Michelle Worthington's Blog, page 36

The Next Big Thing - Start of the Ocean by Michelle Worthington and Ann Marie Finn

Thanks to the lovely Candice Lemon-Scott ( http://candicelemonscott.com/) I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to take part in ‘The Next Big Thing’ – a blog chain which gives authors and artists the chance to provide a sneak peek of their work-in-progress. It’s pretty appropriately named – don’t we all hope our work will indeed become ‘the next big thing’? But also it’s a lovely opportunity to reflect on and share a little of our latest projects. From little things, big things grow so here is a look at my next picture book to be released in early 2013 by Wybble. (www.facebook.com/Wybble)
1) What is the working title of your next book?Start of the Ocean
2) Where did the idea come from for the book? My kids and I love spending time at the beach, and when I was standing with my youngest son at Wellington Point one Sunday afternoon, watching the sparkles play on the water, he asked me what ocean we were looking at, and I said, "we are at the start of the Pacific Ocean" and the idea grew from there.
3) What genre does your book fall under?
Children's Picture Book

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?I would love the little girl to be played by a gorgeous fan of mine named Faith, she loves my books and always comes to by storytelling at TLC Books at Manly and she has the most fabulous personality. It is for kids like her that I write my books. I also think that Hugh Jackman should play the lifeguard and that I should personally make sure his D.T's fit him ok...

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The world is a big place for a little kid, especially when you are standing at the start of the ocean.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
New independent publishing house Wybble at Kelvin Grove will be publishing the book and the gorgeous and talented Ann-Marie Finn from AMF Illustrations will be doing the illustrations. http://amfillustrations.wordpress.com/

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The stories tumble around in my head for a while before I write them down, but it only takes me a couple of hours to get them the way I want them. That is the beauty of writing picture books.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Jordan loved the book Magic Beach by Alison Lester, but I wouldn't dare compare myself to her. Ann-Marie's illustrations on the other hand are absolutely breath taking and they make they are what is going to make this book so successful.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I usually get my ideas from people or places and this book was inspired by Wellington Point where I take the boys for a play on the weekends. We are hoping to hold our book launch at Wellington Point, with subsequent launches to be held at Noosa, Bribie Island and Byron Bay.
10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
There is a starfish hiding on every page, can you find it?
Coming soon to www.michelleworthington.com

Tis the Season...to stay safe.

What is it about this time of year that makes everyone go a bit loopy?Common sense is as hard to find as a car park at the shopping centre.My prayer for my lovely readers is a safe and peaceful Christmas.
Stop.Breathe.Stress less.Remember.Dream more.Hug your kids.Think of others.Slow right down.Smile at strangers.Talk to your parents.Give something away.Tell someone you're sorry.Make yourself clearly understood.Help someone if it is safe to do so.If you don't have the money, don't buy it.Spend every spare second with your family.Listen to the words of the Christmas Carols.Have faith.Have hope.Stay safe.



www.michelleworthington.com

Teaching Kids about Consequences

In the last week, I have learnt a very difficult lesson about teaching children the importance of being responsible for their actions. On Friday, little boof and I were in a car accident. We were turning into a driveway when a car came around the corner at high speed and plowed into the back of us. The young female P plater apologised and then gave me what turned out to be fake name, address and contact number and took off before I could get to see her license or get the registration number of the vehicle which she said wasn't hers and she didn't know who it belonged to. After lots of tears, white pages searching, Internet stalking and following a string of phone calls, I finally tracked down the parents of the girl who hit my car. They were very apologetic and asked me to get some quotes to see how much it would cost to fix my car. They would take care of it instead of claiming it through insurance as their daughter had a very high excess due to her age and a recent car accident. My car turned out to be write off, and I informed the parents so they could proceed with the insurance claim only to be told that the father had only just found out his daughter was driving on a suspended license, having lost it due to unpaid speeding fines. He was angry, but still willing to fix the problem on her behalf to avoid her getting into trouble. As a parent, I really felt for him in this situation. But where do you draw the line between protecting your kids from the harsh consequences of their actions and teaching them about truthfulness, responsibility and accountability. Sooner or later, reality runs us over like a steamroller.Is it better to let our kids learn this sooner rather than later, or do we continue to protect them their whole life from the big, bad world around them?My little boof has learnt a very valuable lesson about how lies can snowball and affect those around you in ways that you may never know. He saw the other side of how avoiding the consequences of your actions can impact the lives of others. It was a very hard lesson to learn. If I when he is older and he is faced with a difficult decision, one where the truth with get him into big trouble, I hope he remembers this lesson and understands that lies can only bring pain, not only to those who tell them but to other innocent people.  Truth is more important than the consequences.www.michelleworthington.com

