THOUGHTS ON NARRATIVE

This blog arises out of a workshop on Narrative Improvisation I did with Steve Roe of Hoopla Improv fame in London, England a few months ago.

This was a really excellent workshop by the way, so take it if you have a chance.  I learned some new exercises and had a great time. One thing that I learned that I think needs to be taken up by writing workshops and writers in general is the idea of “expectation.”

How does expectation work? Well, basically you have to pay close attention to your set up. For instance in a short comedy sketch if an item like a Twister board shows up at a party, it creates an audience expectation that the Twister boards will at some point be used. This sounds obvious, but it isn’t always.

The big difference between real life and fictional narratives is that in real life we constantly see things and meet people that will have little influence on our life stories. Think of all the people you see on the subway who you will probably never see again for the rest of your life! A crumpled piece of garbage you notice for a moment on the sidewalk is unlikely to impact on the major events of your life.

However, in a fictional narrative there must be an economy of objects and characters.  An author has limited space and time, so every object that shows up in the narrative must be important to the characters in some way or it is not worth describing. Thus, it is the nature of an object described in length at the beginning of a novel, to come into play somewhere in the next few chapters. The ideal location to bring it back again is at the point where the audience has forgotten that that particular object was ever in the story.  Thus the audience obtains a pleasure in the object’s recognition and the delight of surprise. Think of the hat pin described in the first chapter, forgotten and slipped into the protagonist’s for a while, but then reappearing in the third half of the book as a convenient defensive weapon against the villain’s physical assault.

In real life plot lines frequently go nowhere. Mysteries often never resolve themselves.  (Why was the girl at Willesden Green station waiting for the train in the cold in her pajamas?  The world may never know!)  This is one of the somewhat frustrating aspects of real life. A friend stops talking to you one day and you never figure out why—that sort of thing tends not to happen in fiction. If a person stops talking to someone in fiction, then the audience will learn the reason by the end of the story or go home unsatisfied with the dangling plotline. Mysteries in fiction are only left unsolved if the author is lazy or disorganized, or if the author is trying to make a particular point about the narrative constructs of fiction vs. mysteries in reality.

A wise writing teacher of mine once told me:  EVERY STORY IS A MYSTERY. It’s true, because only the author ever knows exactly how any fictional story is going to end. As an author I find that discovering the twists and turns the characters take to get to the conclusion is part of the fun of writing. Sometimes the ending changes the more you dig into the characters and that can be highly satisfying as well. However, as an author I think it best to fix a general destination for your story fairly early on in the writing process just to keep yourself from getting lost in tangents.

Adira Rotstein has studied literature, writing, and film at the University of Toronto and the University of Southern California. Her creative output includes novels, screenplays, films, paintings, comic books, and illustrations. She lives in Toronto.

This was around the time that the movie version of Apollo 13 was hitting theatres. I didn’t get to see it on the big screen, but I did rent the movie. And I was hooked. Floating around with the stars, touching (what seemed like) the outer most edges of the galaxy? Sign. Me. Up.

I even went so far as to research what space camp actually entailed (a month in Florida? Score.), and while I was disappointed to learn that no, you don’t actually get to go into space at space camp (excuse me, false advertising), you got to go in the zero-gravity chamber and flight simulator. Awesome.

Now, what my 10-year-old brain had not yet realized is that my aptitude for the sciences was probably not at the level needed for space camp. After all, space camp is a pretty elite, baby-genius-hang-out kind of place, no? You have to demonstrate a strong ability in all fields of science… even at the elementary level. And while  yes, I was one of those “over-achievers” and identified as “gifted,” I wasn’t by any means a science whiz. Add this to the very limited amount of places in space camp, the high price of camp tuition, and my parents’ reluctance to invest that much money in what they were sure was a “passing fancy” of mine (fact: they were right), and space camp never came to be.

