Feb 4: Writing 'Audrey in Trouble'

HI

I’ve gathered my notes together from the previous three books, but I've had some trouble getting back into Audrey’s life after such a long gap (I finished writing book 3 'Audrey's Big Secret' in October 2008).

Audrey wasn’t ‘talking’ to me.

So I headed outside into the garden and sat on a bench, a notebook on my lap. It was relaxing, a light breeze, birds playing in the birdbath. A change of scenery can help your writing if you’re stuck. Even a change from one room to another or from inside to outside. Visit a cafe or sit on a beach.

Then I interviewed Audrey.

Interviewing your main characters opens surprising doors.

I asked Audrey a list of questions and wrote down what I thought were truthful answers. And, in a way, they were. But they were my answers about Audrey. It was me – the author – talking. Not a curious, imaginative, joyous little girl from 1930. So I went back to the beginning and started to answer as Audrey. Not me. Suddenly I heard her voice in my head, talking to me, all I had to do was listen.

Here are some of the questions I asked her (but not the answers, but those will go in the story):

• What about you is heroic?
• What do you like about other people?
• How do you dress (most times)?
• What is your best feature?
• What was your first memory (this answer changed a lot when I switched from being me to being Audrey)?
• Describe yourself in one word?
• What is your favourite game?
• Favourite toy?
• Most prized thing you own?
• Who is your best friend?
• What is your fondest memory?
• Worst memory?
• Do you have any hobbies?
• What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?
• What is your favourite weather?
• What is your best time of day and why?
• What is your favourite food – and worst food?
• What is your favourite animal, and why (and for readers who think they have guessed the answer to this one, you might be surprised. Audrey does not always say what you or I expect)?
• What habit of other people annoys you?
• What trait do you most admire?
• What embarrasses you?
• What do you feel strongly about?
• Are you a leader or a follower (she gave a long, complicated yet amazing answer to this one)?
• What don’t you like about yourself?
• When is it okay for you to cry?
• What frightens you?
• How ticklish are you?
• Do you have any bad habits?
• What do you do when you are bored?
• What would you wish for if you found a genie?
• What does the word ‘responsible’ mean? (This one was tricky).
  

Next time you have a story to write, you might like to try interviewing your characters and see what surprises you find. You discover things about them that you didn't know. You start to have a sense of how they talk and you might even hear their voice in your head. Your character has become a real person. As they must be for a story to be believed.

Till next time,

Christine Harris

Drawings from 'Audrey of the Outback' series are all done by the talented Ann James.

1st February: starting book 4

Hi
This photo is of me (left) wearing my Audrey wig. Ann James, on the far right, is Audrey's illustrator. Our friend, Jan, is sitting in the centre.

Dressing up is one way to get into character.

I might have to try that again in the next few months as I'm starting a fourth 'Audrey of the Outback' novel.

Ann James is working on the picture book, then she will draw for the novel - so she's going to be busy this year too.

This time, I thought I'd add snippets about how the writing (or not writing) is going (or not going) along the way, so Audrey's friends will know what's happening. You won't hear me scream when I'm stuck - I might just use upper case letters or bold font and that will be a clue.

For now, I'm trying to get back into the feeling of the Outback in 1930.

I'm glad the publisher, Margrete Lamond, suggested drawing a map of Audrey's place back for book one because it helps me remember where everything is.

I am also collecting notes on each character/person who will appear. What colour their eyes are, how they walk, their favourite saying. You can't give someone blue eyes in one book, then green or brown in another.

The title is important too. It should make Audrey's friends want to read it, without giving away the plot (what happens). But you can't be too vague either. So, for now, I've settled on 'Audrey in Trouble.' We get the idea that something exciting happens, but we don't know what. (Well, I do but I'm not telling you. Not just yet.)

If you have any questions about the writing, as we go or you have special things that you love about the three books so far in the series, then leave me a message.

Kids Book Review Q & A

Hi

I've just done a Q & A for Kids Book Review Blog.

Click here to check out the inside gossip on where I wrote my first story, what my perfect day would be and more ...

Click here to print 'Audrey of the Outback' notepaper. Surprise your friends with a letter!

bye
Christine Harris

Holiday Activities

Hi
I hope you're all enjoying your holidays. You've earned them. I've been pretty lazy actually, but today I went out and bought some new pens and highlighters. I reckon the pen you use for writing longhand is really important. I colour code my pens when I'm writing notes for my books. Purple for plot ideas on the right hand page, then green on the left page for the words my characters speak. I love my coloured pens.
How about you?
Have you got a pen that means something special?

