CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus

EBay is being used more and more often for the forces of good. Recently a Shaun Tan drawing raised big money for War Child, via Kids Night In 3 anthology.

Now Amra Pajalic, author of The Good Daughter, is auctioning her services to assess an unpublished manuscript, with a starting bid of $250.  All proceeds will go to the Indigenous Literacy Project.

Here’s why Amra has decided to do this.

It’s probably too early to have any NaNoWriMo manuscripts looked at, but if you have something else tucked away, or know someone who does, please spread the word. It’s for a good cause.

The auction closes on 27 November.

And thanks to Simmone Howell for letting us know.

Just because we can …

Here is Laurie Halse Anderson’s visual essay about the building of her writer’s cottage:

This fell into our lap via The Joys of Children’s Literature.

And if you keep the page open in another tab while you work away, the birds continue to sing and sing and sing. Lovely.

It’s November, and it’s NaNoWri Mo – National Novel Writing Month. National as in US, of course, but an interesting concept nonetheless.

The website explains how it all works, but in essence, by the end of this month the aim is to have a 50,000 word novel in the bag. Not of publishable quality, of course, but perhaps a first draft of something more promising.

Here are the rules. It might be a fun way of keeping students engaged in these twilight weeks.

POSTSCRIPT: 3 November

John Green on NaNoWriMo, the writing process, discipline, revision and the permission to be far from perfect. This is on of his Vlog Brothers videos – he’ll be updating his NaNoWriMo reflections daily.

The Outsiders. Catch 22. My Brother Jack. Three very different books but with a commonality: all were titles given to Markus Zusak at some stage in his reading life, which on reflection, he treasures as great gifts.

The Old Hospital at Fremantle Prison* has probably never been so full** as last night when Markus Zusak gave the annual Leslie Rees Memorial Lecture for Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre. Many celebrated authors and illustrators were among those who came to hear Markus speak about the transforming power of books and his journey as a writer.

At the age of 14, Markus realised for the first time, through the character of Ponyboy, that ‘aloneness’ was OK, that there were others who thought like him, who enjoyed the solitary pursuits of reading and watching films, and that it was possible to be transported to another place and totally believe in the magic of a novel. The Outsiders came into his hands via his school library.

A little later, an English teacher took the risk of exposing his students to great writing, knowing that they were not yet ready, but that some would be later. At 16, Markus was no way near ready for Catch 22, but a few years later he revisited Heller’s novel and saw its genius. He still turns to its brilliance and absurdity after a tough day. Markus paid tribute to teachers and teacher librarians who expose their charges to such excellence, in full knowledge that not all will appreciate it. If not exposed now, when?

Later again, a man as close to Markus as a brother gave him a copy of My Brother Jack, and it was this novel that crystallised for him that it was possible to be a writer. Never discouraged by his own parents, he was horrified that David, the narrator, could be thrown out of the house for bringing a typewriter into the family home, although like David, he was a secret scribbler and a loner.

Three stories. Three gifts.

The Book Thief has now been published in 30 countries. More gifts have been the stories of his own parents’ European childhood that gave him the impetus for the time and place at the core of this novel.  There’s been talk of a film, but nothing firm, and ever-philosophical Markus won’t even mind if it’s a bad one if it does get made. He figures people will say that ‘the book was better’ and therefore buy it, and if it’s a good film, they’ll still read the book. How can he lose?

But there’s a dark side to success. Pressure. Expectations. He’s finding the next novel tough going but if the first pages we were privileged to hear are indicative of what follows, there is another masterful piece of writing on its way.

One of our most personable young writers, Markus charmed the large audience last night with his humour and honesty. And at the end, there was yet another gift, as Jenni Woodruffe, Vice-President of IBBY Australia, presented Markus with his Ena Noel Award for Encouragement.

Markus has spent time this week around the state encouraging young writers as part of the Centre’s Youth Literature Day Programme. And he’ll be back at the Centre on Sunday as part of the Family Open Day, along with Narelle Oliver, Matt Ottley, Jan Ramage, Ellen Hickman and their artwork.

The Leslie Rees Lecture honours the WA writer who won the CBCA’s first award (and only category) in 1946. Deborah Lisson started the evening with a reading from Panic in the Cattle Country and Katy Watson-Kell followed with an extract from Quokka Island.

* The entire prison complex is now a heritage space, with the FCLC housed in the Old Prison Hospital. No ghosts, as the power of literature has created a warm and welcoming space for readers, writers and illustrators to share the joy of reading and writing.

** Too crowded and definitely not the right circumstances to tweet!

Your keen younger readers might like to follow the progress of September, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making, an online novel to which author Catherynne M. Valente will be adding a new chapter every Monday (Tuesday in our time).

Not only is the story available in the written form, Valente is providing an audio of her own reading. Rather liking the idea of a Leopard of Little Breezes, we share the beginning paragraphs:

Once upon a time, a girl named September grew very tired indeed of her father’s house, where she washed the same pink and yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow, and played with the same small and amiable dog. Because she had been born in May, and because she had a mole on her left cheek, and because her feet were very large and ungainly, the Green Wind took pity on her, and flew to her window one evening just after her eleventh birthday. He was dressed in a green smoking jacket, and a green carriage-driver’s cloak, and green jodhpurs, and green snowshoes. It is very cold above the clouds, in the shanty-towns where the Six Winds live.

“You seem an ill-tempered and irascible enough child,” said the Green Wind. “How would you like to come away with me and ride upon the Leopard of Little Breezes, and be delivered to the great sea which borders Fairyland? I am afraid I cannot go in, as Harsh Airs are not allowed, but I should be happy to deposit you upon the Perverse and Perilous Sea.”

Valente is seeking donations to keep the writing flowing, but is making the story available regardless.

And it was the Chasing Ray blog that drew our attention to this initiative.

Do your students like to write?

In May 2008 Black Dog Books published short: a collection of interesting short stories and other stuff from some surprising and intelligent people

This anthology featured both new and established writers and illustrators and royalties went to the Big Brother Big Sister charity organization.

Black Dog Books invites students to write and submit a poem, short story or illustration for short & scary: a whole lot of creepy stories and other chilling stuff. Each entry should be no more than 800 words and will be considered on its own merit.

If the work is accepted it will appear alongside such well established authors and illustrators as Terry Denton, Andy Griffiths, Gabrille Wang, Sally Rippon and Carole Wilkinson.

Please contact Karen Tayleur at black dog books via email at karen@bdb.com.au if you would like more information or to submit a piece of work.

Bet Salinger’s not impressed.

No, not written for them. About them.

Colleen Mondor of the Chasing Ray blog says it all.

This one if you or your students want to write. For here is where Patrick Ness (The Knife of Never Letting Go) will be blogging about writing as part of his online residency with Booktrust.

And here is the article from The Guardian that alerted us.