Dianne Bates's Blog, page 9
August 16, 2014
Book Review
That Stranger Next Door by Goldie Alexander (Clan Destine Press, 2014)Reviewed by Dianne Bates
A fictional story, That Stranger Next Door, is nonetheless rooted in actual events that happened in Australia in the 1950s. Ruth Cohen is a fifteen-year old girl growing up in a Melbourne Jewish home she shares with her parents, grandfather Zeida and younger brother Leon. Like girls her age, Ruth has dreams for her future, but unlike her peers (and despite her mother’s ambitions for her), she doesn’t want to become a wife and mother when she grows up; she aspires to a career as a doctor. A scholarship student, she’s certainly clever enough. However, when she meets Patrick O’Sullivan from a wealthy Catholic family, her ambitions fly out of the window.
Invited to Patrick’s home where she meets his overbearing and unlikeable father, she hears political talk at the dinner table which is at odds with the politics of her parents who own a milk bar. Politics and events in Australia thread through this story; the world is in the grips of the Cold War, McCarthyism is rife in America and Australia is reeling from the shock of the Petrov spy affair. Ruth’s father, a former communist, is concerned that ASIO is investigating him, while Patrick’s father works for the right-wing politician, Bob Santamaria.The story begins with Ruth wakening one night to a mystery; someone has stealthily moved into the flat opposite her home. When she discovers that the new tenant is Eva who never pulls back the curtains or comes outdoors, her active, intelligent mind creates a scenario; she comes to believe that Eva is Evdokia Petrov, the defector. A relationship develops between the two with Eva helping Ruth conceal her secret meetings with Patrick and acting as a romantic sounding board. Meanwhile, Ruth suspects that strangers in black cars near her home are spying on Eva – or are they spying on her father, believing he is a communist spy?
In That Stranger Next Door, Alexander has captured a genuine feel of the period in the way people spoke then, the way they dressed and behaved. Her characters feel real, too, from her depiction of the conflicted Ruth to Patrick’s intelligent, unfulfilled and depressed mother. Patrick’s moodiness and his treatment of Ruth after she loses her virginity to him are very well handled. The politics of the time and the cultural depiction of two diverse families – the Jewish Cohens and the Catholic O’Sullivans – ring true and is a great way of introducing teenager readers to a critical period in Australia’s history.
The story is told from two points of view with Ruth narrating most chapters but Eva telling her story, too – of being born in the Ukraine, forced to become part of the army of slave labour in a German munitions’ factory and eventually coming to Australia. Why Eva is in hiding is not revealed until late in the book. Is she Mrs Petrov? Or is there another reason for the mystery that surrounds her? The last chapter happens fourteen years later when the reader learns of what has become of Ruth and answers whether or not her ambitions were realised.
That Stranger Next Door is an engrossing read; the historical context is woven throughout the fiction to provide a rich background to the lives of two vastly different families with their respective beliefs and problems. Recommended for readers 14+ years.
August 10, 2014
About Writing
© Goldie Alexander
History is the narrative of mankind. It provides answers as to how people lived in the past as well as provides for us the roots of certain ideas concerning laws, customs, and political ideas. That old adage, “you can’t know where you are going unless you know where you have been” is relevant. History does tend to repeat itself, if in different ways. This repetition has importance in all societies. It teaches the value of certain social changes and governmental policies. A good example is the Aborigines of Australia who managed to hang onto their history for 40,000 years by word of mouth. A knowledge of history clearly demonstrates that once a civilization was able to maintain a steady food supply, that their creative ideas flowed whether it appeared on rock walls, papyrus, or cedar bark.
When I was young history was taught as a dry accumulation of facts. Thus my personal challenge as an author is to transport young readers into the past by creating convincing settings, characters and dialogue that is totally different to their own experience and make them totally relevant.
I write in all genres but am mostly known for my account of the First Fleet: “My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove” now in its 10 or 11th edition. Some of my other historical fictions for young readers have included “ Mavis Road Medley” (Melbourne in 1933 towards the end of the Depression) “Body and Soul: Lilbet’s Romance” (Melbourne in 1938 just before the outbreak of WW2) “Gallipoli Medals” ( a short junior novel set in Gallipoli and the present) And “The Youngest Cameleer” (William Gosse’s discovery of Uluru in 1873). This last mentioned is a favourite of mine because if we don’t have Aboriginal ancestors, we are all migrants. Our great migrant waves have occurred at various times: during the gold-rush, straight after World War Two, and in the seventies when the ‘boat people’ arrived. Given the current political climate, it is good to recall that Afghans have been responsible for opening up this vast continent and that without their camels the task would have been harder than it already was.
Presently I am organising a launch for “That Stranger Next Door” in early June. I refer to that novel as ‘Romeo and Juliet set against the 1954 Petrov Affair” but I really hope it will be read more seriously. If anyone knows anything about the McCarthy era in the US, and how PM Menzies wanted to implement this law over here, and used this incident to remain in power, they might guess as to what I’m on about. Ruth Adele Cohen who comes from a traditional Jewish family, and Patrick Sean O’Sullivan from a conservative Catholic family, fall in love. However, who is the mysterious woman in the adjacent apartment? Can she really be the infamous Eva Petrov? And if so, is this why she is happy to support this forbidden love affair in return for keeping her presence also a secret?
I began my career writing for Dolly Fiction and I learnt a lot from their guidelines. Four novels later started me off as predominantly a children’s author... though since then I have written adult crime: “The Grevillea Murder Mystery Trilogy” and two how-to-writes: “The Business of Writing for Young People” plus the more recent “Mentoring Your Memoir”. I use that text to run classes for anyone thinking of writing a memoir or a local history. In the 80 books, short stories and articles I have penned since then, I have tackled almost every genre apart from high fantasy, TV & Film scripts and graphic novels. Can’t draw for nuts.
My latest novel for adults that uses history oddly enough is a romance. In ‘Penelope’s Ghost’ Lisa Harbinger seeks refuge in a posh summer retreat on Australia’s lush South Coast. There she finds work as a nanny for two wilful children on one prestigious estate. But behind Rangoon’s ivy and red brick walls lies a mystery: What really happened to the family’s beloved Penelope? Part of this novel explores early white settlement in the Mornington Peninsula.
There’s lots about my books and more on www.goldiealexander.com. I use my blog to feature others authors, books and writing, and never talk about what I am cooking for lunch. www.goldiealexander.com/blog
History is the narrative of mankind. It provides answers as to how people lived in the past as well as provides for us the roots of certain ideas concerning laws, customs, and political ideas. That old adage, “you can’t know where you are going unless you know where you have been” is relevant. History does tend to repeat itself, if in different ways. This repetition has importance in all societies. It teaches the value of certain social changes and governmental policies. A good example is the Aborigines of Australia who managed to hang onto their history for 40,000 years by word of mouth. A knowledge of history clearly demonstrates that once a civilization was able to maintain a steady food supply, that their creative ideas flowed whether it appeared on rock walls, papyrus, or cedar bark.
When I was young history was taught as a dry accumulation of facts. Thus my personal challenge as an author is to transport young readers into the past by creating convincing settings, characters and dialogue that is totally different to their own experience and make them totally relevant.
