Stories in maps by Catherine Randall

I’ve always loved books with maps in the front, so that you can really picture where the action takes place.

Some books don’t tell you in the text exactly how different places in the story relate to each other, so a map is an extra way into the story. I love the map in the front of the classic Winnie-the-Pooh, so I can see exactly where Pooh and Piglet live, and where Eeyore’s Gloomy Place is (‘rather boggy and sad’, as it says on the map). Maybe it’s my lack of imagination, but I have always found that maps really help me to visualise the world I am reading about.

The endpapers in my 1970 edition of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A.Milne, published by Methuen

When I was a child, I was a bit obsessed with the Swallows and Amazons books by Arthur Ransome, about adventurous children having a wonderful time sailing and camping on an island in the middle of a lake, without any adults. The map at the front of Swallows and Amazons shows that the lake where these adventures take place bears a very strong resemblance to two lakes in the English Lake district. As well as showing me the geography of the stories, there was an extra thrill in this map as I tried to work out which bits of the fictional lake were taken from which bits of the real lakes, Coniston and Windermere.

 

The map in the front of my 1974 Puffin Books edition of
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

In the second book of the series, Swallowdale, the map in the front does not just show the setting for the story, it also shows exactly where some of the events in the book take place.

It is not very easy to read, partly because it is drawn as though by one of the characters themselves, but that adds to its charm.

The endpapers from my father’s 1943 copy of Swallowdale, published by Jonathan Cape

When I am writing a book, especially a book based on real events, I like to have a map in front of me so that I can see exactly where my characters are playing out the action of the story. Although the characters are fictional, the setting is not, and it is important to me to get things right.  When I was writing about the Great Fire of London in The White Phoenix, I spent a long time looking at maps showing how fast and how far the fire spread, so that I could work out where my characters needed to be and when, and also how quickly they would have been able to get from one place to another.

 

Part of a famous map drawn by Wencelaus Hollar in 1666,
showing the extent of the fire damage in London after the Great Fire.
You can see the shape of St Paul’s Cathedral just to the left of the centre

Maps can be just as helpful when you are writing about an imaginary place. Creating a map of your own can help you to write the story. Drawing a map – however basic – is a great way of getting to know your setting, and as you do that you might see where somebody needs to be, how the villain escaped, or where the treasure had to be hidden – important plot stuff. You may not be able to work out the whole story in a map, but it can certainly spark ideas, help you to solve plot problems, and put you with your characters right in the middle of the action.

 

Example of a map drawn to help work out the characters’ movements in a story

WRITING CHALLENGE

Imagine you are an explorer visiting a distant island, or a mysterious valley, or maybe an ancient forest - anywhere you think you might have an adventure. It could be a place that might really exist or a magical place with extraordinary creatures and strange beings. Using your imagination, draw a map of this place, including all the important features like mountains, rivers and caves and any houses, palaces or creepy castles that you find there.  Then write little labels on the map, showing where things happen in your story – where you first arrived, where you met that mysterious stranger, where you had to stay the night, where you ran away from whatever strange creature you come across in your adventures. It doesn’t have to be beautiful, although it is helpful if you can read the writing! If it grips your imagination, you might want to write it up afterwards as a written story, or maybe a comic strip.

Catherine Randall is the author of The White Phoenix an historical novel for 9-12 year olds set in London in 1666. The White Phoenix was shortlisted for the Historical Association’s Young Quills Award 2021. Catherine is currently working on her second novel, an adventure set in Victorian London.

 

 

Tips on the art of storytelling

To celebrate National Storytelling Week (January 29^th to February 5th)
Susan Brownrigg asks for tips on telling stories to an audience …

Storytelling has a long tradition (Photo Tom Hughes)

Where do you find your stories?

