Game Of Thrones. Now That I Have Your Attention...

Talk about saving the most entertaining til last! Listening to a panel about one of my (and I'm assuming a number of people) obsessions was a lovely way to end my weekend. Now I know what you may be thinking:

"Hell yeah I love me some Game of Thrones"

or

"It's not THAT good. It's just fantasy porn with violence"

If you love it - then great! I have more good news for you. If you're not a major fan of it - please stick around and see how you feel. At least appreciate some of the points it makes. 

Just to clarify this isn't a post on why you should be a fan, it's more about the clever things it addresses. 

As a genre it does fit into the fantasy seen and is heavily influences by the  European Medieval era. However this isn't a show about bold and daring quests to save a princess from a dragon, but it's about that princess and a large number of others wishing to gain power. One of the members of the panel even described it as "Sopranos with battle axes". Instead of it revolving around the fantasy aspect however, it focuses more on the politics and religion of the world and in some cases is just an incredibly raw an brutal interpretation of our own patriarchal world. 

It looks at the rise and fall of certain characters, the different religions and how they influence a kingdom, and even the intense changes of climate (yes yes, "Winter is Coming" and how a lot of people higher up are refusing to believe there is a serious problem). What I particularly enjoy also is how the way you take power determines how well you hold onto it. One particular king didn't take and use his power in the best way, and as a result held onto it only long enough to marry. 

The children in the show aren't exactly treated as kids either, and are even younger in the books. In that time period it may not have been seen as such a crazy notion, but it can also reflect in our society how kids are growing up quicker than we intend.

I could go on about this book series and the TV series for a long time. But I will just leave suggesting to anyone that the next time they watch or pick up the book to just notice how their world reflects certain parts of our own. 

Unfortunately the dragons are not here. One day.

Overall I would have to say that the Writers Festival has been a real eye opener to the beauty of words, and I would encourage everyone to attend next years.

The Beautiful City and WWI

As I sat in a lecture theatre about to hear a talk on Gallipoli and the works of British soldiers I couldn't help but notice that I was one of the youngest people in the room. It was a little saddening because history is such an important and fascinating part of our lives that I think needs more credit.

Gallipoli itself translates to "The Beautiful City" and is in the area where some of the greatest wars written about took place. Homer's Iliad is one of the dominant examples in this case. What was being discussed however were not the historical events themselves, but how the writing of these events were so inspiring and romanticised in soldiers of the first world war. The soldiers even to copies of the Iliad with them to Gallipoli!

Achilles seemed to be a main role model for those who considered themselves to be heroic soldiers and I don't blame them. The way he is written, even in one of my favourite books "Ransom" by David Malouf, would make anyone view him in a particular light. Achilles was a huge influence even to Alexander the Great who aspired to become the next Achilles.

The way a war or any particular part of history is written can influence the reader. During the school years you only get to read history in a textbook throwing up information way. However there are books out there that give history life again, such as Christopher Hibbert's book on the French Revolution. But this is going off topic.

There were a group of soldiers in World War I known as the "nerds" and they were called the Argonauts. The Argonauts wrote about the war as if it was occurring in the school yard and about how they wished to re-enact the Trojan War. This is years and years and I mean YEARS after the war even took place! The Greeks did seem to have a romantic attitude to war which is evident in their writing of it which does make it appealing to others.

A man named Rupert Brooke who fought in the war was insanely influenced by Achilles, always writing and quoting verses on the way to Gallipoli and forming the idea in his mind he was going to be a modern Achilles. He was even written about in such a way, with reports of his golden hair and being a handsome man.

History is one of the reasons why I adore literature. It's amazing how influential it can be depending on how it is written. Talking about a war as if it's a love story inspires others to fight, talking about a war and the statistics fills people with deep sadness over the tragedy. It's just beautiful,
However I don't intend on going off and becoming a heroic soldier, I'll keep Achilles where I think is best, in my heart and on my tendons.

Dinosaurs, Birds and a very Handsome Man.

First off, I wish to apologise for only writing my further experiences of the festival a month afterwards, there has been a mixture of wonderful/crazy/exciting adventures in between.

However there is no time to talk of that now! Because as suggested in the blog title - there are dinosaurs to discuss.
"But Annabelle, why are you putting dinosaurs and birds and a handsome man (oh my!) all together? Surely that can't be!" you all cry. Well gather round as I tell you of the most fan girl experience that has increased my social awkwardness by a large amount.

There was a room at The Capitol where thanks to Dymocks, a majority of my money was exchanged for books and books and well, more books. It was known as "The Hub" where authors would answer questions about their recently published books. Now it is no secret that I am a fan of dinosaurs, so of course when I heard that editor of Australian Geographic John Pickrell was attending to discuss his recent book "Flying Dinosaurs" it was evident that I was going to attend whether or not my friends came. But seeing as they were lovely friends they came with me and helped me contain my excitement for all the knowledge I was about to absorb.

I mean for years people just believed dinosaurs were really large reptiles - but for them to be related to birds? crazy! The first feathered dinosaur was discovered in 1996 and since than 40 species alone have been found in China. That's over 100 years after the theory of the relationship started playing in people's minds in 1861. There have been over 80 pieces in bones and lung physiology that have become evident to the connection. The iconic roaring sounds from Jurassic Park are sadly fictitious with theories of them sounding more like a bird chirp, but a lot more slower and deeper.
It seems humorous to imagine a T-Rex clucking like a chicken. But it's as funny as it is possible, considering the close relation.