I write in all genres but am mostly known for my account of the First Fleet: “My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove” now in its 10 or 11th edition. Some of my other historical fictions for young readers have included “ Mavis Road Medley” (Melbourne in 1933 towards the end of the Depression) “Body and Soul: Lilbet’s Romance” (Melbourne in 1938 just before the outbreak of WW2) “Gallipoli Medals” ( a short junior novel set in Gallipoli and the present) And “The Youngest Cameleer” (William Gosse’s discovery of Uluru in 1873). This last mentioned is a favourite of mine because if we don’t have Aboriginal ancestors, we are all migrants. Our great migrant waves have occurred at various times: during the gold-rush, straight after World War Two, and in the seventies when the ‘boat people’ arrived. Given the current political climate, it is good to recall that Afghans have been responsible for opening up this vast continent and that without their camels the task would have been harder than it already was.
Presently I am organising a launch for “That Stranger Next Door” in early June. I refer to that novel as ‘Romeo and Juliet set against the 1954 Petrov Affair” but I really hope it will be read more seriously. If anyone knows anything about the McCarthy era in the US, and how PM Menzies wanted to implement this law over here, and used this incident to remain in power, they might guess as to what I’m on about. Ruth Adele Cohen who comes from a traditional Jewish family, and Patrick Sean O’Sullivan from a conservative Catholic family, fall in love. However, who is the mysterious woman in the adjacent apartment? Can she really be the infamous Eva Petrov? And if so, is this why she is happy to support this forbidden love affair in return for keeping her presence also a secret?I began my career writing for Dolly Fiction and I learnt a lot from their guidelines. Four novels later started me off as predominantly a children’s author... though since then I have written adult crime: “The Grevillea Murder Mystery Trilogy” and two how-to-writes: “The Business of Writing for Young People” plus the more recent “Mentoring Your Memoir”. I use that text to run classes for anyone thinking of writing a memoir or a local history. In the 80 books, short stories and articles I have penned since then, I have tackled almost every genre apart from high fantasy, TV & Film scripts and graphic novels. Can’t draw for nuts.
My latest novel for adults that uses history oddly enough is a romance. In ‘Penelope’s Ghost’ Lisa Harbinger seeks refuge in a posh summer retreat on Australia’s lush South Coast. There she finds work as a nanny for two wilful children on one prestigious estate. But behind Rangoon’s ivy and red brick walls lies a mystery: What really happened to the family’s beloved Penelope? Part of this novel explores early white settlement in the Mornington Peninsula.
There’s lots about my books and more on www.goldiealexander.com. I use my blog to feature others authors, books and writing, and never talk about what I am cooking for lunch. www.goldiealexander.com/blog
August 8, 2014
Nanna's Boot Camp
Nanna’s Boot Camp, a children’s picture book © Vicki Griffin.
I decided to write Nanna’s Boot Camp because I thought it would be fun having a mystery about a big boot. It is a follow on from my first children’s picture book Nanna’s Storm published in 2012, which is still available through Black Ink Press Townsville QLD or message me on my author page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nannas-Storm-and-Nannas-Boot-Camp-childrens-book/155328657860341?ref=hlReview of Nanna’s Storm on Goodreads © Sharon L Norris. April 2014In most families, grandparents are the guardians of tradition. They pass on their knowledge, their skills and their own history through storytelling. Vicki Griffin explores this topic in her children's book Nanna's Storm, illustrated by Vicky Duncan and published by Black Ink Press.
The Nanna in this story is an Indigenous lady who is busy protecting her twin granddaughters, Amy and Jannie, from a cyclone that threatens their rural home. She has survived many storms in her day and she knows exactly what to do on this occasion, taking charge when her granddaughters are very frightened. Nanna turns it into a game and hides with the twins in the wrought-iron bathtub as the storm unleashes around them.
There is a twist in the tail of this story which demonstrates that Nanna is indeed a master of performance storytelling. Through this, her grandchildren learn a valuable lesson about dealing with the elements of nature, and in this way, another tradition is passed on to a new generation.
Colourfully illustrated and told with warmth and heart, 'Nanna's Storm' will appeal to readers who enjoy the art of storytelling.(HYPERLINK "https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10592173-sharon-l-norris"lessHYPERLINK "https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10592173-sharon-l-norris")
Review by Majhid Heath http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/stor...
Bug in a Book review.Nanna’s Storm is based in a dry, dusty part of Australia. The indigenous residents haven’t seen rain for years. The young children have never seen rain at all.
I love a wholly Australian book. I love a story that crosses generations, and I have a soft spot for cheeky Nanna’s too.
Nanna’s Storm is told from Nanna’s perspective rather than being about Nanna which is common in children’s books. I think this is a good thing as it puts the child reader in a perspective they are not used to.
While at Nanna’s, a storm thunders and brews overhead. The twin girls of merely five years have not experienced a storm before and are afraid of the noise and the strange weather. Nanna comforts the girls and encourages them into the bathtub for safety which she tells them is a game of hide and seek with the rain. This becomes a bit of a fun adventure with everyone in the bath hiding under towels snacking on berries and juice. Eventually they all fall asleep. When they awake they are in an old bath in the middle of a field surrounded by sunflowers. Was the storm really that bad that it blew the house away or carried them bath and all into the field? Maybe Nanna is up to her tricks!
Nanna’s storm made me smile, giggle and laugh out loud. What a wonderful Nanna.
Join Nanna in her rich Australian earth colours, cheeky fun, close family bond across generations and see out the storm. I swear I can almost smell the rain on parched soil.
Nanna’s Storm suits middle grade children and is predominately targeted for indigenous children but I think it should be read by all. A book for home and the classroom. I would love to see this book in the classroom as I think there are great topics to be explored, such as our Australian indigenous communities.
Have you got a cheeky Nanna?
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
These two books; Nanna’s Storm and Nanna’s Boot Camp Author Jackie French loves the story and the below link is what she had to say in the children’s Laureate about it.
http://www.childrenslaureate.org.au/2014/07/books-on-the-wind-by-jackie-french/
Nanna’s Boot Camp is available at http://www.morrispublishingaustralia.com/gondor-writers-centre-books.html eBook $7.99 Hard Cover $15.Vicki Griffin with her mob comes from the Shoalhaven area – Darawal tribe to the South Coast of New South Wales. Her Indigenous heritage inspired her to investigate her cultural and artistic talents and she began writing and painting.
Now her art hangs not only in local schools and daycare centres in the Brisbane area but also in Japan.Discovering more of her talents in the realm of writing she enrolled at the University of New England and in 2006 completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communication.
Vicki Griffin is married with four children and lives in Queensland. In 2001 she became a guardian of a Torres Strait Islander child and is leading him into his culture.
August 7, 2014
How to Run a Writing Competition
The Australian market and competitions for writing for children (excluding books) is extremely limited. To encourage children’s writers, and to honour my late daughter, I have run a number of writing for children competitions over the past few years under the banner, the Kathleen Julia Bates Memorial Writing Competition.
Past competitions have included awards for picture book texts, short stories, first chapters and poetry.
In most of the competitions I have covered my costs, the exception being the children’s (lyrical) poetry competition which didn’t get many entries, probably because there is no market for children’s poetry in Australia so not a lot gets written. A few times I’ve actually made a profit running competitions – but certainly not enough to live in the lap of luxury! The most successful competition was where I charged a $10 entry fee. This enabled every entrant to receive a score-sheet and at least a one page critique of their story. (However, it was a lot of hard work as I critiqued all of the non-shortlisted manuscripts). The numbers of entries submitted in the six competitions I’ve run to date have ranged from 75 to 205. All competitions have offered prizes for first, second and third with certificates offered for Highly Commended and Commended. Prize money has totalled $300 in each of the competitions.