If you're looking for something to do, there are lots of activities on my website for Audrey fans.
Here are a few of the many fun activities you could try:

• Fun with music - Audrey's song called 'It's a Miracool'.
• 'Audrey of the Outback' wordsearch.
• Help the camel find his way through the maze.
• Check out facts and weblinks about koalas.
• Colouring sheet for 'Audrey Goes to Town'.

There are plenty more things to do on Audrey's webpage.

'Audrey's Big Secret' Competition

Hi everyone,

It's time for another competition, based on 'Audrey's Big Secret'.

What do you have to do? Write in less then 250 words, What is your favourite part of 'Audrey's Big Secret', and Why?

When is the closing date? 2 January 2010.

Is there a prize? You will receive a certificate, your writing will be published on this blog, your name will be published on Audrey's webpage at www.audreyoftheoutback.net
And you will receive a surprise gift in the mail.

Where do I sent my entry?
Address to 'Audrey's Big Secret' Competition - and sent to either

• P.O. Box 478, Mt Barker, South Australia 5251 or
  
• audrey@christineharris.com

I look forward to reading your entries.

Remember to put your postal address (in case you win - and it might be a good idea to check with Mum or Dad about this) and your age.

bye, Christine Harris, Audrey's writer

Summer Reading Club Online Chat

Hi
The State Library of Queensland has a Summer Reading Club.

This is their poster.

On 12th January 2010 from 11 a.m. till noon I'll be doing an online chat so that readers can ask me questions in real time via the Internet.

So if have any questions about Audrey, you might like to see about registering for the chat and writing down your questions so I can answer them.

Click here for more information.

The people at the Queensland library say that readers in any state of Australia can arrange to join in, but only Queensland readers can win prizes from the competitions.

I look forward to 'chatting' with you.
Christine Harris

Alphabet Soup Interview with Christine Harris

Alphabet Soup is an Australian magazine for children, 6 to 12, who love books & creative writing.

There is also a Soup Blog that has stories, updates, news, and media releases to do with the magazine, book reviews, author interviews, and news about book-related events.

The editor, Rebecca Newman, asked me some questions about writing (including the Audrey series). Click here to read the Q & A.

Spring Newsletter

Hi
Audrey's Spring newsletter is now online, ready to print.
Click here to download it.

And the very first book in which Audrey and the Barlow family appeared, 'Outback:The Diary of Jimmy Porter 1927-28' is being reprinted in April next year in paperback. The title will simply be 'Outback' and Scholastic, the publisher of that book, sent me the cover picture and I love it. Can't show you just yet - but when I can, bet you love it too.

bye
Christine & Audrey

Astrid's Acrostic Poem

Hi
Astrid, 8, wrote an acrostic poem about Stumpy. Her brother, Lloyd, wrote the last one. Talent obviously runs in families.
I thought you might all like to read what Astrid wrote:


STUMPY
STRONG AND SILENT
TRUE FRIEND
UNDERSTANDS AUDREY
MAKES AUDREY FEEL BETTER
PLAYS HIDE AND SEEK
YET COMES AND GOES WITH A DUST DEVIL.

Lloyd's Stumpy Poem

Hi

Lloyd, 9, wrote this brilliant acrostic poem about Stumpy:


Strong, imaginary friend

True friends with Audrey

Unbelievable to Price and Mrs. Barlow

May not always behave well

Peers through bushes

Yet he is silent.

'Audrey Goes to Town' Wins Peace Award!

Hi
'Audrey Goes to Town' is joint-winner of the 2009 Children's Peace Literature Award. The award is given every two years to an author of a book that promotes peaceful resolution to problems or relationships. The prize is given by Psychologists for Peace.

This photo shows me (third from the right holding the book) and the judging panel, which is half book experts and half psychologists.
A psychologist studies and works with people on how they think and behave.

