Dream on...
ARE YOU SUFFERING pre-exam blues? Don't curl up in bed. There are still many things to do! For example, why not join a dream exploration with Theresa Breslin, a librarian and award-winning author from Scotland?
Breslin grew up in a small town close to castles, old burial grounds and the Roman Wall, all of which helped develop her passion for reading and writing about historical tales.
In The Dream Master serial, she takes readers back and forth between now and then, from modern England to ancient Egypt, Viking times and the Roman empire, through her character, Cy. See if she can get you out of the post-holiday blues.
The acclaimed writer, who won the Carnegie Medal for Whispers In The Graveyard, gives Young Post readers a few tips in response to FAQs (frequently asked questions) on writing novels.
Q. Is it easier to write surreal stories that combine reality with fantasy? It seems most of them do not have to follow any logic.
Breslin: It certainly is a whole lot of fun! These stories are demanding to write in their own way. I think that they do have to follow their own internal logic and the structure of the story. This is very important. And in fact these books, in addition to being adventure stories, are about story-telling. I am asked to visit many schools and libraries, but I am not able to go to all of them, so I thought I'd write a series of books about story-telling, giving readers tips on characterisation, plot, dialogue. Cy's Dream Master guides him and tells him how to manage his dream, and this mirrors the way stories are constructed.
Q. Why did you choose ancient Egypt for The Dream Master? What have you read about ancient Egypt before you started writing?
Breslin: There are three Dream Master books - The Dream Master is set in Egypt, the second is set in Viking times, and the latest book, Dream Master - Gladiator, takes place in Roman times, in Pompeii on the eve of its terrible destruction. I love reading about ancient times and visiting places that I am going to write about. So I have been to Egypt and Pompeii.
Q. In your opinion, does Cy think and behave in the same way as other youngsters? How do you know? Did you have any strange experiences that can be compared to Cy's?
Breslin: Yes, I think he does, in that he is not very good at things. He's a bit clumsy, trips over his own feet, gets things wrong. I have four children and so know a little bit about how children behave, and I myself remember being like that at school. I remember having very strange dreams. I still do . . . (doesn't everyone?) and I often thought - wouldn't it be good if you could sort your dream the way you wanted it to be . . . ?
Q. Do your dreams come in colours? Do you think only people with good imagination have colourful dreams? Is there any relationship between the colour of one's dreams and their writing ability?
Breslin: I have extremely vivid dreams, but sometimes forget them very quickly. And lots of writers I've spoken to say that they don't use the incidents in their dreams when writing their books. Who can judge writing ability? Stories are not there to be judged - they are to be enjoyed, both when reading and writing them. I say - ENJOY READING!
Theresa Breslin's third book in the serial, Dream Master - Gladiator, is now available in local bookstores.