If you or your organisation decides to run a writing competition, there are a number of considerations. To begin, make sure you include every bit of relevant information in your competition description. When you are fully satisfied you have listed every relevant criteria that will go out to prospective entrants, make sure you get an impartial reader to check your notice: it is very easy to overlook a simple thing that can later cause problems.
Be prescriptive when describing what the competition is about. If it is for a short story, is it a story for adults or young people? If the later, what age group is the story aimed at? What is the maximum word length? Are there any restrictions; for example, is the competition only open to senior citizens or those under the age of 18 years?
Make it clear that all entries should have a title page with the author’s name, full contact details (including email address) and word count; state that manuscripts be double-spaced and in 12 (14) pt with all pages numbered. Think about whether or not you are prepared to accept more than one entry per writer. State also that only those entrants who include a stamped addressed envelope will receive results. (I’d suggest that you don’t return entries: this is because many people send a ssae that is too small for return of manuscript plus results’ sheet).
If you are charging an entry fee, make sure that you state to whom cheques be made out to – such as a specific person or organisation. If you are prepared to accept more than one entry per writer, then you need to stress that there is $X for each separate entry. How much you charge will depend on factors such as the total amount of prize money and feedback on individual stories. Most writing competitions attract entry fees of $5 to $15.
Name the competition finalist judges and their positions. To assist the judges, you can sift through the entries and give each judge the 10 entries that scored highest so that they can arrive at the winners and place-getters. Each entry can be scored on criteria such as story originality, use of language, characterisation and reader impact. It is a good idea to keep entrants’ names anonymous when you pass short-listed manuscripts on to the finalist judges.
Finally, in organising the competition, allow about 12 weeks from announcement of the competition to the deadline for receipt of entries. Add about 6 – 8 weeks for judging.
Publicising your competition will largely depend on which writers your competition will appeal to, but you are wise to consider writers’ centre magazines, the ASA and FAW newsletters, and online magazines such as Buzz Words (www.buzzwordsmagazine.com.au) or Pass It On.
Running a writing competition can be frustrating, but it also give the organisers a chance to take a look at the quality of writing that is being produced ‘out there’ and to learn valuable skills in organisation and networking.
Dianne (Di) Bates’ most recent book is a junior novel, A Game of Keeps (Celapene Press). Recipient of the Lady Cutler Award for distinguished services to children’s literature, Di is married to award-winning children’s author, Bill Condon. Their website is www.enterprisingwords.com
Past competitions have included awards for picture book texts, short stories, first chapters and poetry.
In most of the competitions I have covered my costs, the exception being the children’s (lyrical) poetry competition which didn’t get many entries, probably because there is no market for children’s poetry in Australia so not a lot gets written. A few times I’ve actually made a profit running competitions – but certainly not enough to live in the lap of luxury! The most successful competition was where I charged a $10 entry fee. This enabled every entrant to receive a score-sheet and at least a one page critique of their story. (However, it was a lot of hard work as I critiqued all of the non-shortlisted manuscripts). The numbers of entries submitted in the six competitions I’ve run to date have ranged from 75 to 205. All competitions have offered prizes for first, second and third with certificates offered for Highly Commended and Commended. Prize money has totalled $300 in each of the competitions.
If you or your organisation decides to run a writing competition, there are a number of considerations. To begin, make sure you include every bit of relevant information in your competition description. When you are fully satisfied you have listed every relevant criteria that will go out to prospective entrants, make sure you get an impartial reader to check your notice: it is very easy to overlook a simple thing that can later cause problems.
Be prescriptive when describing what the competition is about. If it is for a short story, is it a story for adults or young people? If the later, what age group is the story aimed at? What is the maximum word length? Are there any restrictions; for example, is the competition only open to senior citizens or those under the age of 18 years?
Make it clear that all entries should have a title page with the author’s name, full contact details (including email address) and word count; state that manuscripts be double-spaced and in 12 (14) pt with all pages numbered. Think about whether or not you are prepared to accept more than one entry per writer. State also that only those entrants who include a stamped addressed envelope will receive results. (I’d suggest that you don’t return entries: this is because many people send a ssae that is too small for return of manuscript plus results’ sheet).
If you are charging an entry fee, make sure that you state to whom cheques be made out to – such as a specific person or organisation. If you are prepared to accept more than one entry per writer, then you need to stress that there is $X for each separate entry. How much you charge will depend on factors such as the total amount of prize money and feedback on individual stories. Most writing competitions attract entry fees of $5 to $15.
Name the competition finalist judges and their positions. To assist the judges, you can sift through the entries and give each judge the 10 entries that scored highest so that they can arrive at the winners and place-getters. Each entry can be scored on criteria such as story originality, use of language, characterisation and reader impact. It is a good idea to keep entrants’ names anonymous when you pass short-listed manuscripts on to the finalist judges.
Finally, in organising the competition, allow about 12 weeks from announcement of the competition to the deadline for receipt of entries. Add about 6 – 8 weeks for judging.
Publicising your competition will largely depend on which writers your competition will appeal to, but you are wise to consider writers’ centre magazines, the ASA and FAW newsletters, and online magazines such as Buzz Words (www.buzzwordsmagazine.com.au) or Pass It On.
Running a writing competition can be frustrating, but it also give the organisers a chance to take a look at the quality of writing that is being produced ‘out there’ and to learn valuable skills in organisation and networking.
Dianne (Di) Bates’ most recent book is a junior novel, A Game of Keeps (Celapene Press). Recipient of the Lady Cutler Award for distinguished services to children’s literature, Di is married to award-winning children’s author, Bill Condon. Their website is www.enterprisingwords.comAugust 4, 2014
Lessons Learnt: Advice to New Writers
Here are some things that I have learned over the years – they are in no particular order, but the first lesson is the most valuable:
o Be more tenacious and persevere longer than anyone else: it certainly pays dividends
o Study markets; know which publisher is publishing what. To do this, subscribe to industry magazines and constantly read book reviews
o Write every day; read every day
o Be ruthless when self-editing
o Submit manuscripts as often as you can and keep track of where they go and when they are replied to. After six months assume that no answer is the answer
o Always be on the lookout for publishing opportunities; as soon as an opportunity presents itself, submit
o Don’t spend more time networking than you do writing
o Always have at least one project on the go
o Belong to a weekly writers’ workshop group where you trust everyone’s opinions
o Don’t believe what a publisher says until the contract is exchanged
o Be loyal to publishers who support you and your career
o Share what you know with others
Over the past 30 years, Dianne (Di) Bates has published 120+ books, mostly for young readers. Her next book is a junior novel, A Game of Keeps (Celapene Press, August 2014). Di has two blogs, Writing for Children, http://diannedibates.blogspot.com.au and Australian Children’s Poetry http://wwww.australianchildrenspoetry.com.au
Di offers courses for those wishing to write for children as well as junior novel and picture book manuscript assessments. Her website is http://www.enterprisingwords.com.au
o Be more tenacious and persevere longer than anyone else: it certainly pays dividends
o Study markets; know which publisher is publishing what. To do this, subscribe to industry magazines and constantly read book reviews
o Write every day; read every day
o Be ruthless when self-editing
o Submit manuscripts as often as you can and keep track of where they go and when they are replied to. After six months assume that no answer is the answer
o Always be on the lookout for publishing opportunities; as soon as an opportunity presents itself, submit
o Don’t spend more time networking than you do writing
o Always have at least one project on the go
o Belong to a weekly writers’ workshop group where you trust everyone’s opinions
o Don’t believe what a publisher says until the contract is exchanged
o Be loyal to publishers who support you and your career
o Share what you know with others
Over the past 30 years, Dianne (Di) Bates has published 120+ books, mostly for young readers. Her next book is a junior novel, A Game of Keeps (Celapene Press, August 2014). Di has two blogs, Writing for Children, http://diannedibates.blogspot.com.au and Australian Children’s Poetry http://wwww.australianchildrenspoetry.com.au
Di offers courses for those wishing to write for children as well as junior novel and picture book manuscript assessments. Her website is http://www.enterprisingwords.com.au
August 1, 2014
Personal Meets Political
That Stranger Next Door
by Goldie Alexander (Clan Destine Press) www.clandestinepress.com.au
© Goldie Alexander
In my seventh decade it appears that my childhood memories are becoming stronger while my recall for ‘why did I go into that room?’ keeps fading. As a result certain events in Australia’s history that occurred when I was a teenager have become my ‘writing fuel’.
