AustLit
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In this informative and engaging interview with Kim Wilkins (length 28 minutes 51 seconds), Alison Goodman discusses various aspects of writing her novel, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club. The interviewer and author are careful to avoid significant spoilers.
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Sections
Timing
Main Topics
Themes 0:00-7:21 - Young women and agency
- Background on and nature of the Regency period
- The Chosen One: convention and tension between individualism and duty in Lady Helen’s life
- Regency social restrictions and relevance for the contemporary world
Worldbuilding for Fantasy 7:21-19:08 - The role of research
- Embedding fantasy elements in historical settings
- Researching and creating supernatural creatures, a demonology and magical systems
- 'Sitting and thinking skills' (creative and analytical) involved in writing, including use of mind-mapping and flowcharts
- The Two Pearls of Wisdom series
- Advice for fantasy writers
Storytelling Craft 19:08-28:51 - Managing historical detail (and mythological lore) and how to integrate into narrative without information dumps
- Importance of point of view
- Finding opportunities to reveal details and plot information effectively
- Importance of moments of delight and emotional arc
- Writing action scenes in fantasy
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Teachers can view the interview during the planning stages of a unit, either based on Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club or on fantasy writing more generally. This viewing will assist in determining a focus for your teaching. Then, during the unit students can then view aspects of the video at relevant moments (see timings above) to clarify aspects of the novel or providing a starting point for further exploration (e.g., searching out examples of techniques raised by Goodman). This video would be useful for use in a flipped classroom also.
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