At the SCBWI Canada East conference in Ottawa this weekend, I received my shiny Crystal Kite Award in the Canada division for Bog, published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside and edited by the fabulous Christie Harkin and Cheryl Chen. This award is particularly meaningful to me because it’s peer-given. I’m honoured and thrilled that my own people would recognize Bog in this way. He’s a character who is near and dear to my heart, but I must admit that his creation was fraught with rejections and roadblocks.
Crystal Kite ceremony with Peggy Collins, Alma Fullerton and Michelle Jodoin
At the ceremony, I shared an anecdotal journey of my creation of Bog, including my inspiration, struggles, and what I learned. This blog post is an excerpt from that talk.
Overcoming Self-Doubt
At times when I was writing Bog, self-doubt slowed my process. Why was an adult woman spending her time squirreled away alone and writing about a cave troll? Would anyone want to read my story? Was I mad?
I learned that, when doubt creeps into my writing process, I need to rekindle my joy in writing. Yes, writing is a way I earn money, but it’s also a passion. With Bog, I rekindled my joy by playing. Exploring who Bog was in his world. Allowing myself the time and space to imagine him fully. I also learned that if I’ve lost the joy, I may need to switch to another project until I can rekindle my passion.
Finding Characters with Personal Meaning
Picture me in grade nine: Less than five feet tall. Weighing less than a hundred pounds. Painfully shy. With an overactive imagination.
When I hit five feet tall, I banned short jokes in my family. But at school, I got called small and cute a lot. Too much. My rebellious streak took over. I began to hate being called small and cute. I began to tell everyone that I was very large and hairy – at least on the inside. And so, my inner troll was born.
Since then, it’s become been a running joke in my family: Karen – big and hairy. In fact, this theme shows up years later in a hand-drawn birthday card from my eldest daughter. My daughter knows what it’s like to have a troll for a mother.
And so, I learned to write characters who carry personal meaning for me. When I connect with them, write them deeply, readers can connect to them too.
Gathering Inspiration from Other Creators and Their Work
Inspiration for Bog’s character continued when I saw the trolls in the Lord of the Rings movies. Maybe you remember the cave troll in the Mines of Moria, chain by the orc and dragged around by his neck collar to do their bidding. Everyone else watching the movie was probably worried about Frodo at that point, but I was wondering why the troll was chained and whether he was coerced into being a warrior for the orcs. Did he want to fight against Frodo? Was he treated fairly by the orcs?
So the idea of writing a novel featuring trolls was born. And I learned that I could build on the ideas of other creators, explore them from new angles, and gain new insights.
Finding Story Sparks Even in Dark Moments
Another influence for Bog came on 9/11 and the days and months afterward. In a way, this novel is my reaction to the terrible destruction of the World Trade Center towers, and the ensuing war on terror. But it’s also a reaction to ethnic conflicts and violent extremism the world over – anywhere where there is learned hatred against another culture instead of acceptance and understanding of differences.
On 9/11 and in the days that followed, I learned that even dark moments can hide story sparks. I also learned that I could show the dark side of life to kids and help us all make sense of it.
No Holidays from Inspiration
By this point in my writing process, I was researching things like phases of the moon, the forest and its creatures at night, how far a troll can walk per night, troll lore from both Norse mythology and ingenious stories, and what drives people to terrorism. But it wasn’t until I went on a camping trip in northern Ontario that I finalized my setting.
Sleeping Giant, Lake Superior
The novel creates a mythology around the landscape north of Lake Superior in Ontario. The setting is based on real places, including the wilderness north of Thunder Bay, the Sleeping Giant peninsula in Lake Superior, and the ruins of a flooded silver mine on Silver Islet.
From my camping trip, I learned to be open to inspiration from daily life. To pay attention. There are no holidays from inspiration.
Managing Roadblocks and Rejections
At this point, I was ready to start writing. I knew my story. I could write this book.
Or not.
This book was the hardest one I’ve written so far. It took more rewrites than I expected – a total of ten years from conceptualization to printed book. First, I got stuck while writing first draft. I had to learn more about plotting. So I got hooked on screenwriting seminars by John Truby, Robert McKee, and Christopher Vogler. Then I had to learn more about how to express character and meticulously craft a sentence. I sought out conferences, writing books, mentors, and critique partners. When I did get a readable draft written, I submitted it to a lot of agents, sure that this would be my breakout book. This book mattered. It would find its home.
But it found a lot of rejections. And I found my way tangled.
This taught me that my writing journey is not steady or consistent. It’s full of detours, roadblocks, and surprising discoveries. I also learned something about the way I react to rejection. I mourn. Then I get fierce. I think, “I can so write a great book.” I pull out the manuscript again, and I go at it once more, getting feedback, envisioning a new draft, and writing to prove to myself that I can succeed.
No Shortcuts in Writing
If I could talk to my pre-published self, I’d say have a little faith in yourself and your writing instincts but don’t think you can perfect the craft without putting in a lot of writing hours.
I’ve also learned that I can recover from a rejection, or a lot of rejections, if I keep writing and revising. And I can find an innovative way around any roadblock, if I stay steady on my creative journey.