What triggered me to write That Stranger Next Door was the plight of our asylum seekers and the ‘Children Overboard’ incident, a situation John Howard used to regain his position as our prime minister. The similarity to the events of 1954 was overpowering.
Having taught history to high school students I knew how boring that could be. What had always been lacking was a sense of ‘being there’. Therefore once I started fictionalising history, I viewed my challenge as creating convincing settings, characters and dialogue. The all important narrative had to develop from the problems my characters encountered - their aims, wishes and fears. All fictions based on history start with the premise ‘what if you were there at the time’. Though they must be based on careful research, this research had to be invisible. The story must be seamless.
I had already written five historical fictions for young readers. In ‘Mavis Road Medley’ two contemporary youngsters time-travel to the Great Depression. In “My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove” a thirteen year old girl convict lives in 1790 Sydney when the First Fleet felt cut off from the rest of the world. In ‘Lilbet’s Romance, a disabled girl describes her life just before the outbreak of World War Two. In ‘Gallipoli Medals’ Great Uncle Jack is a soldier in WW1. And in ‘The Youngest Cameleer’, my 14year old protagonist is a 14YO Moslem boy, part of a lesser known exploration into the interior that led to the first non-indigenous group stumbling across Uluru.
When I was in my mid teens in the mid 20th Century, PM Menzies was ‘king’ Australia was a place when the Queen visited us wearing pearls, England was Home, there was the Korean War, migrants being shunted into camps, the Snowy Mountain Scheme, the six o’clock swill, nuclear families, housewifery for women, and the coming of television. Politically, there was the White Australia Policy, the Communist Referendum, and the split in the Labour Party into ALP and DLP. And finally, the infamous ‘Petrov Affair’
It was that similarity of ‘history repeating itself,’ that niggled at me to write about that incident. When I approached several submission editors with the idea, some didn’t know what I was talking about. Alternatively, if they did, they told me no one would be interested.
Given that I am obstinate enough to persevere, I went ahead and wrote the book anyway. But this very political story needed a sweetener to make it appeal to young readers. What could be better than a Romeo/ Juliet romance set against that infamous affair?
Thus That Stranger next Door is set in 1954 at the height of the ‘Cold War’. In the United States, Senator McCarthy was using anti-communist laws to force academics, film makers and other intellectuals to a senate hearing to ask if they ever belonged to the Communist Party and to name anyone who had gone to their meetings. Many people lost their jobs and their families. Some even committed suicide.
When an insignificant Russian diplomat called Vladimir Petrov defected to Australia, promising to provide information about a Russian spy-ring, he forgot or avoided mentioning this to his wife. As Evdokia was pulled onto a plane in Darwin, she was rescued at the last minute by ASIO and hidden in a ‘safe house’. At the time PM Menzies was also trying to bring in similar anti-communist legislation to the US, and thankfully, in this he was unsuccessful.
However, the implications were frightening. So many migrants who had come to Australia in previous decades, and thus escaped death in the Holocaust, had joined the Communist Party. The propaganda coming out of the Soviet Union had been successful as this was before Russian tanks rolled into Hungary. So when the Petrov Affair was at its height, and people with membership cards were refused visas to the States, they buried and burnt any telling literature and trembled in fear. If Micks hated Protos, and vice versa, both groups joined together to hate Asians, Aborigines and Jews.
I had to make a story out of that. Thus in That Stranger Next Door, 15YO Ruth, her Jewish mother, father, small brother Leon and her grandfather (Zieda) live above the family milk-bar in Melbourne’s Elwood. Because Ruth’s father once belonged to the Communist Party, the family fear that the ‘Petrov Affair’ will help bring in anti-Communist legislation that will produce another wave of anti-Semitism.
The story opens with Eva moving in next door and Ruth meeting Catholic Patrick O’Sullivan. (Patrick’s father is about to work for Bob Santamaria and the emerging DLP party). Patrick offers to teach Ruth to ride a bike at a time when some Jewish girls were actively discouraged from riding bikes, never allowed to mix with gentile boys, and kept sexually ignorant. Eva agrees to provide Ruth with an alibi for meeting Patrick, but only with the proviso that her presence also be kept secret. As Ruth rails against her mother’s ‘how a good Jewish daughter should behave’, she is fascinated by Patrick’s totally different background. Between Ruth’s account of her first love, Eva fills in her own very unhappy story. All this takes place during the height of the Cold War when the world seemed on the knife edge of nuclear annihilation.
Though many books have been written by the children of Holocaust survivors, I don’t think anything has come out about the after effects of the Holocaust on those Jews who were here well before WW2 and their children, though repercussions have echoed through the decades. This is my fictional account of what it was like to be a Jewish girl living in Melbourne, Australia in the mid 1950’s. I should add that this story is pure fiction. I never lived above a milk-bar, though I had a friend that did, and my family left Elwood to live in a more salubrious suburb when I was only seven.
goldie@goldiealexander.com
www.goldiealexander.com
That Stranger Next Door by Goldie Alexander (Clan Destine Press) www.clandestinepress.com.au ISBN 9780992492434 (Available at all good bookstores)
© Goldie Alexander
In my seventh decade it appears that my childhood memories are becoming stronger while my recall for ‘why did I go into that room?’ keeps fading. As a result certain events in Australia’s history that occurred when I was a teenager have become my ‘writing fuel’.
What triggered me to write That Stranger Next Door was the plight of our asylum seekers and the ‘Children Overboard’ incident, a situation John Howard used to regain his position as our prime minister. The similarity to the events of 1954 was overpowering.Having taught history to high school students I knew how boring that could be. What had always been lacking was a sense of ‘being there’. Therefore once I started fictionalising history, I viewed my challenge as creating convincing settings, characters and dialogue. The all important narrative had to develop from the problems my characters encountered - their aims, wishes and fears. All fictions based on history start with the premise ‘what if you were there at the time’. Though they must be based on careful research, this research had to be invisible. The story must be seamless.
