How do you define a good story…

How to define a good story…  For me, these are the best:

a fun, humorous, and intriguing story;  inspiring and uplifting rather than depressing and despairing;  a story that you can’t put down once you’ve started – and is of a length that if you sit long enough you can do just that; a story that keeps you guessing all they way through and yet is entirely logical and believable in a not quite of this world sort of way; a story that leaves you feeling satisfied and complete – and yet wanting more; rounded believable characters who behave consistently; exciting without manipulating  the emotions; problems that need solving; and an overall theme/idea of growth and discovery.

To find all of these in a story is a rare and wonderful thing, and I find that the stories written by Andrew Norriss fulfil them all. Written for children, but at enjoyed by readers of all ages – teenagers, twenties, parents, grandparents…

If you are a t all intrigued read an extract here.

- and if you in southern England you can meet the author at Little Green Dragon Bookshop, Alton Hants  on Saturday 16th May 2009, 2 – 3pm.

Andrew Norriss won the Whitbread Award for Aquila, wrote Bernard’s Watch and The Brittas Empire for tv, and inspires children’s reading and writing with his author visits to primary schools. My personal favourite is The Touchstone because I love the idea of the librarian always on hand with the answer to your every question.

Inspiring Readers of all Ages…

Ctrl-Z – Making Mistakes Has Never Been So Much Fun!

Aquila II – 2010

A good book written for children can be read by adults. Norton Juster

http://anorrissbooks.wordpress.com &  www.andrewnorriss.co.uk

Children’s author visits in Primary schools

If you are a teacher or librarian who wants to inspire the reluctant, as well as the keen, readers in your class, you won’t find better than children’s author Andrew Norriss. He will leave the children feeling empowered and full of enthusiasm for reading and writing. Read the feedback from some of the school visits that Andrew has made so far this year and to find out details of his school visits go to http://anorrissbooks.wordpress.com Andrew Norriss is the writer of Aquila, Bernard’s Watch, The Brittas Empire and the Woof! series for TV. There are links for those on the website too.

Victim/Rescuer as hero?

(If you are looking for info about Andrew Norriss click here)

I find the use of Archetypes in stories most interesting A few popular examples :

Gandalf – the Wizard-as-advisor

Romeo and Juliet – the ill-fated (“star-crossed”) lovers 

Indiana Jones – The Swashbuckler

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer - the Crusader,

Harry Potter – the reluctant hero

Jane Eyre = the Waif

In Cinderella we have a fine example of The Drama Triangle of victim (Cinderella), persecutor (step sisters)  and rescuer (Prince Charming)

- -and I wonder what our approval or disapproval of archetypal characters in fiction reveals about our own beliefs and outlook on life; and also how our tastes change as we grow up. …When young my favourite fairy tale was Rapunzle – the girl locked in a high tower who was rescued by a prince. I’ve outgrown it now – well I’ve was rescued and have now lived happily ever after for many years!- and I’ve also learnt a lot since then. Now, the Victim as hero stories are no longer my personal favourites and after reading this article on Truth or Tradition I understood more clearly why not. Here’s an abbreviated extract:  

‘Dramatic tension is created by establishing the villain’s character, and causing the reader or viewer to identify with the victim or victims. To resolve this mounting tension, a Rescuer must be introduced…..   Victims can be angry or pathetic. The Pathetic Victim seeks pity and sympathy, whereas the Angry Victim postures himself as powerful by using phrases such as “You are not going to do it to me again” or “You’re bad.” Both Victim versions are looking for someone to blame for the emotions they are having and why things are not as they wish…….The Rescuer position, or Good Guy, tries to alleviate feelings of guilt and “being bad” by doing “good.” The payoff for the Rescuer is the good feeling that comes from the belief that he is the unselfish one in the situation. …..one can base a sense of self on being “unselfish” or “good,” instead of valuing authentic selfhood and one’s own goals…. The price of being a Rescuer is ignoring one’s own feelings and thoughts in favour of maintaining an image of “goodness” for self and others.’

Stories where victims are rescued from villains by heroes are very popular especially when so well written as they are by Michael Morpurgo, but as I say they are not to my taste. I prefer books like those by Andrew Norriss in which the characters are the heroes of their own lives. They promote the value of authentic selfhood. ‘Bad‘ things may appear to happen to them but they are not victims. They don’t need to be rescued but instead they seek help. They puzzle out how to improve their lives or circumstances; they make mistakes, learn from their experiences and then get up and try again. They end up happier, more self reliant and less dependent. They are more able to cope with set backs. They make positive contributions to the lives of others without becoming the rescuer themselves and without being goody goodies, in fact they get up to quite a lot of mischief, though never malicious. These are the books that lead children to think about their weaknesses and discover and build on their inner strengths. And at the same time they are wonderfully imaginative adventure stories, written with humour and a light touch and as one review said they wear their morals lightly. As a result children love them and they are all shortlisted for Children’s Book Awards in schools and libraries around the country. To find out more about Andrew Norriss’s books and book awards go to http://anorrissbooks.wordpress.com/  He’s a genius and I love him!