THE GOANNA ISLAND BLOG TOUR

The Goanna Island Mystery
written by Dale Harcombe, illustrated by Dillon Naylor, published by Aussie School Books Pty Ltd 2008

Synopsis:
Across the sandbar from the mainland lies Goanna Island. Legend has it that the ghost of a pirate haunts this tiny island. But Leo, new boy to the area, doesn’t really believe in ghosts, that is, until he is challenged by Mark, the local school bully, to visit the place alone. A pale face peering at him from a window of the old house with a tin roof, piques Leo’s curiosity. The bully is forgotten as Leo musters all his cunning and courage to uncover the truth of the mystery of the island - and the even more important truth that the Marks of his world have forever lost their power over him.

Good Morning Dale!
Welcome to this third stopover on your blog tour of ‘The Goanna Island Mystery’
Thank you Mabel, I am delighted to be here.

When I read 'The Goanna Island Mystery' it occurred to me themes play an important role in holding a story together … so today I'd like to focus on the themes that filter through your stories. But let me begin with the more general question: How would you describe a theme and what role do themes play in a story.

Dale: The theme is the underlying idea behind the book.

Tell me about the themes in 'The Goanna Island Mystery'.

Dale: There are several themes in 'The Goanna Island Mystery'. One of them was fear and overcoming fear. One is bullying and the loneliness some kids feel without friends or because of changed family circumstances. Another is dealing with loss.

For you, is the choice of theme/s apparent from the moment you begin to think about the story or do theme emerge from the writing process itself.

Dale: I don't know that I'd thought about the themes when I started to write the story. Sometimes they only become apparent afterwards or as the story unfolds and I see where it takes me.

You have written a number of books. To what extent can you identify recurring themes that run through much of your writing?

Dale: As I think about what I've written, both published and unpublished to this point, I think I tend to see the recurring themes of the child or adult who doesn't fit in - or is a bit different in some way. I find I tend to use creative people like artists and musicians etc a lot in my work , perhaps for that reason. Dealing with loss comes in quite a bit and also dealing with fear is another theme as it is something we all have in various forms whether that fear is of the water, the unknown as in 'The Goanna Island Mystery', of spiders and things that creep and crawl as in 'Red Alert'! or fear of rejection and ridicule.

Mm! I noted Ebenezer who becomes a kind of mentor or substitute parent to Leo (your main character) is an artist. Describe, if you can, an ‘aha’ moment you've experienced as you reread a published book and uncovered a theme OR had a reader/reviewer reveal something you had not previously noticed was there.

Dale: In 'Pick Me', a story I wrote that was published in School Magazine, a fellow writer commented on how clever and appropriate the name of the character was because all his life the boy wanted a dog. But then he had to find exactly the right one. The boy’s name was Hunter. I didn't think about it as wrote it. Only that it felt like the right name. In ‘The Goanna Island Mystery’ Leo was the perfect name for brave boy overcoming his fear. It brings images of Leo the lion. And lions are strong and the kings of the jungle. Of course, knowing me, I probably also had images of the courage of Leo who took the pack mark and helped Sydney Swans win the 2005 Grand final as well.

Is there a question you wished I’d asked but didn’t?

Dale: Can't think of one, Mabel, Thanks for asking the questions you did. It made me think about some things I hadn't thought about before - like theme.

It's been good to have you here, Dale. I hope you will drop in again for a chat. I'll look forward to following you on the rest of your blog tour.

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I now invite you to join children's author, Dale Harcombe in her journey and discussions of her book: 'The Goanna Island Mystery' on other blog sites. Don't forget to leave a comment on each site. Bloggers like to know you've visited their site.

Here is Dale's itinerary:
Mon 25 Dee White at http://tips4youngwriters.wordpress.com/
Tue 26 Sally Murphy at http://aussiereviews.blogspot.com/
Wed 27 Mabel Kaplan at http://belka37.blogspot.com/[That’s right here!]
Thu 28 Claire Saxby at http://www.letshavewords.blogspot.com/
Fri 29 Sandy Fussell at http://www.sandyfussell.blogspot.com/

Mon 1 June Sally Odgers http://spinningpearls.blogspot.com

You can also catch up with Dale on her own sites:
http://www.daleharcombe.com/
Write and read with Dale http://livejournal.com/users/orangedale/

Thank you all for checking in!

THEME, CHARACTER AND PLOT

Next Wednesday May 27, as part of her blog tour to promote her newly
released children’s chapter book: The Goanna Island Mystery published
by Aussie School Books, I will be talking with Dale Harcombe right here about the themes that carry the story.

I invite you to join Dale in her journey and discussions of The Goanna Island Mystery on these blogspots:
Mon 25 Dee White at http://tips4youngwriters.wordpress.com
Tue 26 Sally Murphy at http://aussiereviews.blogspot.com/
Wed 27 Mabel Kaplan at http://belka37.blogspot.com [That’s right here!]
Thu 28 Claire Saxby at www.letshavewords.blogspot.com
Fri 29 Sandy Fussell at www.sandyfussell.blogspot.com

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The notion of themes in fiction writing is one I find very interesting. So I question myself, as I will Dale, what do I mean by themes and what role do themes play in a story.

It is easy to underestimate the value of themes - and think of them in the somewhat nebulous way of textbook English as the ‘big ideas’ - and leave them to find their own way in the story. But what if the theme then gets lost in the excitement and action of the plot? A great opportunity is lost! A theme is what underlies and supports the story idea. It is what gives the story the depth that keeps the reader engaged. It is in essence what the characters in the story tell us about the human condition.

What is needed is a strong marriage between character and theme. Rather than a story about courage, the story is about character who demonstrates what being courageous is. It shows the situations in which X finds him/herself behaving in a courageous manner, what motivates him/her. It allows the writer and reader to predict the character's reactions to particular events and how these drive the story.

Imagine a hard working family who become unexpectantly rich when an old aunt dies. A nephew uses his share of the money to help his neighbours; a niece uses her share to gamble for greater riches - and, we have a story driven by the themes of generosity and greed.

The themes keep the story on track and determine what is important to the story and what can be left out. The story becomes less about generosity or greed and more about a character who is generous and a character who is greedy. Thus, the characters, their actions and reactions, and plot will be moved forward by the themes. Behind the excitement of the action and the charisma of the characters, good stories carry a layer which explores what it is to be human.

If next time you sit down with a book, you think about what is at stake for the characters as they face each situation, not only will you have enriched your understanding of the story, but you will have gained insight into the author's view of the human condition

Sorcha Ni Dhomhnaill [http://www.helium.com/items/1330835-theme-in-fiction] in an article on the Role of Theme in Fiction writes: Theme is usually the particular situation the author wanted to write about that formed the beginning kernel of the story. Nearly every word you read in a story will work in some way to expand the theme, usually without mentioning it explicitly. Some level of ambiguity in the presentation of a theme is preferred because authors do not want fictional situations to read like a philosophical tract or a debate, only to illustrate its consequences on the story and characters.

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