GAV CROSS: “I’m a Magpie when it comes to stories! What shiny gems can I find in traditional tales, myths and legends? What is already on my shelf? In the library? Tucked away in a charity shop? I love charity bookshops and the old compendiums of stories and nursery rhymes. There is always a hidden gem! Most of the stories I tell have been written by somebody else. It just so happens that that somebody else is 1000 years or even older! They don't mind that I take their ideas and give them a twist.  I like telling stories that are a little bit silly. A pinch of nasty. A little bit bitey. A little tense…”

Gav Cross with Dave the toilet brush! (Photo Gav Cross)

TOM HUGHES: “I generally use traditional folk tales in my storytelling, stories that have been passed on for many years, some are even centuries old.  If they have been around for that long then usually that means they are worth re-telling.  I have a good collection of tales gathered by storytellers which is sometimes useful for helping put together a set of stories on a theme, but I get most of my stories from local history books.  Some very curious things happen down country lanes, less so in big cities, and there are all sorts of strange tales to explain unusual features in the landscape.”

DOM CONLON:  “I find my stories in two ways: firstly in the quiet times where I let my mind wander without needing to think. I might be looking up at the Moon, or walking through the countryside and I just naturally start wondering what might be happening by a riverbank or in the deep shadows of a lunar crater. The other way is when I'm given a theme. I love this. Ladybird asks me to write books from time to time and they give me a theme. They might tell me the book should be about Christmas, or that it's funny. In those cases I think about the stories I love and what I might do differently. Or I might try to cover a selection of genres like sci-fi, mystery, fairytale, and so on. Then I think about who my characters are and how they'd react if they were faced with a particular problem.”

ROGAN MILLS:  “The stories I tell come from a variety of sources. Sometimes I’ll read a book, maybe a picture book or a short story and I’ll get a sense that it will translate well into an oral story. Very often I’ll hear another storyteller tell a tale and I’ll think, “I’m having that”. The storytelling community is a very sharing one. I always encourage children to do the same with a story that I might have shared with them. Sometimes I’ll make up a story myself. I carry a notebook around with me so I’ll jot down ideas all the time. Traditional stories are a great source too.If it's well known, I like to add in a twist to keep it interesting. As long as you can remember all the key events in the story, you can have great fun weaving in as much fun or silliness around the plot as you like.

Do you use any props/costumes when storytelling?

TOM HUGHES: “When performing at events I dress in some historical costume, anything from a medieval pilgrim to a Victorian pauper.  I enjoy having a good wardrobe of dressing up clothes. I have always been very shy, but as soon as I dress up in some clothes from the past, then I am not myself, I am in another character and that's who people are looking at and listening to, so there isn't the same pressure. Also if someone is dressed in funny looking clothes, they usually already have the audience's attention, so the first bit of work is done.  

 

Storyteller Tom Hughes (Photo Tom Hughes)

“Most of my storytelling work is history based so it all helps.  I used to take a lot of props with me, partly to  remind myself of the stories, but they can end up being a distraction to the listener, so I now use props very little.  One thing I do use as a sort of prop are my bagpipes.  I play various types of historic bagpipes, but not the Highland type which most people know.  Starting with a tune helps keep people focussed while all the audience are gathering, and there are so many great stories from across Europe relating to bagpipes too.”

DOM CONLON: “I do have some props but I try to ask the audience to manage those. For some stories I have soft toys which children use to join in with the story. For other stories I might use plushes to give children a way to focus on what I'm talking about. I have a wonderful soft moon which I often use (and it's looking a bit tattered like all well-loved toys ought to). I also have space toys - like a model Saturn V and a projection moon - for when I'm talking about my space poetry. I think using props which underline my ideas help but I don't make them a key part of a session because I'm not a natural storyteller. 

“I just tend to gush about how amazing it is that maths and engineering can make it so we can launch a rocket made up of three million parts so that it travelled at 23 metres per second by burning more fuel in a single second than it takes to travel across the Atlantic ocean. And I'm lucky because if I can't remember those facts then there are so many more I can mention in my 'story' that the audience still understand how impressive the accomplishment was.”

