - how the “invisible” character may feel.

When the camera or the author's all-seeing eye focuses in on the character and brings them into shot, the reader is “shown” what they have already worked out for themselves. This makes the delayed reveal dramatic, powerful and memorable. Children take pleasure in making their own discoveries.

When we have group gatherings in our books, the interplay of emotions between characters makes for a rich text. Children get to understand, that in a sense, we decide how we feel since emotions are in part, cognitive.

Charismatic, more dominant characters may set the mood and influence how others feel, although each character will express the same emotion in their own unique way. Dialogue can suggest group harmony or discord. Characters that spend a lot of time together may mirror one another’s verbal patterns and mirror each other’s gestures, too. One can suggest conflict or distance when characters’ moods fail to match or they do not see, hear or sense how the other feels.

The back-story is another way we can show the emotions of characters. When characters talk about each other in their absence, children hear different points of view and emotional content about a particular character that is “backed up” through hearing the history of a character through the eyes of others.

Children will have their own feelings about tales of courage, kindnesses, loyalty, leadership, and bravery, for example, and will have a sense that they are “close” to their hero. They will learn how to identify why a particular character is likeable and understand that we can measure character through people’s actions and behavior.

When writing action sequences, it is important to have a wide range of verbs to pinpoint how our character does something. Try to be precise in your selection, and be economical and selective with adverbs, which should only be used to “add something” to the meaning of the main verb. How someone does something is often the key to a character’s emotions. During the course of my book series, even young children will understand that Snugs talks a little faster when he is impatient and excited, for example.

A story which entertains will create such a close identification with the main character that children will want to imagine that they are in fact the hero in the imaginary world of the book.

Children will experience what it is like to be admired and feel proud of themselves when they do good deeds. This role modeling creates a kind of safe rehearsal for kids to have confidence in their own abilities, cultivate resilience, and rise to challenges in life.

Another great way to depict emotion is to reinforce a show of emotion with an interior monologue, which says what a character is actually thinking at the same time. Children can be shown that people do not always state how they feel. Kids may learn that we can not always tell how someone “feels inside” through what they reveal “on the outside” for example. This may be a good way to teach children about privacy, or how to keep a secret.

Older children will also grasp that some people may pretend they feel one thing when in actual fact they feel another.

What characters experience and see in the wider world is certainly a reflection of their outlook on life and perspective, which teaches us about their emotional make up that is part of personality. A useful way of comparing characters here is to have them “look” at the same thing, yet each sees and experiences it differently.

When writing descriptions of a scene, we always write from the point of view of the character. Characters will notice and interpret what is important and significant to them - from their own perspective.

Here is a short excerpt from my children’s book, “Snugs The Snow Bear,” which illustrates this point. It is taken from the chapter, “Two Moose, A Bear, and a Sled,” which features a view from a lighthouse:

“When they looked out of the lighthouse windows, Mr. and Mrs. Merryweather saw that the waves were very rough and gray. When little Snugs looked out, he saw that the roofs of the cottages, that nestled close to the lighthouse, were now completely white…..It wouldn’t be long before The Isle of Wight would be snow white - Snugs was sure about that!”

On one level, it could simply be that the characters are looking out of different windows and see different “views” but here I use this as a metaphor for different points of view and perspectives.

The Merryweathers are an elderly retired couple. They have lived a lifetime together and raised grandchildren. This is why they share the same view - they are inseparable.

They are concerned about the harsh weather, and the well-being of their young animal friends, who are about to go on an adventurous journey in the snow. They will miss their furry friends while they are gone because they love and care about them.

Snugs, on the other hand, is young and does not worry about danger, and to a polar bear, snow is the most fun thing in the world. He’s going out soon to play with his moose friends! How exciting! He can’t wait to be out in the chilly snowy weather! He doesn’t worry and knows that The Merryweathers will be there for him when he returns home - a place of comfort and security.

The landscape of the Isle of Wight is a character, and it magically conspires with Snugs Bear to match his mood and delight him! Landscape, of course, can always echo or contrast with a character’s emotions to shed maximum light on them.

Children learn that our vision of the world is unique, and composed of the objective world (real) and the subjective - our interpretation of all that surrounds us.

Part of the magic-in-the-world is when we experience something as if for the first time, and when we share this with others, they can share a similar but not identical vision, which may confirm and “add to” what we have seen, heard, or felt. Children learn that shared experiences create empathetic bonds that will last a lifetime.

When we write for children, we should always keep in mind our target age group, and be aware of cultural differences and diversity. Facial expressions and gestures may differ across cultures, and certain emotions may be taboo.