The Curse of the Working Mother

Christmas can bring out the best and the worst in people.  Working in a shopping centre, you tend to see the myriad of emotions that the “holidays” brings out in people. Being a Mum who works a full time paid job as well as my usual Mummy full time unpaid job (paid in love that is) , I feel like I miss out on spending time with my kids while they are on holidays, and they miss out too by being put in vacation care or being looked after by other family members here and there. In my head and on the magical world of Facebook, I see other Mums spending ‘quality time’ with their kids on the holidays; going to the beach, baking yummy treats, smiles and laughs, hugs and kisses, a perfect picture of family bliss and domestic harmony. It kinda does my head in and that good ol’ mother guilt comes creeping in, not to mention the green eyed monster. It kinda breaks my heart. Until...I venture out into the shopping centre in my lunch break; screaming babies, tantrum throwing toddlers, car park scuffles, trolley wars, frazzled mothers with a crazed look in their eyes. Most of us live in the delicate balance of these two extremes, while juggling work and our roles as mother and partner/wife. The curse of the working mother is that there never seems enough time. Time is such a precious commodity, no matter what age your children are and sometimes Mums who get to spend the whole holidays with their children can tend to forget that as the fighting and whinging fills their ears and makes their head ache. Christmas reminds us of this, more than any other time of year. So if you see a lady sitting behind a counter with a sad, wistful look in her eyes as she watches your 4 year old throwing themselves on the ground at your feet, never underestimate the power of a smile. We are all in this together.
www.michelleworthington.com

The Money Tree

One of my least favourite sayings is “what would you do if you knew you could not fail.” Even though I believe in the concept, the question should be “what would you do if money was no object.” As most struggling artists know, living your dreams and earning a living from your dreams are two very different things. For most writers, it is not our primary occupation, even though it occupies our minds all of the time. Finding a balance between feeding your soul and feeding your children is not easy. But it is a necessary evil. I could no more stop writing than I could stop breathing, but I work a full time job to support my family and do not have enough capital to do all the projects I would like to. They say you have to have approximately 10 good selling books to make a part time income from your writing. By March 2014 I will have 10. My goal is become a full time writer, which in my definition means earning a full time income from my books. I have a 5 year business plan in order to achieve this goal. If you are serious about being a professional writer, you need to be an author, a marketing specialist, an IT genius, a creative accountant, a master negotiator and a little bit crazy. Luckily, I have the last bit down pat!
www.michelleworthington.com

The Rules of Giving

Is it just me or does it get harder every year to buy Christmas presents for the kids?When they were little, a quick trip to the junk shop would suffice to fill up the Santa stocking and maybe a big present for under the tree. Now that my boys are tweenagers, there is a written list with specific instructions on what to buy that totals three times my annual salary!Being a budget savvy super-Mum, I have taught my boys the value of money, saving and sacrifice. It seems they have seasonal amnesia around Christmas and birthdays.Apparently, Santa doesn't have a budget, since he makes all the toys himself and pays his elves in fairy floss; or so my nine year old tells me...I stumbled upon the four gift rule about 3 years ago, and I live by it. I choose one thing from the list, one thing I know they need, Mrs Claus buys them a Christmas outfit or new swimming togs and they get a set of books.I would love to know how you keep the spirit of Christmas alive, without donating a kidney to fund it.Go to my facebook page and share your story.www.facebook.com/michelleworthington.authorMerry Christmas!

Those were the days - Triple M's Pete's Pool Pony World Cup

http://www.triplem.com.au/brisbane/shows/grill-team/blog/pete-launches-petes-pool-pony-world-cup/20121112-hk8n.html

Oh my goodness, do I feel old?Driving the kids to school this morning, we heard on the radio that Pete from Triple M here is Brissie is having a Pool Pony race. My little brother and I had Pool Ponies when we were in primary school, which I realised while listening on the radio, was over 20 years ago!I really did have a blessed childhood, and I am trying my best to give my kids the same. We had a pool, went on holidays and got all the toys we wanted, but I dont have the money to do that for my boys. Looking back, my fondest memories are of spending time with my family, not the money that was spent.I can give my boys memories, and hopefully when they are my age *sigh* and look back at our time together, they will smile.
www.michelleworthington.com

Proud SCBWI Member

I just renewed by SCBWI membership for the second year! It may not seem like much, but over the last 12 months I have released 3 beautiful children's books and by renewing my membership, it shows I have more to come!