ROGAN MILLS: “I occasionally use props for the Early Years and KS1. For junior children, I far prefer for the focus to be solely on me, using body language, eye contact, and variations in my voice to convey different emotions or anticipation. Using different voices is very important for young children because it helps them to differentiate between the characters.

"The one story that I always use props for is ‘The Three Little Pigs’. I have a wolf hat that I put on each time I become the wolf. I also have a play tunnel that I use for a follow up activity after ‘The Three Little Pigs’ which becomes the chimney. In my version of this story, the wolf gets stuck in the chimney and, following the tale, the children take turns at putting on the wolf hat and getting stuck, all accompanied of course by a rhyming song that everyone can join in with.

Rogan Mills, storyteller (Photo: Rogan Mills)

"I’m quite a reluctant dresser upper but I do often tell bedtime stories dressed in my cap and nightgown as Wee Willie Winkie. The children come to their school or library dressed in their pj’s and snuggling their favourite cuddly."

GAV CROSS: “I don't use many props or costumes and I'm always envious of people that have magnificent hats in particular! For me it's because I have a gigantic head. (If only it were full of brains.) Having a gigantic head means I can't find all the fabulous hats that instantly make a character. I like to find or have made, little surprising props. One of my favourites is Dave. Dave is a very sad character who is a very close friend of mine and happens to be a toilet brush. Don't worry, I clean Dave, twice. Mostly. I also love an umbrella. An umbrella is a brilliant prop for a storyteller. It can be a walking stick. An oar. It can be a sword. It can be another character! And if I'm telling stories in a festival, it can even be an umbrella!”

3.  Can you give any tips on being a storyteller?

ROGAN MILLS: "The biggest challenge for any aspiring storyteller is to find their own style, the one one that works best for them. And you can only do that by practising. The good news is that you’re almost certainly already a storyteller. It’s part of being human. You’re telling a story when having a gossip (“You’ll never guess what Rogan did yesterday!!!”). You’re telling a story when you tell your mates about that grumpy man in Asda. You’re telling a story when you’re discussing what happened on Corrie last night. Or how fantastic that goal was you scored on Saturday.

"Know your story but don’t learn every word by heart. Just learn the key events and then have fun. Don’t rush, take your time. Look your audience in the eye. If you don’t feel confident, pretend that you are confident! Read your audience and if something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change what you’re doing. In some stories there are moments when everything stops. There is a silence. If in those moments of stillness you look across at a sea of faces and they are, every single one of them, fixed on you in anticipation, then you know that you have your audience right where you want them. And it feels great."

Dom Conlon, author and poet (photo Dom Conlon)

DOM CONLON: “I think storytelling is mostly about finding the approach which works well for you. If you are great at organising your storytelling and then acting it out then go big! Dress up, use props. That way you can enjoy pretending. I always prepare a script to help me understand the flow of what I'm going to say but then I'll mostly ignore it. Once I know my story then I can relax a little and let the audience guide me. If I rehearsed too much then I'd get rattled if I had a question or something unexpected and that would throw me as though I'd lost my place. My rambling style helps me to keep everything together without looking like a complete fool.”

TOM HUGHES: “My main tip for starting storytelling would be to make sure you really know your story inside out before you start.  It's a bit like telling a joke, you have to remember everything in the right order before getting to the punchline. A good tip is to look to the people furthest away and aim your voice to them, usually everyone will hear.  Other than that just think about the setting and avoid noisy settings with other distractions. There are so many fantastic storytellers out there in lots of different styles.  It's well worth getting out and listening to as many as you can in real life, not on a screen which tends to break the magic of it all.  

“I think its so important to keep a tale to be no longer than ten minutes, and make it shorter if you can.  Short and snappy is best, five minute tales are great.”