(Side note: Years later I realized that it wasn’t the actual space travel involved in the cinematics of Apollo 13 that incited my fixation on space camp. It was the drama and turmoil and whatnot created in the movie. I cite this as a later example of why I studied drama in university and had aspirations of becoming an actor.)

Over the last few weeks I’ve gotten to re-live my childhood space camp fantasies as the newest title from John Melady, Maple Leaf in Space, has arrived back from the printers. The book looks at all of the Canadian astronauts that have ventured to the realms of the universe and the fun facts associated with the various missions. Included in our YA non-fiction catalogue, it’s really not just a YA book. I’ve been flipping through the chapters all week and pulling out great little tidbits. Example: A coke machine in space? Maybe intergalatic travel would have been as cool as I thought.

Maple Leaf in Space is making its way to bookstores everywhere. If you’d like to relive your childhood astronaut fantasies by doing something more (and less creepy) than dressing up as an adult-sized Buzz Lightyear, check it out.

Recently I’ve had the good fortune to be the publicist for Mackenzie, Lost and Found, which tugged at my heartstrings from the first chapter to the last sentence.  I’ve become a bit of a broken record around the office and amongst my friends with how much I talk about this book. But when you like a book why not shout it from the rooftop. And the nice thing is that others have also embraced Mackenzie. Leah Sparks of VOYA Library Magazine wrote “this solid coming-of-age story offers a unique setting and a likeable young heroine.” And Kelsey Boeckermann wrote on her blog Reading Keeps You Sane, “This book really is a poignant coming of age story with a twist … Kerbel is a great writer. With a writing style that is familiar but distinctive at once she gives a taste of what’s there but keeps you wanting more and more. Overall, this novel was a very well done and extremely original.”

If you want to find out more about this delightful book visit Mackenzie’s author, Deborah Kerbel’s website by clicking here. Deborah is currently doing a blog tour and you can find her chatting with YA Fresh on April 20th and doing an interview with The Book Munch from April 23rd to 26th.

And talking about YA books, 6 of our YA books – Speechless, Fathom Five, Demon in My View, Ms. Zephyr’s Notebook, David Thompson, and Louis Riel - have been chosen by The Canadian Children’s Book Centre for their list of Best Books.  A big congrats goes out to their authors – Valerie Sherrard, James Bow, Tom Henighan, kc dyer, Tom Shardiow, and Sharon Stewart.

Now that you know some of my favourite children and YA books – how about you? Share with us your favourite young adult novel and why and receive a copy of Mackenzie, Lost and Found.

“I think kids should read this book because it is quick, easy-to-read, fun and interesting … I enjoyed the variety of personalities in the characters. The pictures that I envisioned were vivid, there was lots of detail given. The conclusion left me satisfied …” – Joe, age 13. To read Joe’s full review click here. Reading the Bones has been nominated for a Silver Birch Award.

 
“Three Million Acres of Flame is a very good book. I think this because it is a truthful account yet still has a good fictional storyline … I give Three Million Acres of Flame 5 stars.” – Tyler, age 12. Click here to read Tyler’s full review.

“I enjoyed this book especially because it made me want to find out more about this party of history … Sophie’s Exile gets a four-star rating.” - Mena, age 14. To read what else Mena had to say about this historical fiction novel click here.

“I liked the action and sense of adventure that Patricia Bow has created in her characters. You can see Amelia’s point of view, even if you don’t always agree. I thought that The Ruby Kingdom had a strong opening, adding that bit of mystery. I also enjoyed the twists to the plot and the ending was well set up for the next book. For all of you who enjoy The Ruby Kingdom, the second one, The Prism Blade is even better! The Ruby Kingdom deserves 4 stars. Perfect for middle school readers.” – Mena, age 14.