I had already written five historical fictions for young readers. In ‘Mavis Road Medley’ two contemporary youngsters time-travel to the Great Depression. In “My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove” a thirteen year old girl convict lives in 1790 Sydney when the First Fleet felt cut off from the rest of the world. In ‘Lilbet’s Romance, a disabled girl describes her life just before the outbreak of World War Two. In ‘Gallipoli Medals’ Great Uncle Jack is a soldier in WW1. And in ‘The Youngest Cameleer’, my 14year old protagonist is a 14YO Moslem boy, part of a lesser known exploration into the interior that led to the first non-indigenous group stumbling across Uluru.
When I was in my mid teens in the mid 20th Century, PM Menzies was ‘king’ Australia was a place when the Queen visited us wearing pearls, England was Home, there was the Korean War, migrants being shunted into camps, the Snowy Mountain Scheme, the six o’clock swill, nuclear families, housewifery for women, and the coming of television. Politically, there was the White Australia Policy, the Communist Referendum, and the split in the Labour Party into ALP and DLP. And finally, the infamous ‘Petrov Affair’
It was that similarity of ‘history repeating itself,’ that niggled at me to write about that incident. When I approached several submission editors with the idea, some didn’t know what I was talking about. Alternatively, if they did, they told me no one would be interested.
Given that I am obstinate enough to persevere, I went ahead and wrote the book anyway. But this very political story needed a sweetener to make it appeal to young readers. What could be better than a Romeo/ Juliet romance set against that infamous affair?
Thus That Stranger next Door is set in 1954 at the height of the ‘Cold War’. In the United States, Senator McCarthy was using anti-communist laws to force academics, film makers and other intellectuals to a senate hearing to ask if they ever belonged to the Communist Party and to name anyone who had gone to their meetings. Many people lost their jobs and their families. Some even committed suicide.
When an insignificant Russian diplomat called Vladimir Petrov defected to Australia, promising to provide information about a Russian spy-ring, he forgot or avoided mentioning this to his wife. As Evdokia was pulled onto a plane in Darwin, she was rescued at the last minute by ASIO and hidden in a ‘safe house’. At the time PM Menzies was also trying to bring in similar anti-communist legislation to the US, and thankfully, in this he was unsuccessful.
However, the implications were frightening. So many migrants who had come to Australia in previous decades, and thus escaped death in the Holocaust, had joined the Communist Party. The propaganda coming out of the Soviet Union had been successful as this was before Russian tanks rolled into Hungary. So when the Petrov Affair was at its height, and people with membership cards were refused visas to the States, they buried and burnt any telling literature and trembled in fear. If Micks hated Protos, and vice versa, both groups joined together to hate Asians, Aborigines and Jews.
I had to make a story out of that. Thus in That Stranger Next Door, 15YO Ruth, her Jewish mother, father, small brother Leon and her grandfather (Zieda) live above the family milk-bar in Melbourne’s Elwood. Because Ruth’s father once belonged to the Communist Party, the family fear that the ‘Petrov Affair’ will help bring in anti-Communist legislation that will produce another wave of anti-Semitism.
The story opens with Eva moving in next door and Ruth meeting Catholic Patrick O’Sullivan. (Patrick’s father is about to work for Bob Santamaria and the emerging DLP party). Patrick offers to teach Ruth to ride a bike at a time when some Jewish girls were actively discouraged from riding bikes, never allowed to mix with gentile boys, and kept sexually ignorant. Eva agrees to provide Ruth with an alibi for meeting Patrick, but only with the proviso that her presence also be kept secret. As Ruth rails against her mother’s ‘how a good Jewish daughter should behave’, she is fascinated by Patrick’s totally different background. Between Ruth’s account of her first love, Eva fills in her own very unhappy story. All this takes place during the height of the Cold War when the world seemed on the knife edge of nuclear annihilation.
Though many books have been written by the children of Holocaust survivors, I don’t think anything has come out about the after effects of the Holocaust on those Jews who were here well before WW2 and their children, though repercussions have echoed through the decades. This is my fictional account of what it was like to be a Jewish girl living in Melbourne, Australia in the mid 1950’s. I should add that this story is pure fiction. I never lived above a milk-bar, though I had a friend that did, and my family left Elwood to live in a more salubrious suburb when I was only seven.
goldie@goldiealexander.com
www.goldiealexander.com
That Stranger Next Door by Goldie Alexander (Clan Destine Press) www.clandestinepress.com.au ISBN 9780992492434 (Available at all good bookstores)
July 29, 2014
Writing Verse Novels
The verse-novel is not really a new writing form. Yevgeny Onegin by Aleksander Pushkin, a famous verse-novel, was first published in 1833. Some verse-novels became popular during the Victorian era, as well. But the contemporary verse-novel truly gained literary attention in 1998 when Karen Hesse won a Newbery Medal for her children’s verse-novel, Out of the Dust. A score of verse-novels have since made their way into the hearts of readers – especially young readers – all over the world.
This contemporary genre combines the power of narrative with the rich, evocative language of verse. Of course, some verse novels contain ordinary verse and little plot, but the best free verse novels are beautifully crafted, convincing reading experiences with a strong sense of voice.
Although the narrative structure of a verse novel is similar to a prose novel, the organisation of story is usually in a series of short sections, often with sub-titles. The writing style is very personal, straight-forward and often told in first-person. The chapters are commonly short vignettes, at times related from multiple perspectives. The use of multiple narrators provides readers with a cinematic view into the inner workings of characters’ minds. Most verse novels employ an informal, colloquial register. Tackling subjects for today’s young adults, these books are fairly easy to read, yet often strike to the heart of difficult topics.
There are many advantages to writing your story in verse. The very nature of writing in verse allows for more condensed language. Every word is needed and important. This type of form forces the author to think deeply on what is necessary and what is not. You also leave more ‘space’ for the reader to participate in the story-telling. This space draws the reader’s imagination into the story, filling in their own details where the story leaves it open to do so. If you are drawn to the idea of writing a story in verse but don’t know how to get started, try reading some contemporary verse-novels to familiarise yourself with the tone and style of the form. Whether you prefer structured verse as in The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth, or free-verse, as in Crank by US YA author Ellen Hopkins, read as much as you can get your hands on. With regular doses of the verse-novel in your daily diet, you will begin to hear the subtle undertones of rhythm and lyrical style evident in the various authors’ voices. Once you’ve found the style that appeals to you most as a reader and while that wonderful feeling you get from reading that style is fresh in your psyche, try writing your first line of verse-story. Then stop. Read it aloud. How does it sound? Is it smooth or awkward? Refine your first line until you love it. Then, move on to the next line. You’re on your way to writing your first verse-novel.
If you have a YA story just waiting to unfold and find that you enjoy reading this form of story writing then this may be the springboard you’ve needed to turn that white page, once again, into literary art.
One of Australia’s best known verse novelists for young people is Steven Herrick, author of By the River (A&U), The Simple Gift (UQP) and others. Herrick says that by far the most poetic verse novel he’s read is Frenchtown Summer by Robert Cormier.
Herrick says that while he’s writing a verse novel all he wants ‘is to write characters that the reader would like to spend some time with. I don't focus that much on the storyline when I'm writing - I just want to get close to the characters. The story (such as it is) comes later.’