Here is what the judges wrote about the book ...
Audrey and her family temporarily relocate to Beltana when Audrey's mother is expecting another baby. They board with Mrs. Patterson, known locally as Patterson's Curse (a noxious weed). She is a prickly woman who has strict rules and a list of dos and don'ts for the children.
When Audrey's mother is taken suddenly to hospital, Mrs. Patterson declares that Audrey has become her "project". She wants to ensure that Audrey learns good manners, how to knit and how to behave like a lady. However she does not anticipate Audrey's perceptive response, "And you're mine. I'm looking for your good side."
A situation which could have developed into unpleasantness is slowly changed by Audrey's beguilingly honest, direct, humorous and compassionate approach to her carer. Audrey makes an effort to please. She is kind and thoughtful but does not allow herself to become a victim. Audrey acknowledges Mrs. Patterson's kind gestures and is prompt to express her gratitude.
Indeed warmth and generosity are modeled by the Beltana community.
Audrey's perseverance is rewarded when she realizes that Mrs. Patterson's grimness is mainly due to the sorrows she has experienced in her life.
Mutual trust and appreciation develop.
As Audrey says, "At first it was hard to find things on your good side. But then it got easier. You've got one, all right".

'Audrey Goes to Town' shortlisted for Peace Award

Hi
Some good news this week - 'Audrey Goes to Town' is shortlisted for the Children's Peace Literature Prize.
It is given every two years, to the author of a book for children that has 'literary merit and for demonstrating a balanced example of constructive, non-violent approach towards the resolution of conflict.'
The award is given by Psychologists for Peace.
Keep your fingers crossed for Audrey!!

Christine Harris

Hi
I receive quite a few emails and letters, asking questions about Audrey of the Outback. Here are a few I've had several times lately, so I thought I'd put them here on the Blog so we can share the answers:

How old is Audrey?
I don't often say how old a main character is because I think it's better for each reader to make up their own mind. Recently I did a little experiment where I asked young readers of different ages what age they thought Audrey was and they each gave their own age. Which is exactly how I like it. And sometimes Audrey sounds quite young, but other times she is very wise. So she is a mixture.

What inspired you to write the Audrey books?
There are always mixed beginnings for stories. For me, anyway. It is usually several things put together. With Audrey, she was a character in 'The Diary of Jimmy Porter 1927-1928 (which is now out of print, but should be available again April 2010 in paperback, with a new cover). Audrey began as a minor or small character, but she kind of grew 'larger' as the novel went on. Audrey makes a strong impression. So she ended up with three books of her own.

What does Audrey eat?
This question has been asked several times and I couldn't think why at first. Perhaps a class of students happened to email me when they were hungry??
But then I thought, maybe, the question was because there are several scenes involving food and eating in the books.
Outback, 1930, and in a poor family, Audrey and the other Barlows eat a lot of meat, mostly kangaroo or rabbit. Because they don't have a fridge, the meat has to be salted so it won't go bad.
They also have a vegetable garden out the back of the house. The rabbits get in sometimes and nibble the vegies, but everyone works hard to keep the vegetables alive.
There are also quandangs - wild peaches - that grow in the bush. There isn't a lot of flesh on them, but Audrey's mum makes pies or jam from them.
The Barlows also eat bread, freshly baked in the outside oven made from crushed ants' nest.
And when Dad goes to a town, he buys jam and a little fruit, which Mum dries and hangs from strings on ceiling hooks in the kitchen to try and keep the dried fruit off the mud floor and away from ants.
And the family have chooks, so they also eat eggs.
Audrey's dad ate tadpoles once but he didn't like them too much.

Does Stumpy always listen to Audrey?
No, not always. Do your pets always listen to you?
Stump also likes to play tricks on Audrey - like poking his head through the open window to make her laugh when she's doing her lessons at the kitchen table. Sometimes he runs off into the bush and doesn't come back for a while. But Stumpy and Audrey are very close and look after each other.

Is there going to be another Audrey book?
The publisher, Little Hare, has a picture book text. So it's up to them when they use it. But it does take time for illustrators to do their work. And Ann James is one of the best. It takes longer, naturally, to draw or paint for a book that has a picture on every page than doing black and white drawings for a novel.

I hope this answers some of your questions. More to come later!

A good book has no ending. ~R.D. Cumming

Holy Cross Primary School Audrey Display

Hi
Last week I spent the day at Kincumber Holy Cross Primary School, NSW. I had a great time. The students were enthusiastic and asked lots of questions.

One boy came up to me and said, 'I love Dougie.' So Audrey's little brother has his own fans now.

I'm starting to realise how many faces I pull when I'm telling stories!! (All part of the fun.)

Check out the wonderful and brightly coloured display, done by the school librarian, Deb Tildesley.

Students helped out by colouring in the sheets that can be downloaded from Audrey's Fun Page.