Hundreds of childrens' book writers and illustrators live and work throughout Australia. Some are creating books full-time while others like me are supported by day jobs to contribute to the wonderful anthology of children's books that are being created on our continent.

Founded in 1971, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is a world wide organization with over 20,000 members and chapters in 17 countries, making it the largest children's writing organization in the world. It is the international professional organization for writers and illustrators of children's literature.
 In Australia, the SCBWI aims to support professional children's book writers and illustrators by keeping them up to date with industry knowledge, publishers - and each other. They focus on selling our work to both the Australian and international markets, especially the USA.Australian SCBWI members receive a huge range of resources and information including:
An Australian email newsletter and updates on markets, current trends in publishing and news of events both here and overseasInvitations to events both nationally and internationallyA quarterly magazine full of the latest USA informationThe international e-news Expression Online with news from around the worldLinks to Australian specific resources including publishers and associationsAs part of the membership joining package new members receive lists of USA:
trade publisherseducational marketsagentsmagazine publishersDo check out the official SCBWI website at: www.scbwi.org. This has lots of free resources!

Guest Blogger - Dimity Powell - Censorship in Children's Writing

Censorship in Children’s Writing – A matter of debateI recently had the privilege to present and participate at the Gold Coast Writers’ Festival.Attending festivals like this one, showcasing writers, illustrators and publishing styles of every ilk, within a mutually stimulating and inspiring environment, not only enhances ones understanding of the industry; but also opens up a Pandora’s Box of absorbing topics for debate. First and foremost on my agenda was the panel presented by Gold Coast author, Angela Sunde on Writing for Children.She quizzed a talented line up of well-known children’s authors including Pam Rushby, Alison Reynolds and Michelle Worthington.  Questions were varied and insightful. Answers were delightfully different from each panellist. Until the last question: Do books need a rating? This seemingly benign question could easily have filled another 45 minutes discussion.In the forever metamorphosing environment of book genres, where YA novels can cover every conceivable topic that adult novels do, it would at first make sense to want to try to categorise or rate them to suit reader age and emotional intellect. The model for this was, rating censorship used on movies.But should written content be treated in the same way as visual content? One young (secondary school aged) audience member thought not. She believed that what we (kids) read is processed very differently to what we view at the movies, on line or via other forms of media. It is ‘more slowly absorbed’ and therefore makes less of a (disturbing) impact. Kids should be allowed to read ad hoc and without restriction. She then returned to her text message.Michelle Worthington, picture book author, felt differently. She said that as a parent, she had a certain responsibility to monitor what her kids read in the same way she would like to know what they were watching or listening to. A chapter book that presents no problem for one child, could act as a catalyst of discomfort and unease for another.  It is not a matter of wanting to be controlling or banning the book forever, rather a decision based on the current emotional capacity of an individual to cope with what is being imparted at the time. She said this proactive approach to shared-regulating what her kids were reading allowed for open and honest discussion of story topics, values and emotions; something which every parent should be endeavouring to foster by reading to or with their children at every chance.She echoed a shared sentiment, that while all texts should be available to all kids to read, the time at which they read them was the important thing, not what those texts contained. Children grow up so fast. Not permitting them access to a meaty YA novel at age 12, even when they are more than capable of physically reading it, may allow them to cherish being 12 for just a bit longer.I personally, remember every crystallising moment when I first read something new and shocking; my first taste of erotica, my first grisly tale of murder most foul, my first exposure to unrequited love. All these images remain with me to this very day. I don’t think they damaged or upset me unduly in any way. The point is, how can anyone, including parents, ever judge or know the critical moment when a child has inadvertently read something essentially life changing; that may remain with them forever? How do we know what is being remembered, forgotten or laughed off? What are the literary triggers that ignite a child’s memory? And can these triggers be determined by age, lumped into categories and cast off as ratings to be used as reliable guidelines to book choice?Would trying to do so corrupt the sale of children’s books in an age where we are more and more desperate for kids to read? Would censorship stifle the enjoyment, and adventure of reading?It is not an easy conundrum to resolve. I look forward to tackling this on future discussion panels. Meantime, move gently into the night; preferably with a good book.Promise to pay more attention to guidelines in future Jackie!
Dimity Powell
http://dimswritestuff.blogspot.com.au/

Mission Statement

As an author, do you have a mission statement about who you want to be and what you want your writing to accomplish?
Here is mine:
My name is Michelle Worthington and I am a published Australian author. The stories I write are like the stories I used to read when I was little and they have what may now be seen as an old fashioned feel, but they have a timeless message. My goal is to be a successful Australian author known for uniquely Australian, classically elegant and compassionate stories for young children.
www.michelleworthington.com