Writing About Animals - Live Event with Michelle Paver

[AgentPete]

Michelle Paver will be doing a live Facebook Event this coming Tuesday (25th) at 6pm UK time. This month’s topic will be “Writing About Animals”.

One of the things that made her Wolf Brother series so memorable was the way she got inside Wolf’s mind, and made the reader feel s/he was there, too.

May be interesting for Litopians to listen to / take part in by asking questions.

Michelle Paver

 

[Sea-shore]

Just watched some of Michelle's earlier talks on her website, Michellepaver.com. Great for fans!
I see how Facebook Live works now. *thumps up*

 

[AgentPete]

Want to include a segment in the next show (tomorrow, Tuesday) in which Michelle is interviewed live, on air for about 5 mins. You would have to…

a) have read one or more of her books (obviously!)

b) have some interesting questions to ask, can certainly be about writing (her ghost stories have done well recently, and of course her Wolf Brother series is a classic)

c) have a computer with a camera and preferably a headset microphone.


Let me know asap.

 

[Howard]

As I am currently straddling the great beast that is YA writing, I will be very keen to see this. Regrettably, I've not read any of this authors work yet. (/me stares accusingly at the stack of 13 books he is currently working through)

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Has Michelle ever encountered a ghost, herself? Ever been spooked, human or animal? Or been in a place and got the absolute heeby jeebies? She describes it so well, particularly for me in Dark Matter, where in reality could she not face going? (for me it would be dense rain forest)

To frighten readers, a ghost in a story has to have an agenda, she suggests. I agree. The idea of there being an agenda...particularly motivated by rage is a terrifying idea.

'Ghosts' in 'real life' may not have any agenda, and are not necessarily frightening. Not in my own experience, except once. Startling, yes, for sure. Alarming but not terrifying, absent malice, but the once was enough and its ingredients were despair, fear, shame and rage.

Hers are frightening because the ghosts are as despairing as enraged, and not only unassuaged but unassuagable. It's too late. The idea of 'too late now' is almost more frightening than anything else. When I first read Dark Matter I thought to myself, if a devout prayer couldn't ease that soul, then what is it for? Put the Archbishop of Canterbury on a boat, stole, mitre, mittens and send him over to Gruhuken. Though a plain priest might do better.

Does Michelle now speak 'dog?' (wolf) Like dog whisperers do? I was late, learning about cats, eventually learned to yawn and blink at them. They do it back at you. Cat etiquette saying, I'm no threat.

 

[Quillwitch]

I´d love that, but I´ve never read her work, except for the 1st chapter of her 1st book in the series. It was really good, but I haven´t gotten around to downloading the entire thing.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

How weird is this...Peter, is that you live, setting it up with Michelle? I just listened to her recorded piece about Dark Matter and now I seem to be hearing you live.

Re magpie. I think so many people have pets because we NEED companion animals, because we're homesick, too far from the root. They help us keep close to the tap root.

Where I lived before, there was a gigantic leylandii in a neighbouring property. It was so big, it had sections...what I thought of as suburbs. The magpies had their own suburb and used to visit other suburbs , terrorise other species in those suburbs at nesting time. Unless the ravens came round, and then the magpies were totally on the back foot and it was their turn to be terrorised.

I used to think of the leylandii as Bird City.

 

[AgentPete]

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Quite an age range there for her to handle.

 

[AliG]

So sorry I missed this live. Complex weekend. She comes across very well. Great piece.