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Magazine |
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By Esther
Williams Such were the
workshops of TV personality and children's writer Denis Bond, conducted
at the British Council - Colombo, Kandy and Matara last month. Back
in England, this versatile and stimulating presenter is constantly
in demand for his action packed author visits and writers' workshops
in schools and libraries. "If I
can get at least one of my students to say - I'm going to go back
and write a story - then I have achieved my objective," Denis
says. His creative writing sessions are to do with planning stories,
the vital elements/steps that are required and how to make the stories
exciting and lively. An author of
67 children's books, Denis originally trained for the theatre and
worked for some time on stage and television before going into teaching.
He gave up teaching when he was commissioned to write twenty-six
episodes for a children's TV series, Pipkins. Rainbow, The Munch
Bunch and Let's Pretend were also a huge success and ran for several
years. He has also
done some acting. His many TV appearances include The Bill, London's
Burning and Keeping Up Appearances. Denis has also written for the
radio, 'The Listening Corner' aired on Radio 4, one of UK's most
elite radio stations. His lively
and funny books cater to different age groups - primary, junior
and young adults. For the primary age range he deals with real fears
of that age group - 'The Train Who Was Frightened Of The Dark,'
'The Witch Who Loved To Make Children Cry,' etc. "Many children
are afraid of the dark - it's OK to be so!" Denis says. Children's
stories are far more difficult to write, explains Denis, as he thinks
children are far more critical and tell you honestly what they think.
In addition, many storybooks are limited to eight pages and the
whole story has to fit into that space, which he thinks, is not
very simple. Denis's stories also have a deeper meaning. "'The
Monster Who Couldn't Scare Anyone' and 'The Shark Who Bit Things
He Shouldn't' are all about not being prejudiced by the way people
look." That attitude, the author thinks is the cause of racism. The author's
novels for 10+ include No. 1 and Avenue. A major British Film company
has optioned No. 1. During his sessions at the British Council,
he spoke of that book and how he went about researching and developing
it, enabling the children to learn from his experience. To be able
to write for each of the age groups could not have been easy. He
regularly spends time visiting schools and talking to different
groups of children. "I talk - not at or to children but with
children - to understand how they feel, how their minds tick."
Denis's picture books for younger readers are illustrated by Valeria
Petrone and are extremely popular. It took Denis
13 years to get his first book published. He kept at it, never giving
up. The series of 16 books was called Dagon and the first book was
entitled Dagon Comes Down to Earth. His advice to aspiring writers
is - "Just keep sending your stories to publishers. If they
reject it, it may not be right for that time. With a different publisher,
it will click someday!" Unlike a couple
of decades ago, children today are faced with all kinds of distractions
- TV, videos and Internet. Nevertheless children have to be persuaded
to explore the wonderful world of storybooks. Denis acknowledges
J.K. Rowling's great contribution toward this. "Once a child
gets really involved in a book, he/she will realise that it is better
than TV." With regard
to teaching of creative writing in schools, Denis feels that teachers
in schools are overworked. "Having to follow the set curriculum
is very restrictive, giving no freedom to teach," he says. The author
is soon to release a couple of books - 'It's a boy-girl thing -
for teens only' and 'Jade' written in half prose and half poetry. Watching his sessions, one can't help but appreciate his special gift for story-telling. He had so much to give in those lively and entertaining sessions. Most of all, he seemed to inspire a young person's creative imagination - to give writing a go. Girl
on top 1. If your
assistant was going through a personal crisis that was affecting
her work, would you: 2. Your
wardrobe for work would consist of: 3. As a
good boss, you believe in: 4. Would
you stay behind on Friday evenings to socialise with the staff: 5. Your
productivity figures are up largely because of the extra hard work
of your staff. Would you: d. Mention
the fact at the next board meeting? 7. One of
your employees consistently wears outrageous clothes to work. Would
you: 8. There
are only three office parking spaces to share between six executives,
including you; and you're the boss. Would you: 9. Would
you prefer to be addressed as: 10.You are
negotiating a pay rise with your employees. Would you be: 11.You catch
your assistant working on her CV. Would you: 12.The chairman
of the board wants to speak to you and you suspect something is
wrong. Would you: 13.You have
pulled off a major coup that will mean extra business. Would you: 14.Should
a boss arrive at work: 15.The staff
seem to be going through an unreasonable amount of paper and pens.
Would you: 16.Would
your ideal personal assistant be: 17.Your
deputy suggests a new promotional campaign. Would you: 18.Your
best friend arrives at your office distraught over a personal crisis.
Would you: 19.As the
boss, how many weeks annual holiday would you take: 20.You have
an important work dinner to go to and no date. Would you: 21.It is
a major annual holiday. Would you send your staff: 22.You have
been invited to a country retreat with the world's most pompous
and boring client. Would you: 23.Your
car has broken down in the office car park. Would you: 24.The staff
are lobbying you to provide childcare. Would you: 25.Would
you make sure the office working environment is: |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
confident
and tactful? Can you inspire the troops but take a harsh line when
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realising it. Find out whether you are a natural born leader by
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