Last month’s Australian Book Week celebrations at the Glen Waverley Campus highlighted the magic of reading, the joy of sharing great stories and the building of lifelong reading habits, with Middle School students enjoying presentations from some of Australia’s best authors and literary agents.
The Year 9 cohort gained practical tips to improve their own compositions and learnt what it takes to become a writer from freelance editor, author and creative writing teacher, Karen Comer. She also spoke about her latest novel, Grace Notes, which was recently awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia ‘Book of the Year’ prize.
Set against the backdrop of COVID lockdowns, it’s an evocative, coming-of-age story that explores the journey of two 15-year-old protagonists, Grace Dalfinch, an aspiring violinist, and James Crux, a street artist. Written entirely in verse, Grace Notes is a type of extended narrative poem, presented with the addition of engaging fonts and fun visual effects.
‘Verse novels are wonderful for reluctant readers, as there are less words on the page, and the meaning is condensed,’ said Karen.
Karen explained that she had always dreamt of being a writer; however, it was not until she was 49 years old that she had her first novel published. It then took her 13 years to write Grace Notes! Hearing about her writing journey, and the dedication required to produce that first novel, the students realised that the writing process - drafting, more drafting and editing - is very much an ongoing task.
She also outlined the many ‘moving parts’ of having a book published with a team that comprises a proofreader, publicist, copy editor, cover designer, finance, sales and marketing team. It was an inspiring talk for our budding writers.
