Tag: Sheryl Gwyther

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Three Quick Questions: Sheryl Gwyther (#9)

Alphabet Soup

All through October, Alphabet Soup is celebrating turning three. We have heaps of writers and illustrators stopping by to answer THREE QUICK QUESTIONS and today’s visitor is author Sheryl Gwyther—her most recent book is Charlie and the Red Hot Chilli Pepper.

Charlie and the Red Hot Chilli Pepper cover

1. Where do you like to write?

I have a study to write in, but I can write anywhere (if I’m in the writing mood). Funny thing, though, the place where I write a first draft reminds me of that time whenever I go there—like on our back deck, where I wrote the first draft of Singing the Wires and the words poured out of my head. Luckily, it’s all good memories.

2. Can you name a book you’d recommend to our readers?

Just finished John Heffernan’s book Battle Boy—Spying on the Past, written under the name of Charlie Carter. It’s the first in a series of exciting, short adventure books for young readers. Easy to read, gripping and cleverly bringing the past alive when a young boy—Napoleon Augustus Smythe—hurtles back through time and into … the big battles of the past. Lots of techo stuff (and illustrations) to intrigue kids.

Battle Boy (cover)
Sheryl Gwyther recommends Battle Boy by Charlie Carter


3. Can you offer a word or phrase that kids could use for inspiration if they have writer’s block?

Sheryl Gwyther
Sheryl Gwyther

Rather than one word or phrase, I use my ‘Double Trouble Game’—think of two words that are ‘bad roommates’, put them together and ask, ‘What If? I used this method to get the ideas flowing for my story Princess Clown. Also for my work-in-progress, Fangus Fearbottom (fang and banana—yes, bad room mates!)

Find out more about Sheryl Gwyther and her books—visit her website and check out her 4Kids blog, too.

Sheryl’s most recent book, Charlie and the Red Hot Chilli Pepper is available from Pearson Australia.

© October 2011 “Three Quick Questions with Sheryl Gwyther” by Rebecca Newman (Alphabet Soup magazine)

(Psst … see you back here tomorrow, when author Aleesah Darlison answers our Three Quick Questions.)

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Tips for young writers from Sheryl Gwyther

Alphabet Soup

"Princess Clown cover"Sheryl Gwyther visited us last month as part of the celebrations for the launch of our Undercover Readers Club. She’s back today to talk a bit about how she got the idea for her latest book, Princess Clown. Welcome back, Sheryl!

What gave you the idea for writing Princess Clown?

Princess Clown began with a challenge – to write a chapter book using words that clashed. I chose CLOWN and PRINCESS.

(Musicians have used this same process to choose intriguing, unusual names for their bands. That’s why we have rock bands with names like Led Zeppelin, Guns ‘N Roses, Green Day, Pearl Day and Stone Roses.)

Once I had chosen the words Clown and Princess I asked myself, What if?

What if there was a princess who was different? What if she loved clowning and making people laugh? What if she was the heir to the throne? What if she was in trouble because she can’t stop clowning around? What if her tricks go terribly wrong?

Then before I could say, ABRACADABRA and ALLIBALOO, out sprang Princess Belle and a story was born.

Are you good at any circus skills yourself? Juggling, unicycle riding, back flips, squirting unsuspecting people with your joke flower/buzzing them with a handshake?

I prefer my bike with two wheels so I don’t fall off. I can’t do black flips or somersaults and neither do I have a zingy clown ring like Princess Belle, but I do have a set of three professional juggling balls – a perfect size and weight for my hand.

I’m trying to learn to juggle. So far, I’ve worked up to three throws and a catch, but it’s been difficult to throw that fourth throw. My brain does not like it at all! But I’ll never give up trying – one day I will get there.

Want to try juggling? Then start with some good juggling balls. Here’s a recipe on how to make your own super-cool juggling balls out of balloons and uncooked rice. http://www.abc.net.au/science/surfingscientist/jugglingballs.htm

How do you get inspiration and ideas for your writing?

I get ideas for writing stories from lots of places. Some start with daydreaming, or childhood memories, some from intriguing things I’ve read or heard about, some from combinations of words, a couple even came from dreams. Once I get the idea, I always ask, What if? And that is when the story really begins to form in my imagination.

I like to write a rough outline while the idea is fresh in my brain. Then it’s a good idea to brainstorm – that fills out the characters’ development and also the plot.

While I’m writing the first draft, I play some background music on the CD player. When writing an adventurous part of my stories, I like the soundtrack from The Lord of The Rings – helps to keep the fast pace going. You might find that works for you too.

Check out this link from my blog: Music to Write by? It’s all about what other authors listen to when they write. http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/music-to-write-by/

Do you have any advice for young writers?

"Sheryl Gwyther photo"
Sheryl Gwyther, author of Princess Clown

The best advice I can give to new writers of any age is:

  • READ READ READ lots of good books!
  • Write every day, even if it’s only a few sentences.
  • Connect up with other young writers – they’ll be a good support.
  • The most important thing of all, NEVER GIVE UP just because you think it is too hard.