GAV CROSS: “My tippiest top tip for storytellers is that everybody loves stories! People will sit and listen and join in when you want them to. They will get a bit nervous at the right times, laugh with you, or at you and gasp and feel nervous, even if they know deep down it's all going to be okay. Probably…

“People always like to laugh. Popping jokes into your stories. (And I don't mean knock-knock ones, though I love them too.) Pulling a funny face for a character will get a laugh. A silly voice will get a laugh. Get that laugh and your audience already likes you and your story.

“Have some stories in your ‘back pocket’. Maybe you've read some local legends on the Internet just before you go camping. You can all sit by the light of the fire and can drop into conversation your tales. People want to hear a story whilst they gaze into the flames of a wood fire.

“But the biggest top tip is to try to enjoy yourself.”

Thanks to Gav, Tom, Rogan and Dom for their insightful responses.

National Storytelling Week is annual celebration of the Oral Tradition organised by The Society of Storytelling. This year's theme is Your Story, My Story. Find out more at https://www.sfs.org.uk/

Have you watched this week's Time Tunnellers YouTube video? Discover the history of storytelling and have a go at our challenge!

Gav Cross is a storytelling and theatre maker and can be found all over the country showing off to children, young people and their families. Usually by invite! He is also Chief Chaos Wrangler for Funny Looking Kids: Live. An alternative comedy club for families, at the Bluecoat in Liverpool.

Find more information about Gav and the stories he tells in schools, libraries, festivals, theatres, pubs and online here: https://linktr.ee/gavcross 

 

Tom Hughes has been a storyteller for 15 years. He works in museums sharing stories as part of his job, but also tells tales at festivals and storytelling clubs.  Since reading a book about legends and traditions of Cheshire when he was ten (the place where he grew up), Tom has been really interested in stories about landscapes and why certain places get their name or perhaps why a hill or rock is shaped in a certain way.  He is also very interested in old and lesser known tales, and likes to save them from being lost so that they can be passed on again.

Follow Tom Hughes on twitter @TomTellTale 

 

Dom is a disabled, hat-wearing, thought-thinking, cake-eating poet and author whose books have been nom nom nominated (sorry, still thinking about cake there) for the Carnegie and the Greenaway medals. He’s a bit of a work in progress but has written books such as Meet Matilda Rocket Builder, This Rock That Rock, and the Wild Wanderers series (which so far include Leap, Hare, Leap! Swim Shark, Swim! Blow, Wind, Blow! and Shine, Star, Shine!). They have been praised by Chris Riddell, Brian Bilston, Nicola Davies, and even the European Space Agency, so that’s a bit smashing. He’s also written for Ladybird, Puffin, and the BBC as well as interviewing people on stage and appearing on television to talk about the importance of libraries.

Find out more at https://domconlon.com/

 

Rogan Mills has 20 years of experience as a professional storyteller. I have a wealth of stories in my pretty little head. Purveyor of tall tales, shaggy dog stories and joyful exaggerations. Your wish is my command!

Follow Rogan Mills on twitter @MillsRogan 

Susan Brownrigg is the author of the Gracie Fairshaw mystery series and pirate adventure Kintana and the Captain's Curse. Find out more at susanbrownrigg.com

Finding stories in old places - tips from author Jeannie Waudby

For as long as I can remember, old buildings have filled me with a longing to know who lived there before. Very often, there is no way of knowing, and for me this meant trying to think up their story for myself.

I grew up on a little island in Hong Kong. It had been taken to be a leprosy treatment centre and most of the buildings were built in the 1950s. But the old ones, from hundreds of years ago, always fascinated me. As a child, I thought that the people had left long ago – whereas in fact they had to leave not long before the hospital was built.

Jetty valley

One of the oldest buildings was a little temple. It’s the tiniest building at the bottom of this picture in the middle, near the steps.

Then there were the graves. These were beautiful white tombs, shaped like the moon, always on a hillside. I wondered whose graves they were, and what their lives had been like on this island that was home to us now. The tombs made a deep impression on me so that years later, when I was studying art, they slipped into my pictures.

