Just Imagine - Wollongong City Gallery

Just over a month ago I was opening the Just Imagine exhibition at the Wollongong Art Gallery. To steal directly from the exhibition website: An exciting program which encourages children’s creative writing skills by the exploration of real and imagined worlds experienced through close engagement with art.

As author in residence my role included running workshops for teachers, primary students and high school students. I love workshops. It’s so inspiring. There is no more powerful creative force than a young imagination. A simple exercise on metaphors and similes yielded a rainbow of lorikeets and a city of stars in the sky. Beautiful images that are still with me.

There has always been a relationship between literature and art. Ever since the first story tellers stood in front of cave paintings, turning art into words. No doubt exaggerating their own part and amping up the action to make it the best story possible.

I searched the Internet to find a good example of art inspiring literature for my opening speech. I immediately stumbled upon Isle of the Dead by Albert Bocklin. I had never heard of it before. A haunting, evocative, gothic image. It’ll be appearing in one of my pages soon. It inspired twelve novels, stories or mentions in novels as well as film and theatre scripts and anime. But you know I shouldn’t have needed to look. I’ve never been to any of the places I write about but I immerse myself in photos and art to help imagine.

So the relationship between literature and art is as old as the caves. But what is totally new is the vision new young writers bring to an image. It was wonderful to be a part of it.

In the picture: Natalie from the Wollongong Unishop who sponsor the creative writing competition, Rachel who wrote a winning story based on the picture behind us January Fires by Clem Millward, and me.

Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker?

For me it's a no-brainer. I'd choose Darth Vader every time. He's tall, dark and imposing. He dresses with style and how about that cape? He's not much to look at underneath the disguise but I've never been one to judge someone by appearances.

Yes, I know he's the bad guy. He's done truly evil things but he fought a great struggle and in the end triumphed over the dark side. He made the ultimate sacrifice.

Luke's a good guy but he doesn't have the same depth. True, he's seen some traumatic things, had to learn to trust himself and find a courage he didn't know he had. He's been to the brink.

But Darth Vader has been over the edge. And he clawed his way back out. A redeemed villian is a much stronger character than a developing hero.

With that, I am back to tweak my work in progress. I've just taught myself an accidental lesson about characterisation.

Writing Advice from #1 Son

I have son who is an excellent writer. He would be great for advice and feedback - if only we were on the same page. We don't read the same thing (although he did introduce me to the Night Angel trilogy which I loved) and we certainly don't write about the same things.

Recently I was working on a new idea and passed over the first 200 words or so for his opinion. He threw it back at me. "I'm not reading anything where a little kid gets killed in the first sentence." Fair enough. That might have been a bit violent and he is right in my target reader age group, so I figured it was a valid criticism. I made a change.

Back it came again. "I'm not reading it if you have to kill people. You are not allowed to kill anyone." "Surely I can kill someone?" I ask hopefully. "Only very, very old people. And only if they are sick and about to die." Hmmm. Not much room to work there but I rose to the challenge. I made a change. Back it came faster than before. "A cat, Mum. That's just sick. I am not reading this."

*sigh* I've put that ms away for a while.

BTW The Night Angel trilogy is very dark, very violent and very scary. Brent Weeks is apparently allowed to kill as many people as he likes! Not fair.