Probably the coolest place I’ve ever run writing workshops, I wrote with grade 4 to 8 students right next to Chris Hadfield’s spacesuit, the first Canada Arm, and northern bush planes.
MASC does excellent, important work, and they do it so well. I was honoured to be part of it, and to share stories with the kids and teens.
Just to give you a glimpse into the fine writing that happened during the week, here are two great lines from my workshops:
On loneliness: “He was nothing more than nothing in a school that had everything.”
Describing the conditions that lead to belly-aching laughter between friends: “High on Cheeto dust, Coca-Cola and sunshine. When even a brownie recipe can make you laugh.”
I now have a few manuscripts from kids and teens to critique, which I’m happy to do. It’s great to have the opportunity to encourage keen writers to continue to develop their skills after the conference is over.
Chai is not native to troll country, yet Bog fell in love with this tender and delicious chai-seasoned beef after his contact with humans. A cross-cultural recipe for a good holiday!
Best wishes for the holiday season, no matter how you celebrate it.
Friday, December 4, 2015
14432 Rd 38, Sharbot Lake, ON K0H 2P0
Grades 7 to 10
Two readings of Punch Like a Girl to help raise awareness about violence against women and remember the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre on December 6, 1989.
WordPlay Writing Workshops
Monday, December 14 and Wednesday, December 16, 2015
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Toronto Public Library, Cedarbrae Branch
Ages 13 to 19
Who says writing isn’t fun? With fresh and inspiring story-starters, you’ll explore new characters and create captivating scenes. Spark your imagination and enjoyment of words while learning creative writing techniques in this hands-on workshop.
How to Create a Believable OtherWorld
Monday, December 21, 2015
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Toronto Public Library, Agincourt Branch
Ages 13 to 19
Whether you write about unicorns or alien planets, an imaginary world needs rules and structure in order to be believable. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create a fully imagined fantasy or science-fiction world and the characters who live there.
Writing from Real Life: Writing Workshops for Teens
Saturday, February 20, 2016
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Toronto Public Library, Cedarbrae Branch
Ages 13 to 19 Register here
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Milton Public Library, Main Branch
Ages 12 to 17
Learn to create stories from real-life details. Explore how childhood memories, overheard conversations or even family history can be turned into great writing. Explore creative writing techniques and get constructive feedback on your writing!
April 19, 20, 21, 2016
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum
11 Aviation Parkway, Ottawa, ON K1K 2X5
The MASC Young Authors and Illustrators Conference turns 25 this year! If you are a student in grades four to eight with a passion for writing and illustration, you won’t want to miss this exciting day of hands-on creative workshops with some of Canada’s finest children’s authors and book illustrators.
I believe that an author’s first priority is integrity to the story. We must listen to our characters and take them where they demand to go. Yet we cannot deny the immense influence authors wield over their audiences. For children’s authors, this influence is particularly potent. The youth of today become the caretakers of tomorrow.
My latest novel, Punch Like a Girl, addresses a topical issue head on. In it, 17-year-old Tori develops a hero complex, trying to rescue others whether they want it or not, in order to avoid facing her own fears of sexual assault. At publication, numerous high-profile incidents involving sexual assault were in the headlines, bringing the issue to the forefront of traditional and social media, and pushing for a public conversation that is long overdue. For readers, I hoped my book would spark open discussion on what a healthy relationship looks like. I didn’t anticipate the very personal conversations I’d have with readers – in writing and face to face.
I’ve had teen girls ask me what to do about a friend who is in an unhealthy relationship. I’ve had inspiring conversations with survivors of domestic or dating abuse. I’ve had a teacher approach me to meet personally with a gifted young writer who wrote about her story of survival. These conversations show what a huge impact a book can have on readers. Enough to open their minds to a new worldview. Enough to make much-needed cultural shifts in our society, now and in the future.
For me, writing Punch Like a Girl was a way to understand the trauma and recovery process from the inside. It was about the building of a hero from the ashes of a victim, which is Tori’s journey. But it’s also becoming a talking point, sparking conversations about violence against girls and women. Tori and I have both learned about the power of community and how to punch back.
After interaction with readers, I’ve come to a few conclusions. Not only do we need to be good stewards of our earth in order to pass it on to future generations, we need to be good stewards of our youth. For authors, this means we need to recognize that, in creating content for children and youth, we have a social responsibility. I’m not advocating didactic, preachy, or moralistic lessons, since this doesn’t maintain the integrity of the story. However, social responsibility can affect our choice of story idea, the diversity of our characters, the actions our characters take, the changes they go through, and how we interact with readers during readings and workshops as well as online. As cultural critic Henry Giroux says, although creators want to make great art, we also have a responsibility to create a world in which great art can thrive.
I’m happy to be invited back to London Book Camp for a second year, this time for a workshop on “Stories Inspired by Real-Life.” Run by non-profit Investing in Children, this week-long August camp offers hands-on workshops for children and teens who are passionate about reading and writing. Although the camp is full for this year, writers aged 10 to 15 should keep it in mind for next year!
On Sunday, September 27, I’ll be at Harbourfront Centre for Word on the Street Toronto. You can find me at the This Is Not The Shakespeare Stage. Check the WOTS Toronto website for times.