Moon grave

This woodcut shows a tomb with some burial pots. Most of the tombs were in the emptier part of the island where it was wild and grassy.

And in this watercolour the tomb is on the left, looking over the sea towards a neighbouring island.

Hillside tomb

Although we lived in Hong Kong, every few years we visited the UK, which to me was a huge exciting foreign land. On my first visit we travelled by ocean liner because planes were still very expensive. I remember the journey well even though I was little. It took one month, and one of the places we visited was Pompei. I recall arches, painted walls and the fact that life had stopped suddenly and tragically here because of a volcano.

When we went to the Highlands, where my mother came from, I felt at home straight away. To me, the mountains and sea felt just like the ones back home in Hong Kong. Even the rocks on the shore had the same yellow lichen and green seaweed, like hair. But I did get to see something I had never seen before: castles.

Eilean Donan

This aquatint shows Eilean Donan Castle and the Five Sisters of Kintail, with my impression of the light beaming onto the loch. A house where we often stayed had a cannon ball in the fireplace, from a battle long ago that left the castle in ruins.

Later, when I was older, my dad, who was English, would take us to visit famous historical places in England: the Tower of London, a Roman villa, the Victory warship and the wonderful Roman baths which you could still have a warm dip in if it was allowed. Inside the Victory, I smelt for the first time the sharp tang of centuries-old wood. To me it felt as if stories were humming just below the surface of the walls.

 

I started writing novels when I was a child, although I didn’t ever finish them. This is the first page of one I started when I was 11. It was set in England in the nineteenth century because we had just come back from the UK and while we were there, we stayed in a flat in a Victorian house.

For me, old places have always been doorways to stories.

Ickworth

Writing Prompt

When I am somewhere old, I can never shake off the possibility that it might turn out to be a time machine… and where would it take me? Think of an old building or place that you know. If it was a time machine, where would it take you? Who would you be? What would you be doing there? Would there be a hidden danger? 

 

One Of Us by Jeannie Waudby is a YA thriller/love story, published by Chicken House. It was shortlisted for the Bolton Children's Fiction Award and the Lancashire Book of the Year 2016 and has been adapted by Mike Kenny as a play in the Oxford Playscripts series.
One Of Us is published by Chicken House
The Oxford Playscripts play is published by Oxford University Press

 

For more information about Jeannie and her books visit her website.

 

The Chessmen Thief: Action scenes and how to write them - by Barbara Henderson

Viking stories are exciting, aren’t they? All that fighting and pillaging and exploring. And who doesn’t love a Viking ship? Sleek and iconic, we tend to think of them as pulling into some bay or harbour and wreaking havoc in nearby villages and settlements. We sometimes forget that they were also often attacked by others at sea – they definitely lived a dangerous life! One of the great things about historical fiction is that the stakes are often so high – with no rescue service, or hospitals, or mobile phones. Basically, life was a lot more dangerous in the centuries gone by.

 

A viking ship (Illustration by Annie Glennie)

When my Viking book The Chessmen Thief was sent off to the printers, I asked my editor: ‘Now that we’re done, can you tell me – which part of the book do you actually like best?’

She thought for a moment. ‘The action scenes,’ she answered simply.

‘Me too.’

It’s true: a memorable action scene works like a quick turbocharge of energy, giving your story new momentum.

I am not suggesting that I am an expert at all – there are far more talented and experienced authors for children around. But I am more than happy to share what I have learned so far. Ladies and gentlemen, for what it’s worth, here is how an action scene should work. I am drawing on chapters 13 and 14 of The Chessmen Thief to show what I mean. 😊

To give you some context, Kylan (my slave boy and protagonist) is on a Viking longship sailing from Norway to Scotland with his boss, Jarl Magnus.

Step 1: You need one or two sentences of calm atmosphere. Then introduce the threat.