On the other hand, there is much we can do to help children tackle emotionally difficult areas through Children’s Literature that is written with sensitivity. For example, we can introduce death and dying through a story about the life cycle. We can raise awareness about migration and homesickness or bullying, isolation and loneliness through the stories we tell.

These kinds of stories help prepare children for common experiences and the human range of emotions that go with them. Children’s books can do much to offer consolation during difficult times, and as with an old friend, the stories inspire children and reassure them that they are not alone. In actual fact, readers may revisit them in their adulthood.

This is a very personal thing, but, whatever the story, I believe children’s stories should always end on a happy or comforting note.

Copyright, Suzy Davies, 02/08/2017, All Rights Reserved, No Copying.

Nearly 100 Followers!

Feeling happy I have nearly made 100 followers on Goodreads!

Who will be the hundredth one?

I'll wait and see! ;))

Portents

I can see her now -
reading tea-leaves;
the swirls and patterns
in the cup,
turned three times,
then inverted,
were shapes and signs
of a destiny,
too obscure to contemplate.
I hoped the hand of Fate
would not touch me,
unless the omens were good,
and then I’d believe,
and be happy.

I can see her now,
at the window
where she stood,
washed the dishes,
or prepared the food.
Her gaze the kind that
life makes perceptive.
I knew she knew things -
things that escaped me,
so deep they were
and near to Truth.

I can see her now -
“I want to write about
the sky,” I said -
“I’m thinking about the clouds
and the colors and the mood -
in the morning at sunrise,
or when evening comes,
or when the swallows
make bee-swarms
round the pier -
or when lightning strikes
during a storm
or when the sky’s
heavy and the gray sea churns
in winter time,
before the snow.

I can see her now,
when I said,
“All I see are the blue
skies of summer
and fluffy clouds
and rainbows
of my childhood
days of gold.
I can’t remember, Ma.
I can’t recall all
the skies
of all my years.”

Copyright Suzy Davies, 24/07/2017.

Great News!

Just thought I'd let you know I have an upcoming television interview about my children's book, "Snugs The Snow Bear." Follow this blog for updates!

What is The History Behind The Teddy Bear?

Look in the children's section in any library almost anywhere in the world, and one thing is for certain - the "Teddy Bear" is a popular enduring symbol of love, caring and all those touchy-feely emotions about family, friends, loyalty, and belonging. There are hundreds - thousands even - of books where the main character is a Teddy Bear. Songs have been written about them. Films have been made featuring them. We give Teddy Bears to our children. We keep some for ourselves. The Teddy Bear is a popular gift for Valentines, Birthdays and Christmases. We are obsessed with bears! But where did it all start?

Well, in a nutshell, it all started with a president - Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. He was on a hunting trip in 1902 in the Mississippi area. Some guides on the trip wanted him to kill a bear, who they had trapped and tied to a tree. The president showed compassion and declined. Although the bear was dispatched, the story of the president's kindness quickly spread, and a famous political cartoonist depicted the incident in a newspaper cartoon.

Shortly afterwards, a shopkeeper, Morris Michtom, made a toy bear and displayed the bear in his shop window in Brooklyn. He named the bear after The President.

Far across the globe, at around the same time, the Steiff family, in Germany, also started to make bears, and they went on to manufacture the bears in 1906. These bears are collectible today, and famous all over the world.

One of the early Children's Bear Book Series in America was written by author Seymour Eaton. I stumbled upon him just recently after writing the first three books of The Snugs Series.

Imagine my delight, when I discovered that Eaton's bears were also bears who liked to travel and go on adventures! I like to think that Snugs The Snow Bear, my Children's Book, will carry on this spirit of adventure, and combine traditional values with a modern message!

So what is it that makes bears so endearing? A bear toy or a bear book is not just for special occasions. It seems that when we take a bear into our hearts, he or she is our constant faithful friend. He or she is a good listener, and good for a cuddle. Rupert Bear, Paddington Bear, there are all kinds of bears we still adore into adulthood. Now, what does a bear mean to you?

Glass-Blower

By the ocean, he drifts in silence,
the sea a womb,
that churns with creation.
He stops and listens.
The sun’s high -
burns
his feet,
scorches
his mouth,
the sea
delivers
conch shells
and sea glass before him.
He stands in silence,
listens as
timeless waves
mold and polish treasure,
carve cliffs and caves,
with patience, without measure.
The relentless sun beats down
on the horizon,
where it dives and sparkles,
casts its robes into a molten sea -
the waves tangerine and crimson.
Images and shapes take form,
his heart a crucible
of burnished dreams.