PRINCESS CLOWN is available from Blake Publishers.

www.sherylgwyther.net

http://sherylgwyther4kids.wordpress.com

http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com

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Sheryl Gwyther is taking Princess Clown on a blog tour. Where is she going?

06 July Tuesday Dee White Tips on writing chapter books

07 July Wednesday Soup Blog [You’re here!] Where do you get your ideas?

08 July Thursday Robyn Opie Guest blog

09 July Friday Catriona Hoy Author interview

10 July Saturday Kat Apel Win a copy of Princess Clown and get your name in Sheryl’s next book!

11 July Sunday Sheryl Gwyther 4 kids About launching a book

12 July Monday Sandy Fussell Guest blog

13 July Tuesday Sally Murphy Interview: The author’s life

14 July Wednesday Claire Saxby Are you a clown or a princess?

15 July Thursday Mabel Kaplan Workshopping with children

authors, teachers' resources

“Lights out!” (Sheryl Gwyther)

Alphabet Soup

Today we are launching Alphabet Soup magazine‘s UNDERCOVER READERS CLUB – the new reviewers club for kids aged 12 and under! As part of our online celebrations, we’ve invited a different children’s writer or illustrator to visit Soup Blog every day until 29 June 2010 to tell us about what they used to read after ‘lights out’ when they were growing up.

Our first visitor is Sheryl Gwyther, author of Secrets of Eromanga, and Princess Clown. Her writing has also appeared in the NSW Schools Magazine, and the anthology, Short and Scary.

"Secrets of Eromanga (cover)""Short and scary (cover)""Princess Clown (cover)"

READING UNDER THE COVERS (Sheryl Gwyther)

"Sheryl Gwyther (photo)"
Sheryl Gwyther

What happens when you are reading an extremely exciting bit in a book and Mum or Dad says, light’s out!?

You keep reading, of course! Out comes your trusty torch. You wriggle under the covers and once again, you are lost in the book. This is exactly what I used to do when I was younger.

Once upon a time, before I owned a torch, I tried to use a candle to read in bed after ‘light’s-out’ – never thinking of the danger involved with fire. Burning wax on my fingers and on the floor stopped me. Maybe my mother saw the wax drops everywhere, because not long afterwards my parents gave me my first torch.

There’s a powerful image in my memory of reading in the dark with a torch. It happened when I was about eight. I had to get up for school the next day and Mum was nagging me stop reading and go to sleep. But I was caught up in the Silver Curlew (a book by Eleanor Farjeon), an exciting story about a young girl’s fight to save her sister from an evil imp. How could I possibly sleep?

I hid under the sheet with my torch, reading. Everyone else had gone to bed. It was dark outside and still, and the story was at a creepy, scary part. Then, an eerie wailing sound came from the trees outside.

It was a nocturnal bird called a Bush Curlew. I snapped shut the book, flicked off the light and burrowed back under the sheet in the dark, remembering my grandmother’s words … Curlews always wail when someone is dying. I was too scared to go to sleep!

If I had a ‘Light’s Out’ curfew put on me tonight, you would find me reading (with the aid of my trusty torch) a spell-binding story by Kate Forsyth, The Starthorn Tree. It’s the first in a series. When I’ve finished this one, I can start on the second one, The Wildkin’s Curse. Do you think my torch battery will last?

© Sheryl Gwyther 2010

Visit Sheryl Gwyther’s website, and her blog for more information about her books!

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"undercover readers logo"If you’d like to join the Undercover Readers Club, you’ll find an information pack you can download from the Alphabet Soup website. As part of the celebrations, we have a different children’s author or illustrator visiting Soup Blog each day until 29 June 2010 to talk about what they used to read after ‘lights out’ when they were growing up.

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Undercover Readers Club launch: Monday 14 June 2010!

Alphabet Soup

"undercover readers logo"The Undercover Readers Club will be launched here on Soup Blog on Monday!

If you haven’t heard about it yet, Undercover Readers is a book reviewers club for kids aged 12 and under. And it’s FREE to join! Club members with an Australian postal address receive one free book to review, but you can also review your own books, and books you borrow from friends or the library. (Members outside Australia can send book reviews of their own books, but unfortunately we aren’t able to send you a free book, due to the high costs of postage to overseas addresses.)

Members can be individual children, or a primary school class. The reviews will be published in Alphabet Soup magazine, and/or here on Soup Blog.

Back to the launch celebrations! Starting on Monday, we’ll have a different author or illustrator visiting this blog every day (14 – 29 June), to tell us about the books they read after ‘lights out’ when they were growing up — when they were still reading under the covers with a torch! So make sure you check back on Monday, when we’ll be hearing from our first author, Sheryl Gwyther .

Want to join the Undercover Readers Club?

Go to the magazine’s website (www.alphabetsoup.net.au) where you’ll find a PDF to download with information about the club and how to join.

Happy reading!