Now that explains the dinosaurs and birds and you must be wondering by now about the handsome man. Of course it is the wonderful John Pickrell who even after I made a complete fool of myself in front of him still signed my book. As he asked me if I was a fan of dinosaurs I responded with a very embarrassing "Yes oh my lord I love dinosaurs I went to this exhibition and it was amazing and there's even this dinosaur with claws the size of tennis racquets!"
Whilst this was coming out of my mouth my brain responded appropriately with "shut up shut up shut up"

Whether you are a dino dork or not I would love for people to read more about this, even if it is to look at the beautiful images in the book.
Jurassic Park is still wonderful though.

Story Blasting.

In the afternoon I was happily sitting in the back of The Hub at the Bendigo Writers Festival waiting to hear what a few High School students from the area have come up with. All I can really say is - wowsa.

There were stories revolving around the devil, gang violence, stalking, running away, cults, forbidden love - you name it.

One story was a classic vampire story which was something to admire and others had twists and turns and suspense, it just gave me a sense of happiness that this was all coming from a young group of kids.

Seeing the creativity in the minds of these students and the motivation and excitement gleaming from their faces filled me with the feeling that writing will never die out.
It also made me so happy to see that this is being encouraged by teachers and they are getting that little push to follow what they think is right. 

A few notes I made from the panel discussion showed that these students, even if they appeared young, had a sense of understanding on what they were speaking about. 

Some of them were just writing to a point where they were seeing how the story played out, others had the endings planned and just had to find out how to get there.

It also showed that they had an understanding of teasing their readers and not giving too much away all at once. 

The most important thing I found was that one point a majority of them agreed on was that the encouragement from schools helped them want to write.This is something that should be encouraged more at schools because it is a great way for someone to express their creativity and emotions with words and sentences, not just terrible stick figures.

My first day at the festival had just made me more excited for what is to come. So far it has inspired me to do so much. I can't wait for the rest of the weekend.

Raimond Gaita - Making Me Fall in Love with Love.

As a group of us sat together amongst the free food waiting to hear what Gaita had to say, I must admit I had no idea what to expect. I wasn't sure whether he would be discussing for the entire time his iconic novel "Romulus, My Father" or perhaps other things as well. As he began to speak right up until the end I was captivated by the ideas he spoke on. 

He read from his essay titled "Love and Learning" and spoke about the people who have influenced him and his ideas of love and humanity and enthusiasm. He discussed a teacher of his, describing him as an eccentric and passionate man who showed a true love for Bach. He also mentioned a friend of his father who used to tell stories of his village and how he told them with such love and admiration. Gaita continued by bringing up his two daughters and the Human Rights Groups they are participating in and how they give them hope. 

But overall the pieces which really stuck with me were when he was responding to a comment from another participant, who claimed that a lot of people spend too much time defining what love isn't and not enough on what love is. That is when Gaita replied with "People shouldn't define what love is or isn't, they should just love." He continues with discussing how love never forces or gives consent to force, people just love. And it's that love with it's complexity and depth that just wishes to be celebrated.

Gaita spoke on how love, justice and pity are forms of understanding one another and that the full reality of another human is visible to love. The quality of attention his teacher gave to things that he loved were able to allow Gaita to value those things and bring in a sense of trust with his teacher. He spoke on love and humanity and how humanity is never fixed or secure but it is something we must all rise to.

He talked about the newer generations not being as protected from the evils of the world, yet having this knowledge could help. It's not about whether or not the good outweighs the evil as long as there is good.

All of the points he made on love and the good in the world were thoughts of purity and something that is truly lacking in everyone's mindset. Love is a beautiful thing and I'm happy to have it in many parts of my life. Hearing how he spoke about love and admiration even aided in me falling more in love with people and things I enjoy doing. 

If you haven't read or seen the film "Romulus, My Father" I would suggest you have a look into it.

The Struggle of Beginnings and Ends.

I love the idea of writing a story. Sometimes I have so many ideas running through my mind at once and I just hope I can write them all on paper and have a story magically appear. But when the time comes and I'm sitting down either at a laptop or pen in hand ready to write, I am hit with this wall. The wall just stares me down and says, "How are you going to start? Where do you even begin?", and all of a sudden everything disappears. The first few lines of anything will make or break the text. The words introduce you into this new world full of people and places and things that I just want to explore and dive deep into.

But then another problem occurs. I get too deep into the world that I can't get out and finish. I'm caught in the web I created. It just makes me appreciate the end of a story more knowing that someone was able to do it. I also feel jealous that they can do it.

Speaking of beginnings and ends - I will be beginning my adventure at the Bendigo Writer's Festival this weekend and I am excited. The next few days I will be filling your eyes with Festival goodness and enthusiasm.

If you're interested in any information about the weekend full of writing and reading and fun (oh my) check out their website and have a look around:

http://www.bendigowritersfestival.com.au/

What Makes A Good Character?

Characters play a vital role in a book. The story practically revolves around one or more of them. But there are many types of characters out there, all with their own story to tell. Different types of characters appeal to  people for multiple reasons. Some like a character that they can relate to, whereas others prefer a character they wish they could be. There are characters who are out of this world perfect and others who appear more plain and ordinary.

But it's not just the personality and appearance of a character we learn to love but also their development over the time in the book. There's the classic story of a villain turning good or a hero descending into madness, or the tales of a character exploring deep thoughts on their ideas of the world.

Thinking about the different kinds of characters made me start thinking - what do I like in a character?

I live for development and watching the growth over the period of time. I love a character that after time I am able to picture how they would act in different scenarios because I feel like I know them inside and out. One story in particular where I like seeing how a character copes is through a time of grief. Seeing how they process their thoughts and feelings will always bring a tear to my eye.
I'm looking at you John Green.

I believe the characters that appeal to us also reflect on who we are as people. I love seeing characters grow and learn and cope because it feels real to me. I love all things real and I think that is reflected in the characters that I enjoy most. 

The only problem with the characters I like is that I end up sobbing like a mad woman 80% of the time.