The late Dorothy Porter, an award-winning Australia poet and author who wrote for adults, said that a good verse novel is an ‘impossible’ juggling act of narrative and poetry; both have to work. ‘You can’t have a successful verse novel,’ she said, ‘where the story drags and the characters are tepidly drawn.
‘The same rule of narrative enchantment applies to verse novels as it also applies to prose novels. It’s the quality of the poetry that gives the verse novel its true distinction and luminous intensity.’
Award-winning Australian children’s author, Catherine Bateson started writing for young adults as a verse novelist. She had, she says, already written poetry sequences and, when the prose version of a story she was thinking about didn’t work, she scrapped the five chapters she’d completed and began it again in free verse. What she discovered in the writing of that verse first novel, A Dangerous Girl, was that the form gave her a lot of freedom. She could write from the viewpoints of all four of her characters, directly exploring their emotional lives.
When I began writing Nobody’s Boy , I knew that the story would be about a young boy and his experiences through the fostering system. The boy would not be unlike nine year old Paul whom my husband (Bill Condon) and I had fostered for some years. Paul had been living with his mother on the streets for a year, we were told, when, at the age of six he rang emergency services when his mother took an overdose. For a short while he lived with his father, but his wife gave an ultimatum: her or the boy. The father chose to send Paul into the fostering system. Paul then lived with a number of foster carers before being taken in by his maternal aunt. Here, the eldest of four boys, he was very unhappy until his aunt appealed to the authorities for respite care. It was then that Bill and I took Paul on. After a while, Paul rejected his aunt and demanded to live permanently with Bill and me.
The first challenge in writing Nobody’s Boywas, as it is with all novels, deciding whose voice the novel should be written in. It seemed natural to me that the novel should be narrated by the fostered son, Ron, and so it was. Recording dialogue is an issue in verse novels, so, instead of littering the free verse of the story with all direct speech in quotation marks, I solved the problem by putting it in italics, and by using far less speech than in a prose novel.
As with most verse novels, I broke the story into small narrative chunks, with a sub-title for each section.
It seems that the verse novel is a highly unpredictable literary form. Unlike prose novels, where most read in terms of their structure and language pretty much the same, every verse novel is different. Whether good or bad, each one is a unique reflection of the poet who wrote it and the struggles the poet had in trying to weld poetry and narrative together.
© Dianne Bates
Dianne (Di) Bates is the author of over 120 books for young people. Her latest book is a junior verse novel, Nobody’s Boy(Celapene Press, 2012) about two years in the life of a foster child. The book was awarded a CBCA Notable Award in 2013. Di’s website is www.enterprisingwords.com
July 28, 2014
Roses are Blue
Why and How I Write Verse Novels by Sally Murphy
I fell in love with verse novels when I discovered those written by Margaret Wild (Jinxedand One Night). I decided then that I wanted to write in the form one day, and my love of verse novels continued to grow when I discovered works by Steven Herrick, Catherine Bateson, Lorraine Marwood and more. It took a while to find the right story for a verse novel, but when a girl called Pearl started telling me her tale, I wrote my first verse novel, Pearl Verses the World. Later, I met (in my imagination) a boy named John who similarly wanted his tale told that way, in Toppling.
Roses are Blue is my third verse novel, and took a little longer than the others to get from early draft to publication, because it took a lot of work to find the right balance between the sad, difficult subject matter, and some hope and happiness for Amber, the main character.
When I write a verse novel, I start with a character and a situation. In this novel, I had a little girl, Amber, in the horrible situation of confronting just how different her mother is - from other mothers, and from the mum she used to be.
I write the story from beginning to end, trying not to revise or edit until I have a first draft complete. Because I'm writing in poetry, I do consider things like line length and poetic technique, but try not to overthink these at the draft stage. I want to get the story down. So I wrote Amber’s story, of struggling with the changes in her life, and of wondering how her friends will react to Mum when she comes to school for a Mother’s Day function.
Once the draft is complete the hard work begins. Just as with a prose story I need to look at the story arc, the plot and any subplots, character development, setting and so on, but I also need to consider whether it works as poetry. Are there layers of meaning? Have I used line length to the best possible advantage? And what about poetic devices such as rhythm, repetition, alliteration, assonance, imagery, even rhyme? I consider how these can be used to enhance the story.
With Roses are Blue, I found the poetry part flowed quite naturally, but the plot needed quite a bit of work, as I searched for more hope for Amber and for the reader. The character of Leroy became quite important too. Although he was present in early drafts his role grew in subsequent drafts.
Of course, I also have to convince my publisher that the verse novel works. Walker Books had published my first two verse novels, and I was lucky enough to have their support in getting Roses are Blue to publication standard. This meant that once I thought the book was as good as I could get it, I had lots of editorial input from Sue and Jess at Walker until it was ready to be illustrated (by brilliant illustrator Gabriel Evans) and then, eventually, published.
Then, of course, there’s the fun part: holding my book baby in my hands, and getting to share it with the rest of the world.
Sally Murphy is a children’s author, poet and reviewer, who lives in Western Australia. When she’s not writing verse novels, poems, picture books and more, she’s busy with her family – she has six gorgeous children, an adorable grandson and a loveable husband, as well as two dogs. Sally loves to share her poetry with the world through school visits, festival bookings, author talks and the like.
Roses are Blue (illustrated by Gabriel Evans is published by Walker Books Australia (ISBN 9781922244376) and is available from good bookstores, and from online stores including Booktopia, for a RRP of $16.95
Sally can be visited online at her website: www.sallymurphy.com.au
Or her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sally-Murphy/125397660050
July 27, 2014
Blotch: All Paws to Chile
I love dogs. I started dreaming of having a dog when I was in my nappies. For hundreds and hundreds of reasons, I didn't have a chance to share my life with a dog. Until … One night coming back home, thinking of retiring from work, I found a little Jack Russell in my backyard. The idea of writing about Blotch came up there and then!
Blotch means Manchas in Spanish, but as she is so small … Manchitas is the right translation: Blotch = Manchas.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/monica-lizama/all-paws-to-chile/
KIRKUS REVIEW(Blotch, 2011) by Australian Monica Lazma details the adventures of an energetic Australian dog en route to Antarctica in an illustrated chapter book.
Blotch is very distraught when his two-legged owner, Isabel, receives an invitation to visit her grandfather in Chile and accompany him to Antarctica, but Blotch isn’t invited because he isn’t allowed on the airplane! Horrified by the idea of being without his girl for two months, the innovative dog stows away on the airplane and gets himself a free ride to Chile. Isabel is eventually delighted to have her dog with her, and her plucky grandfather is thrilled to have them both. The author does a wonderful job weaving in rich details about Chile via Blotch’s observations and reactions to his environment.
When Blotch is abducted, he resourcefully escapes and befriends a Husky heading south. They encounter adventures on their way to finding their loved ones. Blotch’s ebullient warmth toward all living creatures is endearing, as is his vulnerability when things get too scary, whether it’s a huge ferryboat to Antarctica or a life-sized statue of a creature resembling a bear. Like many dogs, Blotch pees where he shouldn’t, digs up old bones and almost falls off a boat in his effort to bond with the dolphins, making the book realistic fun for young dog lovers. Sant’ Ana’s illustrations are charming and endearing.
