I haven’t been able to work on my writing as much as I’d hoped, this year. After reading a blog post from a writing comrade about attending an author event, I resolved to keep an eye out for similar opportunities. If I don’t have time to write regularly, the least I could do was attend a once-off event!
My eye (and brain) had been successfully primed. A few weeks later, I noticed a local bookshop advertising the visit of Isobelle Carmody, the author of one of my favourite book series: the Obernewtyn Chronicles. And many, many other books besides.
(An aside: Obernewtyn is a young adult series set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. There are adventures with teenage misfits with special mental powers and talking animals! Wonderful! This was the young adult genre before Twilight and The Hunger Games, too: think Tamora Pierce, but more depth in storytelling.)
Her visit to Hobart yesterday was part of a launch tour for her new book: the second-last in the Obernewtyn series. She talked for an hour about her books and her writing. It was wonderfully inspiring. I was rather in awe. I waited in line for about twenty minutes, offered up my first-edition Obernewtyn book to be signed, babbled a little, and ran away. *sheepish smile*
So! Her talk. I wish I’d thought to bring a pencil and paper to take notes, but instead I’ve tried to distill some of the key points that stuck with me. I hope someone might appreciate these snippets, rough as they are. My notes are in brackets and italic.
Isobelle Carmody says…
Isobelle says she thinks a lot before writing anything down, because writing things down makes things set and harder to change. When she does write things down, she writes by hand. (Maz: Presumably this means more thinking time?)
By the time she has finished her first draft, she has forgotten the beginning. Typing up the handwritten manuscript means she can better see the story arc and hold all the pieces in her mind at the same time. She can see where themes have developed, and can begin to sculpt the story.
Continuing on this line, she says she loves the editing process. Editing is like sculpting – the first draft is just dragging in the raw lump of stone. From there, it is honing and shaping. (Maz: Writing is a craft… editing is the true craft of writing.)
Writing a story is a journey of discovery. There is such joy in the discovery. She says that writers don’t need to plan themes, they will arise naturally. (Maz: But I suspect you need to recognise the themes and hone and refine them in the editing process.)
On inspiration
When asked about being continuing writing on such a long series, and over such a long period of time, she says that if you write about your deepest questions – the questions you think about and worry over, and especially those you don’t have an answer for (those that no one has an answer for!) – they will be the deepest source for your writing and you will never run out. For example, the Obernewtyn series was based on her own questions of belonging and place, as well as the deeper question of whether human morality can evolve.
When asked about her inspiration for stories, she says inspiration is everywhere, you just need to look and listen. As an example, she says when she and her daughter ride on the bus, they sit in different spots with a notebook and write what they see and hear. When they get to their destination, they compare notes. She’s always surprised by the things her daughter noticed and she didn’t. She also takes note of interesting stories people tell her, and snippets of conversation. (Observation as a skill.)
On writing for children
Writing for younger children requires a different way of writing. They understand the world differently; in a more poetic way. She likes to listen how they describe something or ask something about the world, as they have a unique way of seeing and making sense of things. They can hold belief and unbelief in their minds at the same time. They constantly ask questions. Her stories are written with these things in mind.
When she reads her daughter stories, she will stop reading after a chapter or two if she doesn’t like the story. When asked why she didn’t like a story, she would say she didn’t love the character or care about them. When pressed further, she said that the story wasn’t beautiful, like The Mouse and His Child was beautiful. Her daughter said, “Oh yes, The Mouse and His Child was beautiful.” So children understand when a story is beautiful and has meaning. You don’t need to write down for them (that is, simplify things).
(Maz: I really want to re-read The Mouse and His Child! I had forgotten what a nice story it is.)
On oral storytelling
Isobelle thinks oral storytelling is very special, and says that telling a story out loud is saying “I love you”. She made up many stories for her daughter, some of which are now books.
She chooses character and place names according to their sound, and she knows when they are right for the character.
On being published and her editors
Publishing, for her, was quite an easy process, as she was quickly discovered and accepted. However, even by her third book, she still felt like someone might find her out as a fraud.
You need to respect and trust your editors, but you should also trust your skills and stay true the story you want to tell, not the story others might like you to tell. There is a skeleton, a core, to a story that you may need to fight for. But fighting for parts of stories – and the process of working with editors on stories – definitely makes them better.
Sometimes editors will ask for the impossible. Her latest manuscript was to be the last book of the Obernewtyn series. The editor commented that she couldn’t leave some sections as they were – she needed to write more about certain characters and story arcs – but she also said it was too long! Eventually, after much wrangling, Isobelle suggested that the last book be split into two, and they agreed. She needed to reformat the story arcs and create a new ending (for the second-last book) and a new beginning (for the last book), but it has turned out better.
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If you’d like to find out more about the books, or Isobelle Carmody herself, here are some links!
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