Students in Year 7 got the opportunity to hear directly from published author, Simon Groth, as they prepare to write their own gothic short stories. Simon also shared some exclusive tips on how to publish a book within 24 hours, preparing students for their upcoming Write a Book in a Day (WABIAD) incursion later this term. Budding writer, Therese took part in the session and kindly opened up her notepad to share what she learnt from Simon.
This week, Year 7 students in classes P and Y met a very inspirational storyteller, author Simon Groth. He has written a collection of books and has had many experiences throughout his life as a writer. A hurdle that he jumped over that caught my eye was writing an outstanding book in under 24hrs with a group of writers! This helped show me that “If you learn the value of time, you will have enough of it."
Another good point Simon shared with students was when he told us the different points of view that are displayed in writing - first person (I), second person (You) and third person (The character). Stories told from multiple points of view can quickly become confusing and unfocused if the writer uses too many points of view or does not give each point-of-view character a distinct voice. Readers should be able to tell from which character's perspective each section is told immediately and throughout the section. So, pick carefully when choosing the point of view for your story.
Next, he moved on to the different stages of knowing how to write a story. It isn't that simple or difficult if you use the right basis to start the story. Simon took around eight years to write his latest book, Ex Libris. To start a story, you must have an idea of what the story will be about. Some examples of ideas would be (what if) scenarios, observations, people/traits, places, words/phrases. These are all good starter ideas if you have no idea where to start.
The next stage is a story, and normally when we try to tell someone about what is happening in the story, the first thing we talk about is the characters. All characters are people (really), even if they are robots or talking animals. All the characters serve in the story, they all have a purpose as to why they're there. There also are standard types of characters in the story. There is a protagonist, antagonist, others, helpers, and hinderers. They all play an important role even if they're not the main characters.
After he moved into more depth about how a story is made, he talked about the narrative. In this sub-topic, he explained the setting of a story and the plot. He told us that something must change in the story, whether it's the character, the setting or even the storyline.
The final topic was editing and publishing. This step is very important and gets seen as not important and a very useful thing to worry about. Many writers encounter repeated spelling, punctuation, and fluency errors. Sometimes the story doesn't even make sense for the reader to understand. That is why this stage is so vitally important.
The main point I learnt from Simon Groth is that making your story unique and stand out from everyone else, is the only way it is going to be interesting and enjoyable for the audience to read. Also, patience and resilience are the way to go when writing a book. It is a lot of hard work, something you need to work for in order for someone to read your book. Take your time and let your imagination flow!
By Therese Sibi Peter, Year 7
Corinda State High School