I will now hand you over to Emma.
Honesty in Writing
 |
| Emma C Williams |
Rebecca’s recent blog post
probably struck a chord with most of us. Like every piece of writing worth
reading, it gave me reason to think: about myself, my writing and the choices I
have made.
As a contemporary author, I
worry that the topic I have chosen to write about is too raw and too personal,
and I worry that people will think this is the only story I have to tell. The
truth is that I have a thousand tales to tell, I simply thought it foolish –
arrogant even – not to start with what I know to be real. Maybe I should have
written about vampires and unicorns, as finding YA reviewers that will dip a
toe outside of the fantasy world has been a challenge.
Talking about the issues
that the book raises is sometimes difficult for me. I don’t particularly like
feeling different, and I don’t particularly like having to discuss what might
be different about me with others. I find it threatening and invasive that
everyone wants to know how much of “Anna’s story” is “my story,” and I know
other writers who feel the same, especially those that have written about the
very darkest of issues. At the other extreme I have had one angry message from a
stranger who assumed that I know nothing about the condition Anna suffers from,
and questioning my right to tell her story. (He hadn’t bothered to read it, by
the way).
I am a teacher, and if you
have any sense in that job you are wary of public exposure. Some teachers lock
down their Facebook profile so tightly that MI6 would struggle to find them; I
know many that avoid networking sites altogether due to their fears that
students will “stalk” them. Personally I like to give young people a little
more credit. Maybe other teachers have far more interesting lives than I do,
but I honestly can’t imagine a 15-year-old being that interested in my
gardening tips, visits to the Red Lion and occasional rants about social
injustice (the latter of which I tend to bore them with in the classroom,
anyway!) While I avoid (like any sane individual) making “friends” with
students on Facebook, many of the young people that I teach follow me on
Twitter, have “Liked” my Facebook page, and are thrilled at the idea that I
might be the next JK Rowling. Bless them.
A teacher’s desire for
relative anonymity online was part of the reason that I decided to blog in character as Anna, the lead character in my novel. While it’s a decision I don’t regret, it can be
hard work trying to write with the voice of a 15-year-old all the time, and I
worry that I have not achieved it in every post. It is frustrating not to be
able to blog about whatever comes into my head, as the things that come into my
head do not tend to coincide with the everyday worries of a 15-year-old
(something I am very grateful for!) So I have to rake through the lingering
memories of my former self, and look to the young people that I teach for
inspiration. It’s a bit of a slog, to be honest.
As writers
we are constantly exploring the line between truth and narrative, and I know
that every story I want to write will have its roots in my own life or the
lives of others. I cannot imagine writing in any other way. My mother taught me
that people are inherently fascinating, and I have always been someone to whom people
tell their stories. I have quite an archive. The only question is, which one to
take off the shelf next.
Anna Jones is an intelligent and spirited girl of 15, whose everyday
experiences of growing up are overshadowed by a rare condition called
Goldenhar syndrome. While Anna approaches her life with humour and
determination, she is haunted by the inescapable fact that she looks a
little different from other girls. Despite the support of her friends
and family, she remains convinced she will never be loved - especially
not by the gorgeous and intelligent Michael.
Anna's life and schooling
is regularly interrupted by a variety of hospital visits, each one of
which seems designed to make her feel even more different from the other
girls. As she counts down the days until the major surgery that will
change the course of her life forever, Anna becomes increasingly
doubtful as to whether she will ever be truly normal.
World Enough and
Time is an often funny, sometimes painful but ultimately uplifting novel
about growing up and finding your feet in the world. It has been
inspired by Judy Blume and offers a harrowing but inspirational insight
into a condition that is mostly unheard of.
Available to buy from
Emma C Williams is a teacher and the author of World Enough and Time, a contemporary
YA novel for girls. She lives in Surrey with her husband
and two very irritating cats.
Connect with Emma on:
Thank you for inviting Emma to your blog. Her story is really interesting and I think that she's done the right thing in writing World Enough and Time which will help not only young people with her condition, but also their friends to understand what it must be like.
ReplyDelete