WHAT MAKES A WRITER? BLOG 6.

To become a writer, first we become a reader.

I remember with relish the Janet and John reading books in my infant school.  The coloured stripes!  Oh those feelings of getting to the next colour band at the bottom of the page! Fabulous!  The scheme enjoyed its heyday in the 50’s and 60’s.  A scheme introducing the key words and the ‘look and say’ reading method.  Oh how I loved those stories about Janet and John living a typical English middle class life.  The scheme saw a revival in 2001 giving Janet and John a totally new appearance and the stories a far more culturally diverse cast of characters.  But, way back in the late 50’s early 60’s, that’s where my reading journey began.  Without being a reader it can be tricky to be a writer.  That’s not to say that storytelling relied totally on books or the ability to read and write as oral story telling has been with us for thousands of years.  Cultures passed on their stories so beautifully this way.

Very early on I learned about the ‘power of the picture’ in books.  I know that my book series will carry the ‘power of the picture’ philosophy throughout (even in the’ TT AND THE SMOKING TUNNEL’) which is aimed at late primary early secondary pupils.  Here, I vision line drawings in black to support the story. The picture or drawing carry the message and is indeed how children first learn to read through the picture prompts.

I recall my sister, who was 14 years older than me, buying a set of classics for children for Christmas – Black Beauty, Treasure Island, Great Expectations etc.  Not a picture in sight except on the cover.  At seven years of age I treasured them but was defeated by the tiny print and the rough quality of the pages – very scratchy!  That’s why I am very particular about the end production of my story books.

Later, for me, in my reading journey came the Famous Five series.  I was in heaven.  I left primary school with ‘Famous Five on a Treasure Island’ as a prize for endeavour in English.

I watched the classics as films later in life and that was wonderful.

I see my Troublesome Tom series as both books and as animated films, rather like ‘Up’ and ‘Inside Out’.

The Troublesome Tom stories are partly auto biographical – not dissimilar to ‘Little Women’ type stories about family, relationships and life.

SO, watch this space PIXAR, this Troublesome Tom series could be the next ‘big thing’!

Barbara Herszenhorn 8.2.19


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