Today, at Megan Burke's suggestion, I went to hear Kate Morton at the Weeler Centre. First met up with Megs at Mr Tullk where we had cake for lunch (don't be fooled by the euphemistic "banana 'bread'") and discussed... what else?...writing and books.
We talked about the need for story to determine the structure, and not the other way around (it's never a good idea to first impose a structure and then try to make the story fit) and interestingly, Kate mentioned, and agreed with, that very point.
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She also talked about how she weaves together different timelines because her interest is not in history as such, but in how the past impacts upon the present.
Interestingly, she said that the 'contemporary' timeline in her latest book takes place in 1992, because it's easier for a writer not to have to take into account emails, mobile phones, and all the latest technology. To me this indicates a major difference between YA and general fiction. In YA fiction, 1992 would virtually be considered history, and 'contemporary' means right now, this minute, today. Publishers of YA fiction are concerned their books do not seem dated (unless they are intended as historical fiction).
Kate also read an extract from her latest book. It was beautifully written, beautifully imagined, and left the reader (or in this case, listener) wanting more. Over 3,000,000 copies of her books have been sold throughout the world, and though I haven't yet read any of them, I'm planning to now.
The controversy over Book Censorship at Mount Scopus College is still raging, with the article appearing as one of the four most popular articles on the online magazine. 76 comments so far, (including some very nasty ones about me) and the number is rising. Apparently, 94 people have posted it on their facebook page.
awww what a lovely post! i too had a blast. :D
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