Copyright Suzy Davies. 17/07/2017. All Rights Reserved. No Copying.

All My Todays.

Today I was up bright and early to make the most of the day! I am grateful that, even in my late fifties, I continue to be blessed with high energy levels, and the liveliness and stamina you need to be a writer.

This year already feels as if it will be very productive - I have written and completed three more children's books!

Why have I called this post "All My Todays?"

Well, the reason is that, as a writer, I practise summoning up the past in my mind's eye, as if it were today. I also practise empathetic understanding. Point of view allows me to see things as if I were the child of many years ago. I can also see things through a rich kaleidoscope of different characters' viewpoints.

I also revisit the past through the retrospective "wisdom" of a benign adult author's insights, who reveals herself occasionally as the storyteller/narrator in my children's books.

I enjoy writing because it allows me to experience the past again as if it were today. I like to embrace the traditions of the past in my writing but still make my characters fresh, contemporary, vibrant and part of the "nowness" of our lives.

When you are a writer, the voices in your head - some of them based on people you met along your journey, who may no longer be "present" in the usual sense, live on and are immortalized forever in your memories, and your writing.

You experience them as if they are there with you, having tea, engaging in conversation, laughing with you at some shared joke, whispering secrets in your ear, conspiring with you, arguing with you, crying with you, sharing with you.

You can see their faces in close-up, remember their idiosyncrasies - how they had pet words, and favorite sayings. You hear again the timbre of their voices, recall gestures they made, how they walked, and so on. You remember and try to overlook their faults or at least be kind if you love them. They keep company with all the interesting people you know now, as if the past and the present were one big room, and people in that room or book held a conversation with one another.

You revisit the places of the past, which are characters as well. You experience again the sights, sounds and smells of a place, as if you are actually there. In your mind's eye, you see, in close-up, the details of a stone wall, a tree, a house. You see the panorama of a vista in the distance.

In the nowness of living, you are aware that changes have happened, and see things afresh. But the soul of a place makes it like no other so that it leaves an indelible impression: it is timeless and memorable.

The exciting thing about integrating the essence and spirit of the past with the nowness of the contemporary is that being an author is a kind of time travel and alchemy where the journey - the process of writing - conjures with time itself, and blurs boundaries between reality and fantasy. All my todays have this magic, as yours will have, too, when you read my books to your children.

A Sense of Place

For me, places are living things. Authors make their books have universal appeal through atmospheric scenes, which are set in locations that seem to be familiar to the reader.

Seaside locations are evocative for me, since I spent my early childhood in a seaside town - Aberystwyth, in Wales. Many summer days were spent there, on the beach, and in autumn and winter, the family walked along the prom.

“Aber” is a windy town, and I can still remember the changed personality of the resort, and the sea, during the latter part of the year. In winter, the place seemed deserted, but more exciting because of the dramatic ocean, and colorful skies during storms. I got to know the sea in all its moods.

Often, in spring and summer, the family visited nearby Borth. The round boulders on the beach fascinated me, and I believed that a giant had put them there! Who else could carry such heavy rocks? The rock pools, which teemed with crab, and had limpets, and razor shells, were like miniature worlds to me. Who needs bubble-wrap?
Dark green seaweed festooned the rocks, and was plentiful. Resplendent in a seaweed necklace, I was the Hawaiian girl of Wales!

During the summer, the family went further afield, to Pembrokeshire. We visited lighthouses and castles, and went on nature walks. The taste of salt on my lips, the sound of singing in the chapel, the sight of cattle coming home, a fisherman’s catch hauled in, a pretty harbour, with fishing boats, a bowl of leek soup, or striped sticks of rock, all bring back my childhood place.

My Wales is The Big Country, mentioned in the opening chapter of “Johari’s Window,” my first novel. As a girl, I knew the majesty of the hills, and the music of its rivers.On horseback, the country opened up to me, and revealed its hidden secrets. I remember when once, I discovered a deserted village. Shells of houses, uninhabited, in recent times, suggested an Atlantis, that was now unveiled.

Wales is a country, with an ancient heart. I will celebrate its beauty in my writing again.

Copyright, Suzy Davies, 24/06/2017.

"Snugs The Snow Bear" Author Interview on The Authors' Show Radio is LIVE NOW! June 13, 2017

Just to say that my author interview for "Snugs The Snow Bear" is LIVE today! Just go to the site at the authorsshow.com, and click on the book title, "Snugs The Snow Bear," to discover more about my new Kidlit book, with a message for children about Climate Change, Endangered Species, and Global Warming - all in a magical fiction story that is fun, and has a happy ending!