Dim's Write Stuff

When I was a few decades younger, I dreamed of being a librarian, such was my love of books. To be the custodian of so many fictional worlds was an honor I wanted to live. To be on the safe side, I also practiced teaching as a youngster. I mean what better way to share my love for stories than with roomfuls of attentive stuffed toy animals, aka my students. Needless to say, neither of these occupations really took off.  Seems being the creator rather than the curator was my destiny. Ironically, one of the best things about being a children's author is being allowed to produce detailed teachers' notes and additional activities supporting your book that enhance and enrich the reading experience. All of my picture books include detailed Teachers' Notes annexed to Australian Curriculum links as well as accompanying worksheets and activities that focus on a range of fun things to make and do and even eat! They are all on my website . They are generally included on the...

Occasionally I'll attend a writing workshop or seminar that is so absorbing or entertaining, I completely neglect to record it visually. Nette Hilton' s weekend workshop on Picture Books and Junior Fiction hosted by Book Links QLD and its children's writing arm, Write Links , was both these things and more. Nette Hilton , fellow poultry enthusiast and lover of storytelling, is a proflic writer of children's fiction ; many of her award winning works deemed as classics in children's literature such as , A Proper Little Lady and The Web - both favourites in this house. More recent titles include the popular, S mallest Bilby Easters picture book series and the hilarious First Adventures of Princess Peony . * A former teacher, Nette has worked with some of the most notable illustrators and publishing houses in Australia but by her own admission was a complete novice when it came to the world of publishing and storytelling. She only knew she enjoyed shari...

Fellow Speed Launchers, Kelly Hibbert, Aleesah Darlinson and Christina Booth As part of the recent spectacle that was the SCBWI Sydney 2019 Conference , I was fortunate enough to be part of a crackerjack collection of creatives involved in what was billed as ' a celebration of books' at The Children's Bookshop in Beecroft but quickly became known as 'a speed launch event'. What is a speed launch? Quite simply, it's less a than handful of minutes which said author has at her disposal to extol the many wonders of her latest picture book publication, wax lyrical about its glorious marriage of art and words, regale listeners with the story behind the story, and tease them into loving the characters so much you have them begging for a signed copy before you've even paused for breath. Phew! It's no mean feat delivering all that in three short minutes. Yes, that's the average amount of time allowed to effectively pitch your wares despite it taki...

As weeks slip away into months I want to share one last session round up from my time in Singapore at the Asian Festival of Children's Content . It is the session I was asked to present on Bibliotherapy as part of the Writer's and Illustrator's Conference . My objective was to: Explore the value of creating bibliotherapy themed diverse picture books (PBS) and debate their usefulness in combating various social issues affecting children. To discuss what works, what doesn't and why. This sounds straight forward enough but past experience has shown me that when you add the word therapy to anything relating to Kids' Lit, it has an immediate polarising effect; people either love the term and what it infers or they are vehemently against its implications. So what exactly is Bibliotherapy and its implications? Melissa Tan's impression of my session - she tells me, she was too involved in the topic to illustrate profusely. I first introduced delegates t...

Me and Dr Ruth Wong Perhaps one of the most stimulating sessions I moderated was Dr Ruth Wong's Interactive Narration: Having Fun with Postmodern Picture Book s.  Now although I consider myself a voracious and reasonably well-informed reader of picture books, the term 'postmodern' did befuddle me a little. It wasn't until I delved a little deeper into definitions that I realised, I had been savouring this style of picture book narrative for years. So what exactly is a postmodern picture book and what value do they represent for young readers. Ruth was on hand to explain. Characteristics of Postmodern picture books : Directly addresses the reader, thus acknowledging readers as active agents of the reading process Offers an overt invitation to interact and play or involve the reader with the book, not just the story readers become participants (good for one on one reading) Emphasis on implications for teaching and allowing educators to appreciate learning thr...

Robyn Soetikno and Dimity One of the highlights of the Asian Festival of Children's Content 2017 for me was the honour of moderating a number of sessions for other conference presenters. Through the pre-requisite to understand their topics and their associated backgrounds with Kids' Lit better, I was able to forge some truly rewarding relationships with people from Thailand, Singapore and, in the case of Robyn Soetikno , Indonesia. Robyn's session - Books for Indonesian Girls by Indonesian Girls: How Children's Books Shape Perspectives of the World focused on her new series aimed at young pubescent Indonesian girls.   The I Am Me series is a rigorously researched and thoughtful set of bilingual picture books designed to educate, inform and empower young girls with realistic expectations and useful information about their changing bodies and feelings. Bright, bold and unashamedly unambiguous, Robyn drew on her extensive health care industry background to de...

Almost a decade of moons ago, I made a serendipitous discovery that forever altered the spin of my world. Falling pregnant after so many years of waiting and yearning was nothing short of miraculous (for me) and a life event definitely worth waxing lyrical about. But did I? Sadly, not as much I as wanted to. There are those who find it hard to exist without sharing the contents of their dinner plates with the rest of  the world, then there are others who worry that a beautifully executed birthday cake photo shared on social media will somehow demean the starving populations of the world. I oscillate between the two but tend towards the latter, always fretting over how others will take good news in light of their own current situations and struggles, thus resorting to a severe downplaying of my own good fortune. The pregnancy of my first child should have been a joyous occasion - it was a joyous pregnancy after all - but I was acutely conscious at the time of another family me...

Prepared to be Charmed! Out now, just in time to plump up your Christmas stockings, the first two volumes in the charming new Crock of Charms series , a project conjured up by Sally Odgers and coordinated through Prints Charming Books . This set of three anthologies features a delightful collection of children's stories, written especially for them by a dazzling line up of children's writers - including ME. Stories and volumes suit children aged 4 -14 years.  My story appears in Volume Two . Read it independently or as part of the full set. Each of the stories are linked by a storyline that flows through linking and embracing the stand-alone pieces by contributing writers.You don't need to start at the very beginning but the stories and poems included make for some very interesting and intriguing reads. Imagine chancing upon a crock of charms and discovering the story behind each one. What does it all mean?  This series is literally PACKED with dozens of st...

Life should be about caring and sharing right? And while I concede there's a rightful time and place to smoast (trendy new term and semi-acceptable behaviour for social media boast, but not quite as trendy and acceptable as gangnam style ), I do care to share other things when time permits. And what better time than the school holidays? Sick of dragging the kids in and out of the pool? Tired of endless outings to the local shopping centre? Free-activity'ed out? Broke from repeated visits to other 'worlds'? Seen all the age-appropriate new release movies? Then why not get back to basics with your kids or someone else's if you are short on kids and big on love and time. OK this is where it gets a bit bookish...but this is a wonderful way to spend time with your under 10 year olds, while generating a little creativity at the same time. It takes place over a week - 5 days, but could be condensed to less days or increased to cover the number of days yo...

What follows is a recent post of mine some of you may have read in last week's Pass It On e-zine by Jackie Hosking . It attempted to lift the lid on the curly question of 'Do books need a rating? ' As predicted this is an absorbing topic for debate, one that I'm probably not fully qualified to adjudicate but am fascinated by. Ben Marshall raised some interesting and salient points in his response (thanks Ben) in this week's PIO issue 415 . He argued 'that censoring books is a form of lying'; that young people can in fact enact their own form of censorship merely by closing the book; and that exposure to the warts and all darker bits of life through the written word is a good way to prepare them for if. I tend to agree with him. From an author's point of view, rigorous and formal censorship would only create another loop through which writers, publishers and agents alike would all have to jump, further frustrating the actual production of a book f...