'Audrey's Big Secret' reviews

Hi everyone,
Reviews of the new Audrey book are starting to come in, and I've put two here for you to read.

'I was immediately immersed in Audrey's life in a bush hut in outback South Asutralia in the early part of last century. Audrey personifies every isolated girl who has a rich inner life ... she works with the magical possibilities of the ordinary. Two visitors to the property ... have secrets they entrust to Audrey, which she must conceal from not only her family but Authority at large. Part social history, part backyard adventure, this will be very popular with children and parents ... Christine Harris has created Audrey's world, and in particular her sense of time, in a way which mmakes it very accessible. The pen and ink illustrations by Ann James support and extend the story and the whole is a satisfying package for the reader new to chapter books.'
Margaret Robson Kett, Magpies, September 2009

'A ghost in the night, a stranger in the cubby house and an encounter with the law are all in store for Audrey in this latest book in the 'Audrey of the Outback' series ... Audrey knows only too well the importance of family and what it means to be apart from those you love but in order to protect her friend, Audrey will need to keep the truth from her parents. Our heroine is placed in an awkward position ... Audrey is a likeable character who is loyal and caring and it is through her child's eyes that Christine Harris can weave the themes of the love, loss and the Stolen Generation through the story and present them in a way that is ideally suited to readers six - ten years.'
Junior Bookseller Publisher, September - October 2009

Junior Judges Project

Hi
'Audrey of the Outback' was shortlisted for Book of the Year: Younger Readers by the Children's Book Council of Australia.
But there was another sort of judging - the Junior Judges Project. I was interested in how the junior judges decided on their awards and whether they enjoyed their task, so I asked Zach, Marin, Bradley, Kieran, James and Jordan from Gymnea Technology High School.

.

Here are my questions and their answers:

Tell us about the junior judges’ awards?
One day when our group was reading on the back table (like we normally do most lunchtimes), the Librarian, Mrs Larson, asked if we would like to read and judge the six books in the Older Reader category. We agreed and then were told to select one winner and 2 honour awards.

We think the Young Judges Awards was a good way of letting us express our opinions on which book was considered the favourite and a chance to be involved in an educational activity which is fun and enjoyable. It makes you feel like you’re making a difference voting for the book you really like.

How difficult is it to compare several books that are completely different for one award?
Different genres are liked by different people so when the books are all different styles and genres it becomes difficult to decide which is best.

We found it depends on what you are judging the books on. We judged them based on how much we enjoyed them, so it wasn’t really too difficult. If we were judging the books on set criteria, and seeing as the books are different genres, we’d imagine it would be quite challenging and change our end result.

On what basis is selection of winners made? (how do you choose?)
When it came to voting for the winners we were mostly in agreement on the top three. Half of us chose “Kill the Possum” because we couldn’t put it down and had become attached to the characters.

The other half chose “Finnikin of the Rock” because of pure enjoyment and personal liking of the fantasy genre. “Lamplighter” was always in third place.

We sat around as a group and discussed what each person thought was the best. When somebody didn’t agree on a point it would be argued until a result was settled. We tried using the suggested criteria but it caused more arguments.

We chose the winner and honour books based on how much we enjoyed the book, the style of writing (Like in “A Rose” was going from ‘present to past’ or “White Silence’s” ‘journal to Authors findings’) and genre played a part.

In the end “Finnikin was our winner but when the results came out the next day half of us were very happy to find that “Kill the Possum” was the junior judges’ winner.

What did you learn from being a judge?
It opened some of us up to different genres and styles of writing. In one case, it opened him up to reading as a whole!

It let us express our feelings and argue a lot! It gave everyone a chance to be heard, to prove a point and gave us more understanding of how to debate.

How has it changed your own writing?
When we were reading the books we were thinking of how enjoyable a read it was rather than reading them as a case study to change the way we write.

Why do you think the young judges awards winners differ from those chosen by adults?
Well, we had the three books that weren’t chosen as winner/honour books by the adults as our winner/honour books. The three books we picked were in the top three for the Junior Judging in the Older Readers Category. We believe the cause of this difference is simply what criteria Adults and Children vote off. We had a different perspective.

A comment from Mrs Larson: The boys were very committed to the project and I was amazed at the animated discussions as individuals tried to convince others about the relative merits of one book or another. They were quite surprised by the official results. I would recommend this project to teachers and groups and will definitely be participating with an extended group/s next year.