“The characters were interesting because they all had different personalities and different lifestyles and that grabbed my attention. It could imagine what was happening because the detail was descriptive. It was not hard to read because it is a shorter book and athe font is a good size. It took a few chapters to get me interested but then it had me captivated. The story was easy to follow and believable because the happenings in the book could happen in almost any town. The ending seemed original and it was satisfying because all the problems were solved. I give Blood of the Donnellys fours stars.” - Joe, age 13. Read what else Joe had to say by clicking here.

“Set in a mill town in British Columbia during the 1980s, Ann Wheeler realistically portrays the prejudices Rana both encounters and harbours toward the white community. Despite the fears and warnings from his father, who himself experiences prejudice from the white community at the mill where he works, Rana’s stubborn nature and grit determinism enable him to take on the challenge of being the first to build a bridge between the two groups. In doing so, he is made aware of his own prejudices.”

Reading the Bones

” … an interesting read and certainly presents some of the enigmatic allure of archaeology in enticing terms.”

Kickstart: How Successful Canadians Got Started

“The style is casual, well written and interesting. The text is filled with quotation marks imparting almost a personal feeling between reader and subject. Sure to pique reader’s interest. Very well done.”

“Many boys Rana’s age would have shared the same feelings dealing with discrimination and could easily relate to Rana. Shabash! would make a great addition to a classroom, sparking many interesting discussions. The story not only deals with prejudice but also with how feelings and actions can cause reactions and how we can make a difference just by accepting others as they are.” To read more from this review click here.

Librarian and reviewer Val Ken Lem wrote the following about Kickstart: “In Kickstart, Herman, Matthews, and Feindel, three young members of the ‘Twixter Generation’ have produced an interesting biographical work that has the potential to encourage and inspire anyone who reads it.” For the full review click here.
Daphne Hamilton-Nagorsen had great things to say about Reading the Bones by Gina McMurchy-Barber. Here’s a portion of her review.  

“Gina McMurchy-Barber has written a very engaging story … The occasional change in narration draws the reader further into the story and brings the past to life. The pace of the story is excellent. The plot and characters are always moving and unfolding, but there are slower moments as well. The slower moments set the mood and the tone for the next segment of the story. The characters are very engaging and higly realistic. They are described in few words, but the description is very deft, giving a good impression of the character.

Gina McMurchy-Barber has written a story that is very educational as well as entertaining, and she has succeeded in blending these two elements into a wonderful combination. The educational aspects don’t bog down the story, and the morals and lessons of the story don’t feel heavy-handed. At the same time, the educational aspects aren’t sacrificed to the entertainment.

Reading the Bones is an excellent story that shows the importance of the past ot the present, but also the importance of learnng who you are. Recommended.” 

Early February brought great praise for Dundurn’s Young Adult Fiction. Both Larry McCloskey’s Murder Fit for a King and Valerie Sherrard’s Speechless made waves in the press.

 McCloskey’s book was mentioned in the Ottawa Citizen where it was deemed a “tale thatwill keep young readers glued until the last page,” and Sherrard’s book, reviewed in the Lethbridge Herald, was considered educational and interesting. Matthew Rauhala writes,

“I thought the story was interesting how it incorporated fiction as well as the reality of the child soldiers. It provided information on this serious issue to younger readers. Normally, this topic would be directed towards adults or older teens…Reading this book certainly made me more aware of a heinous crime against children that is going on in many countries.”

In Murder Fit for a King, Caitlin and Dani are back and this time they are in Quebec! Across the river from Canada’s capital, they meet Rex (the ghost of William Lyon Mackenzie King) where he provides them with a series of tests in order to save his estate and a local park sending the girls on adventures involving murder and political scandal.

 In Speechless, Griffin learns about himself and his relationship with others through an “accidental” social activism campaign. Last year Griffin’s English assignment to write a speech didn’t go over so well so this year he’s decided to take a vow of silence in protest of the assignment. He decides that his silence will be in honor of those children forced to go to war. However, little does Griffin know how wrapped up he will become in the cause or what an impact he’ll have on the community around him.