Despite the rich culture and high adventure, the tale is primarily a series of episodic events without much conflict or growth, aside from the achievement of short-term goals. The fast-paced adventures keep things moving fairly well, however. At times, the story reads a little like a tour book, with Isabel often looking up things on her iPad and reading facts aloud. Unfortunately, a key mistake—Antarctica’s coldest season is cited as being minus 8 degrees Celsius instead of minus 80—casts shadows on the accuracy of the facts about Chile and Antarctica that fill the book.
July 21, 2014
Manuscript Rejection no Big Deal!
Many new writers are often discouraged from furthering their careers because publishers reject their manuscripts. The successful writer is often one who persists in the face of rejected manuscripts – and repeated rejections at that. My YA novel, The Last Refuge, a book about children who are victims of domestic violence, took five years of submissions before it was placed with the 16thAustralian publisher to whom I sent it. Hodder Headline published it in and subsequently sold rights to Denmark and Italy. The book was highly commended in the Australian Family Therapy Association Awards.
Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex Godpublished by my husband Bill Condon was entered in eleven different book competitions by his publisher (Woolshed Press); it was short-listed in only one (which it won – the 2010 Prime Minister’s Literary Award). It didn’t even get a CBCA Notable Book Guernsey!
In this article I tell of other children’s authors’ quests to have book manuscripts accepted, who persisted despite numerous rejections to finally receive a publishing contract.
Escape by Deluge by Edel Wignell was rejected for seven years by every Australian publisher, many of whom cited it as being 'too local'. Finally it was accepted; rights were then sold to the UK, USA and Sweden, and the book remained in print for five years. Edel reports that one of her manuscripts went out 53 times before acceptance!
Vashti Farrar has found that manuscripts she submitted many years ago which were rejected as too way out at the time, have in most cases found a niche somewhere. At that time she was writing a number of spoof fairy tales before Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymesappeared, although her efforts were not in verse. One case in point was the original version of Princess Euphorbia – then called The Prince Frog, which Vashti wrote when Princess Anne got married to Mark Phillips. “Amusing, but too extreme” was the basic rejection message. However, she eventually sold it to NSW School Magazine as “Green Piece” and then resold it to Addison Wesley Longman as a SupaDooper: it was then re-issued by Pearson Education as a play. By this time of course, it was no longer seen as too way out, just wacky.
Another manuscript, Vashti says, was rejected by a publishing house with the message it would never be accepted by teachers because it used words with dropped h’s and g’s. Again, NSW School Magazinesnapped it up and reprinted it and it has also been taken as a play by Pearson. Vashti says, ”Apart from all the usual reasons for manuscripts being rejected, one should not forget that writing themes and styles do go in and out of fashion and it might be wise to stick it in a bottom drawer and try rewriting it in 6 months or a year’s time.”
Wendy Orr’s junior novel, Ark in the Parkwas rejected by “about” six publishers, with comments such as “too sad for children to relate to,” and “a sweet story but an awkward length” before being published by HarperCollins in 1994. It went on to win the 1995 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, and has since been published in the UK, USA, Japan, France and Italy. Although Wendy is not sure of the book’s total figures, it is still in the Educational Lending Rights’ top 100 list (that is, books purchased by educational libraries in Australia.)
Sue Bursztynski has had experience of submitting a children’s non-fiction manuscript several times and not succeeding with the book itself, but using the material from it for something she did succeed in selling. Her book proposal on the subject of horses didn't go through, but the re-written sample chapter on the Australian champion race-horse, Phar Lap, became an article which not only sold, but was requested for e-publishing in the US. Sue’s archaeology book proposal ended up as a book for the education publishing industry and she got an article out of it.
Sue says, “I wrote a couple of books for Allen and Unwin, for the True Stories series, back in the early/mid '90s. One was on monsters (Monsters and Creatures of the Night,), the other on women scientists (Potions to Pulsars: Women Doing Science). Bits of both books have been re-printed elsewhere, by the publishers' arrangement, and she later received a couple of hundred dollars from the re-print of a chapter of her first book in an Asian school textbook.
Sue submitted a proposal for a book on horses. Editor Sarah Brennan liked the idea, but the book didn’t proceed, so Sue re-worked the chapter on Phar Lap and sent it to the NSW School Magazine, which published it. “They don't care what you do with an article after they've published it,” Sue says. The SM editor passed on to her the information that a company in the US called SIRS.COM wanted to re-publish it on CD ROM. They search children's magazines around the world and ask for materials they like. Sue received another US $100 for it. SIRS.COM re-published a few of her articles.
Sue also produced a proposal on archaeologists, but Omnibus, her publisher at the time, had decided not to do any more books in the Extraordinary series, so she peddled the proposal around until she sold a shortened version to Nelson for an education book. That book has since sold over 31,000 copies. A section of the original proposal became an article for Sydney Morning Herald.
HarperCollins simply loved Sue’s proposal on the subject of freaks and medical curiosities. Unfortunately, it was too politically incorrect for Book Club and they simply couldn't raise the money to publish it. She re-worked the sample chapter, did further research on another proposed chapter and sold two articles to School Magazine.
The message from Sue – also from Edel Wignell and other children’s writers is, if you don't sell your book, don't despair – you can always re-cycle!
Janette Brazel reports that two of her books were 'grunge' in nature and had been doing the rounds of publishers for over 12 months. Hector the Protectorand Leave it to Weevil were both accepted by Limelight Publishing, the sixth publisher to which they were submitted.
Pam Graham tells that ten years ago she wrote a story for nine to twelve-year-olds: over the years she submitted it to fourteen publishers. After a few rejections, a letter came offering to publish her story. “I was elated until I read that I was expected to pay $8,500 for them to go ahead with it. Nowhere in the info about this publisher did it say they wanted the author to pay costs,” said Pam. She continued submitting her story to other publishers, both small and large. Some time later, after reading the first three chapters, Macmillan asked to read the rest of the manuscript. She sent it off but it was returned about eight months later. Then, after reading the complete manuscript, Queensland University Press asked if she could add about 10,000 words and re-submit it. She did so, without success.
Pam says, “When I first began writing, I was told it was a definite no-no to send a manuscript to more than one publisher at a time. Because I stuck to this 'rule', by the time I got each rejection it meant that an average of six months had been wasted. This really eats up the years.
“A few months ago I submitted it to a publisher who organises primary school reading series for a major publisher and was rewarded with success. Admittedly, publishers' requirements change as do their editors, and I have now signed a contract with one of those fourteen who had already rejected it.”
These are just a few tales from published Australian children’s writerswho have persisted with submission – and also recycled rejected material – until they’ve succeeded in selling their work. My most consecutive manuscript rejections is 47 – and then, voila! Success!
For the past 30 years I have kept records of my manuscript acceptances and rejections. Looking at records for the past seven years, I note that my average acceptance rate is 12.5%; this means that for every eight manuscripts I submit, one is likely to be accepted. Whether this indicates I’m a ‘successful’ writer or not, I don’t know. What is a fact, though, is that in 30 years I’ve had well over 120 books published and countless stories, poems and articles.
If you want to succeed as a writer, you need to be aware that publishers reject more manuscripts than they accept; consequently you will also receive more rejections than acceptances. Persistence is the name of the game!
Some of Dianne (Di) Bates' books have won national and state literary awards; others have sold overseas. Di has received Grants and Fellowships from the Literature Board of the Australia Council and has toured for the National Book Council. Di worked on the editorial team of the NSW Department of Education School Magazine; she was also co-editor of a national children’s magazine, Puffinalia (Penguin Books) and editor of the children’s magazine, Little Ears.
