Whether you are writing historical fiction, mystery, horror or even romance, the best place to start is with things that interest you. When J.K. Rowling was asked for advice for young writers, she said: Write what you know — your interests, your feelings, your family and pets. I wholeheartedly agree with that.
My own words became publishable when I began to write stories based on my love of ancient history. I’ve written about samurai kids in 17th century feudal Japan – a place of cherry blossoms and misty mountains, a time of action, swordplay and Zen puzzles. I’ve written about an Inuit brother and sister on Baffin Island (Canada) in the 14th century – a place of ice and darkness, a time of Vikings, polar bears and extreme hardship. My next book is set in Aztec Mexico – with sacrifices to the Sun God, a Spanish invasion and the mighty Eagle and Jaguar warriors.
History is fun. It is a ready made backdrop of action and adventure. Exciting things are already happening before I put my characters into their historical setting.
I start with a real place and time that interest me. I specifically avoid the lives of famous people. Too much is known about them and I would rather have more room to imagine what happened to ordinary people whose lives are not documented. However, their lives are affected by actual events of the time and while that doesn’t tell the story, it has a critical impact. In Jaguar Warrior I am not telling a story about the Spanish invasion, but this event is the catalyst for what happens to Atl, a twelve-year-old boy waiting to be sacrificed.
When writing history, or anything else, you can start anywhere. But the best story will come from what you know and love.
[Sandy Fussell is the author of the Samurai Kids series about a group of children in 17th century Japan training to become samurai warriors.]
Meet flying superhero Magic Pickle, a secret weapon developed in a secret military lab – under JoJo Wigwan’s bedroom floor. When JoJo and her classmates plant their new school garden, they’re expecting rows and rows of plump, juicy fruits and vegetables. But what they unearth is a pretty rotten bunch! That gnarly old lettuce head, the Romaine Gladiator, rises from the garden patch with dastardly plans to reunite the Brotherhood of Evil Produce! It’s up to Magic Pickle and JoJo to stop these no-good veggies!
Kids’ Choice is a cool programme where kids get to select books they’ve read that they think are particularly fantastic. Each month five books are selected as Kids’ Choice based on reviews and recommendations submitted by keen readers.
Look out for the Kids’ Choice Best Book of 2009 vote off, coming soon to a library near you! You’ll get to tell us which was the most amazing book you read this year – the books with the most votes will make it onto our top books to read list.
If you’ve read a really good book recently you could tell us what you thought of it by filling in a review form too.
Our author Sandy says: ‘Sometimes I don’t. I make it up. The key to writing history is it has to be credible. It has to be possible for it to have happened and there has to be no known reason why it couldn’t have.
From my research I know samurai learned sword-fighting, wrestling, archery, horseriding, poetry and flower arranging. While I couldn’t find anything about swimming, I did discover they learned to fight in their armour in the water. That armour was as heavy as the average kindergarten kid, before it got wet! So I am sure they went under a few times and must have learned to swim. Sometimes even though I can’t find a factual reference, I can make a sensible assumption.
I can’t say the Samurai Kids went jet-skiing and played computer games because the technology didn’t exist. But I can make some guesses if they are believable. I know origami was practised in 17th century Japan but I couldn’t find a record of samurai doing it. I am sure warriors who believed in exercising the mind as much as the body and valued artistic skills like painting and poetry, would also like paper art. So my Samurai Kids learn origami.
In writing historical fiction you can extend history. I could say the Samurai Kids went surfing. There are surf beaches in Japan and it is reasonable to assume that some place, some time, a kid put a board in the water and managed to ride a wave.
This is one of the things that makes historical fiction fun – the challenge to make things up that might have been. Sometimes we know and sometimes we don’t. As long as it’s possible and believable, the writer can use it.’
[Sandy Fussell is the author of the Samurai Kids series about a group of children in 17th century Japan training to become samurai warriors.]
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veronica
Halloween had just finished when I came across this book. It’s a compilation of not 2 or 3 but 10 ghost stories! I was so beside myself that I immediately found a corner and read it. If you like to feel shivers down your spine and tremors to your toes then this book is for you. It has great illustrations and cover as well. Its called Dust ‘n’ Bones and it’s by Chris Mould. Happy reading! BOO!
Dogs are delightful. Cats are cute. And fish are fun. But the best pet of all is…..a DINOSAUR! Buying, training & caring for your dinosaur by Laura Joy Rennert has all the tips. Hmm, what kind of dino should you choose? Spiky, armoured, humongous, pea-brained, plant-eating? How do you take care of him once he’s (gulp!) home? How do you feed him, exercise him, take him to the vet, and give him a bath?! Not to mention train him, since he might like to chew on – er, swallow – Mum’s new shoes.
Have you ever dreamed of being an interior designer? Then why not make a start in your own room. Funky Fitout has 20 fabulous ideas to get you started. You could paint an awesome rainbow wall (better check with mum and dad first), make a cool lampshade or some cushions in the shape of butterflies, clouds or even lips. There are lots of ideas so get going, get wild and let those creative juices flow.
Do you want to be a master of slimy, mushy, oozy or stinky facts about the body? Well you might want to read this book which is truly a science of really gross things!
Surprise your friends, relatives, families or even the odd stranger with your knowledge of the grosser side of life. An example: in your mouth alone there are more critters than there are people in Australia and Canada combined! So that makes your mouth the most unsanitary part of your whole body! Yikes!
If you’d like to master the art of grossology then check out Grossology by Sylvia Branzei at the children’s non fiction area with the call number J612BRA. Explore the grosser side of life! Enjoy!
Are you a fan of the Inkheart books by Cornelia Funke? Did you see it at the movies? Well, you might be interested to know that the library has now got Inkheart on DVD. You can reserve it now!
Other new DVDs include Me, Eloise, based on the Eloise books by Kay Thompson; The Big Aquarium, a documentary about an aquarium in America; and the complete Jane and the Dragon collection.
For more new DVDs and CDs visit the My Library Children’s Sound and Vision page.