As a follow up to the project we organised a videoconference with Blakehurst High school students to discuss the project and have a general chat about books, reading and libraries.

More ideas about Australia

Hi

I thought some of the other ideas from the 'My Ten Favourite Things about Australia' competition were worth sharing:

The Veronicas are awesome singers, Gold Coast theme parks are so much fun for the whole family to enjoy, with wicked rides to make you scream or be splashed by a bumper water bucket, my house, I love my family that I can learn things from, rainforests with waterfalls, huge sand dunes, delicious food, it’s a free country, we have Aborigines, Aussie rules, damper, Speedo swim suits, Dynamic fertiliser, my bed, kangaroo sausage, Hamilton Island, Uluru, refreshing beaches, I love Australia because we don’t have elephants and so they can’t tread on you, technology, vegetarian bbqs, shorts, nice tourists, great soccer team that’s fair and good sports, TV shows like ‘Australian Idol’, a great spirit, one of the greatest actors Hugh Jackman, Casey Stoner the motorbike rider, Tim Tams, Vegemite, emus, The Great Barrier Reef, cyclones because they’re cool, Tasmanian lakes, black cockatoos, snow, the night sky, Big things like the Big Banana, unique animals like the echidna and platypus, state of origin rugby, cool camping spots, a brilliant netball team, the smell of bbqs, Holden, Ford, the friendly people, free-style swimming.

St George's College, Adelaide

Here is another 'Audrey of the Outback' Book Week display from St George's College, Adelaide.



Students also wrote letters to Audrey.

Audrey's 'Ten Best Things About Australia' Competition Winners

Hi
There were so many wonderful entries in the Australia competition that it was hard for the two judges to decide. Eventually, these lucky people were the ones to receive a copy of 'Audrey's Big Secret' - although we reckon they were all 'winners'!
Each entrant wrote their Ten Favourite Things about Australia.

Codie Perry, Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College, NSW.

1. The hot dusty road in the desert.
2. The wildlife jumping around in the country side.
3. The crystal clear dams that shine when the sun shines on it.
4. When it rains on a really hot day and the sun is still out.
5. The koalas relaxing in the gum trees with the baby on its back.
6. Camping with my family in the sunny outback.
7. I love it when it is hot and you go for a swim.
8. When you read a book when it is hot under a nice cool shady tree.
9. Listening to the peaceful birds sing.
10. going for bush walks with my family.

Lucy Razmara, Jan Juc, Victoria.

1. Surfing the clean clear green waves in Torquay at summer.

2. Hiking at Wilsons Promatry in the nature

3. Running and jumping through the white squeaky sand.

4. Swimming under the big blue waterfalls at Kakadu.

5. The snoring growling sound of the koalas when I go to bed in the tent.

6. The bright yellow fluffy pom poms on the wattle tree.

7. The gaggle of the magpies wake me up every morning and makes me feel like home.

8. Wearing boardies every day in the summer.

Truc Mong and Monica Tran, Virginia Primary School, SA

1. We have a great school (Virginia Primary School) to learn in.
2. We have hospitals to help us keep safe and healthy.
3. We have lots of sights to visit like Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney
4. Opera House and Uluru. We like koalas, kangaroos and bilbies.
5. We have great TV shows to watch like Funniest Home Videos.
6. In Australia we recycle and don't litter to keep our environment clean.
7. We have lots of different languages and cultures. In our class we have children from Vietnam, Italy, Greece, Arabic, Chinese, Cambodia and Australia.
8. Australia is a new country and we can build new houses and buildings to live in.
9. We can borrow money from banks to help us.
10. We live in peace with no wars or fighting.

Amber Wells, Direk Schools, SA

1. the Outback
2. the warm air in summer, the cold breezes in winter
3. all the friendly people who just smile all day
4. all the famous authors and all the good books
5. beautiful flowers such as the Sturt desert pea and kangaroo paw
6. the beaches
7. the animals and fish
8. the atmosphere
9. gum trees and koalas that live in them
10. famous buildings such as the Opera House and the harbour bridge.

Direk Schools Book Display

Hi

During Book Week 2009 I visited Direk Schools at Salisbury, Adelaide.
They had a wonderful display for 'Audrey of the Outback' - including real sheep skulls. Toothless would be proud, and so would Audrey!

Just in case you missed it, I thought I should stand and point like a game show hostess!

If your school had/has an Audrey display, why don't you email me the photo and we can share it on this blog?