In 2008, Di was awarded The Lady Cutler Prize for distinguished services to children’s Literature. Her latest book is a junior novel, A Game of Keeps (Celapene Press). Currently Di works as a freelance writer and manuscript assessor. Her website is www.enterprisingwords.com.au
Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex Godpublished by my husband Bill Condon was entered in eleven different book competitions by his publisher (Woolshed Press); it was short-listed in only one (which it won – the 2010 Prime Minister’s Literary Award). It didn’t even get a CBCA Notable Book Guernsey!
In this article I tell of other children’s authors’ quests to have book manuscripts accepted, who persisted despite numerous rejections to finally receive a publishing contract.
Escape by Deluge by Edel Wignell was rejected for seven years by every Australian publisher, many of whom cited it as being 'too local'. Finally it was accepted; rights were then sold to the UK, USA and Sweden, and the book remained in print for five years. Edel reports that one of her manuscripts went out 53 times before acceptance!
Vashti Farrar has found that manuscripts she submitted many years ago which were rejected as too way out at the time, have in most cases found a niche somewhere. At that time she was writing a number of spoof fairy tales before Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymesappeared, although her efforts were not in verse. One case in point was the original version of Princess Euphorbia – then called The Prince Frog, which Vashti wrote when Princess Anne got married to Mark Phillips. “Amusing, but too extreme” was the basic rejection message. However, she eventually sold it to NSW School Magazine as “Green Piece” and then resold it to Addison Wesley Longman as a SupaDooper: it was then re-issued by Pearson Education as a play. By this time of course, it was no longer seen as too way out, just wacky.
Another manuscript, Vashti says, was rejected by a publishing house with the message it would never be accepted by teachers because it used words with dropped h’s and g’s. Again, NSW School Magazinesnapped it up and reprinted it and it has also been taken as a play by Pearson. Vashti says, ”Apart from all the usual reasons for manuscripts being rejected, one should not forget that writing themes and styles do go in and out of fashion and it might be wise to stick it in a bottom drawer and try rewriting it in 6 months or a year’s time.”
Wendy Orr’s junior novel, Ark in the Parkwas rejected by “about” six publishers, with comments such as “too sad for children to relate to,” and “a sweet story but an awkward length” before being published by HarperCollins in 1994. It went on to win the 1995 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, and has since been published in the UK, USA, Japan, France and Italy. Although Wendy is not sure of the book’s total figures, it is still in the Educational Lending Rights’ top 100 list (that is, books purchased by educational libraries in Australia.)
Sue Bursztynski has had experience of submitting a children’s non-fiction manuscript several times and not succeeding with the book itself, but using the material from it for something she did succeed in selling. Her book proposal on the subject of horses didn't go through, but the re-written sample chapter on the Australian champion race-horse, Phar Lap, became an article which not only sold, but was requested for e-publishing in the US. Sue’s archaeology book proposal ended up as a book for the education publishing industry and she got an article out of it.
Sue says, “I wrote a couple of books for Allen and Unwin, for the True Stories series, back in the early/mid '90s. One was on monsters (Monsters and Creatures of the Night,), the other on women scientists (Potions to Pulsars: Women Doing Science). Bits of both books have been re-printed elsewhere, by the publishers' arrangement, and she later received a couple of hundred dollars from the re-print of a chapter of her first book in an Asian school textbook.
Sue submitted a proposal for a book on horses. Editor Sarah Brennan liked the idea, but the book didn’t proceed, so Sue re-worked the chapter on Phar Lap and sent it to the NSW School Magazine, which published it. “They don't care what you do with an article after they've published it,” Sue says. The SM editor passed on to her the information that a company in the US called SIRS.COM wanted to re-publish it on CD ROM. They search children's magazines around the world and ask for materials they like. Sue received another US $100 for it. SIRS.COM re-published a few of her articles.
Sue also produced a proposal on archaeologists, but Omnibus, her publisher at the time, had decided not to do any more books in the Extraordinary series, so she peddled the proposal around until she sold a shortened version to Nelson for an education book. That book has since sold over 31,000 copies. A section of the original proposal became an article for Sydney Morning Herald.
HarperCollins simply loved Sue’s proposal on the subject of freaks and medical curiosities. Unfortunately, it was too politically incorrect for Book Club and they simply couldn't raise the money to publish it. She re-worked the sample chapter, did further research on another proposed chapter and sold two articles to School Magazine.
The message from Sue – also from Edel Wignell and other children’s writers is, if you don't sell your book, don't despair – you can always re-cycle!
Janette Brazel reports that two of her books were 'grunge' in nature and had been doing the rounds of publishers for over 12 months. Hector the Protectorand Leave it to Weevil were both accepted by Limelight Publishing, the sixth publisher to which they were submitted.
Pam Graham tells that ten years ago she wrote a story for nine to twelve-year-olds: over the years she submitted it to fourteen publishers. After a few rejections, a letter came offering to publish her story. “I was elated until I read that I was expected to pay $8,500 for them to go ahead with it. Nowhere in the info about this publisher did it say they wanted the author to pay costs,” said Pam. She continued submitting her story to other publishers, both small and large. Some time later, after reading the first three chapters, Macmillan asked to read the rest of the manuscript. She sent it off but it was returned about eight months later. Then, after reading the complete manuscript, Queensland University Press asked if she could add about 10,000 words and re-submit it. She did so, without success.
Pam says, “When I first began writing, I was told it was a definite no-no to send a manuscript to more than one publisher at a time. Because I stuck to this 'rule', by the time I got each rejection it meant that an average of six months had been wasted. This really eats up the years.
“A few months ago I submitted it to a publisher who organises primary school reading series for a major publisher and was rewarded with success. Admittedly, publishers' requirements change as do their editors, and I have now signed a contract with one of those fourteen who had already rejected it.”
These are just a few tales from published Australian children’s writerswho have persisted with submission – and also recycled rejected material – until they’ve succeeded in selling their work. My most consecutive manuscript rejections is 47 – and then, voila! Success!
For the past 30 years I have kept records of my manuscript acceptances and rejections. Looking at records for the past seven years, I note that my average acceptance rate is 12.5%; this means that for every eight manuscripts I submit, one is likely to be accepted. Whether this indicates I’m a ‘successful’ writer or not, I don’t know. What is a fact, though, is that in 30 years I’ve had well over 120 books published and countless stories, poems and articles.
If you want to succeed as a writer, you need to be aware that publishers reject more manuscripts than they accept; consequently you will also receive more rejections than acceptances. Persistence is the name of the game!
Some of Dianne (Di) Bates' books have won national and state literary awards; others have sold overseas. Di has received Grants and Fellowships from the Literature Board of the Australia Council and has toured for the National Book Council. Di worked on the editorial team of the NSW Department of Education School Magazine; she was also co-editor of a national children’s magazine, Puffinalia (Penguin Books) and editor of the children’s magazine, Little Ears.
In 2008, Di was awarded The Lady Cutler Prize for distinguished services to children’s Literature. Her latest book is a junior novel, A Game of Keeps (Celapene Press). Currently Di works as a freelance writer and manuscript assessor. Her website is www.enterprisingwords.com.au