When the wind picks up and carries us in the exact direction we want to go, we step away from the oars and relax. I climb the first level of the mast where I like it the best. No one judges me there or asks me questions.

Until I see it in the distance. Unmistakeable: another vessel, making straight for us.

 

 The Chessmen pieces at the British Museum that inspired my book

Step 2: Take a moment to describe your character’s reaction. It works best if the other characters do not recognise the danger. This technique is called dramatic irony – the reader understands more than most of the characters do, which makes for great tension.

My stomach tumbles and my lungs do something they have never done before: refuse to inhale and exhale. Instead, a strange kind of panting is all I am capable of, with the weight of all the oceans in the world on my heart.

‘Raiders!’ I shout, but all that emerges from my throat is a croak. The men below are singing and sharing a quick horn of ale before their muscle power is required again. ‘Raiders!’ I yell, a little louder, but still no one pays me any heed.

Step 3: Crank up the jeopardy. The reader needs to understand what is at stake.

As the ship approaches, I can see the straggly beards of men who have lived long apart from any kind of company. Their swords are rusty but sharp. There are spears, axes and halberds, and all manner of weapons.

At the front, almost leaning over the hull of their galley, are three raiders with coils of rope around their bodies, ready to throw weighted hooks across—and only now do I see what the front of their ship is made of! It’s not water glistening on the wood—it is reinforced with iron spikes, and they mean to ram us! ‘TURN THE SHIP!’ I yell down with all my might.

Step 4: Give your protagonist something to do.

Suddenly, I am pulled off my feet backwards, the huge hand of the Jarl on my shoulder. ‘Here, boy!’ He thrusts something into my hand, slicing into my palm a little as he does: a dagger, and oh Lord, it is sharp!

The beautiful Isle of Lewis where the chessmen were found

Step 5: The best action scenes have a brave protagonist.

With a terrible clang, a huge metal hook lands over the side of our ship, a rope attached. It tautens almost immediately: the raiders are pulling our ship towards theirs, weapons in hand.

Our men scatter and take refuge, but something possesses me to do exactly the opposite. Darting to avoid the missiles and arrows, I run towards the hooks and slash at the rope attaching the ships to one another.

Number 6: You can’t beat a cliffhanger.

With a final gasping effort, this rope, too, snaps. The enemy ship is only two horse-lengths away. Soon a warrior of strength and stature will be able to jump. Oh no: they are readying themselves!

But then something happens that I have not foreseen. Behind me, there is a commotion; a box is knocked over, heavy footfalls thud on the deck. And then, right past me, Jarl Magnus raises his shield as he runs, mounts the gunwale and, literally, leaps into the air over the whirling waves.

Number 7: Know when to stop.

Relentless action scenes can be exhausting to read. Follow any action scene with a chapter or so of calm – your readers need a break. Let them have it! Once everyone is safe, my protagonist Kylan is going to spend the next chapter learning to play chess!

Writing Task:

Now have a go at writing your own action scene set on a Viking ship. It doesn’t have to be an attack – how about a storm, or a whirlpool, or a shipwreck? Plenty more dangers to invent. I’d love to see what you come up with!

The Chessmen Thief is a Viking adventure inspired by the iconic Lewis Chessmen which you can see at the British Museum, The National Museum of Scotland and The Museum nan Eilean on the Isle of Lewis. The famous hoard of walrus-ivory-carved chess pieces was found in the Outer Hebrides in 1831, but the figures were likely carved in Trondheim in Norway during the second half of the 12^th Century. If they came to Scotland soon after, they are likely to have travelled by sea in a Viking/Norse ship. Some Viking ships actually survive to this day and can be viewed in a museum in Oslo.

Barbara's books are published by Cranachan. They are available from bookshops and online retailers.

 

Barbara Henderson

For more information about Barbara's books visit barbarahenderson.co.uk

Follow Barbara @scattyscribbler