Where Do You Find Inspiration For Your Writing?

I have had this question posed to me a few times lately. Most recently by an author friend who sent me a questionnaire to help her write her next non-fiction book. My response to this question was probably a little too brief as I answered it in one sentence. I thought about it a little more deeply and decided it was worthy of further explanation.

My initial response was simply - Inspiration comes from everywhere, nature and the environment, my grandkids, holiday destinations, conversations and interacting with children generally. Let’s unpack these a little more in depth.

But first, I think the real question must include - why? Why do you feel the need to write is an intrinsic part of the inspiration. Once you know your why, inspiration will find you. My why, is obviously for me, children. My passion to help children want to learn and read started way back when I was still a student. The joy of children’s books has never left me and wanting to share that enthusiasm with kids is overwhelming. As a teacher I always preferred to focus on literacy in all its forms even though I recognised the importance of all subjects and providing a rounded education. My belief is that to fully comprehend anything, the basic tools of learning stem from a love of reading. If I can foster that love of reading in children through my books then I hope to have done my part in building the next generation of creative thinkers and innovators. Just thinking about helping one child want to learn to read is my inspiration for writing.

Now let’s consider those other parts of my inspiration for writing.

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, is one of my favourite bush walking areas.

I could sit here for ages taking in the sights, smells, and sounds.

Nature and the Environment.

While I grew up in the southern suburbs of Sydney, somehow, living in the country seemed inevitable. I love being out in nature and able to take long walks through the bush on a daily basis. Feeling a part of nature is grounding. The clean air is refreshing and the sounds of the bush is exhilarating yet calming. A daily walk helps me clear my mind and think about plot holes, structure, character, mischief and new ideas. Observing the birds and wildlife creates ideas for many of my stories. When I want to describe an outdoor scene, I like to use all my senses, nature and the environment is an integral part of the writing process. Walking suburban streets isn’t quite the same, there are too many other noises to filter out. Although, they can be great for character studies. I like to write adventures and take my characters to unusual settings that the average reader does not usually get to experience.

It’s my love of nature that has inspired me to write book 4 in my Adamson Adventures. When hubby and I were newly weds, we embarked on a six month work position in Hobart, Tasmania. I fell in love with the beauty of its natural environment and always hoped to return someday when we had the time to explore many of the bushwalks it had to offer. Fast forward some thirty plus years later and we finally revisited the beauty of Tasmania last year. I planned many amazing walks and loved every one of them. The next book could finally be written.

My two picture books, ‘Emma the Eager emu,’ and ‘Frazzled Freya’ both came from watching wildlife. Initially observing the native birds and lizards that frequent my garden, then considering other creatures that I have seen during various trips around Australia.

Holiday Destinations.

By now, if you have read any of my previous books, you will know, that the setting is an integral part of the journey. Unique or different places often inspire my thoughts for story as I like to grab my readers attention by giving them an opportunity to travel in the comfort of their own personal favourite reading place. A good story can take the reader to wherever their imagination wants to go without leaving the comfort and security of their own home.

The inspiration for ‘Secrets Hidden Below,’ came from a family holiday in Bali. I couldn’t find a book that would take kids on an adventure around this beautiful and exotic location, so I decided to write it myself.

The inspiration for ‘A Lighthouse In Time,’ came from our annual camping holidays at the beach. We found an old ruined lighthouse and I always knew there had to be a ghost story written around it. I love lighthouses, their mystery and history is fascinating, and I knew kids would feel the same.

Tanah Lot Temple Bali, is one of the places I take my readers to on their adventure in ‘Secrets Hidden Below.’

The old ruined lighthouse at Cape St George was the inspiration for ‘A Lighthouse In Time.’

Grandkids and Children in General.

The inspiration for ‘Fossil Frenzy,’ is a combination of nature, holidays and children. From my eldest son who has had a passion for rocks and fossils since he was five years old, to my grandson’s fascination with dinosaurs, the inspiration for this story was inevitable. Once I incorporated a trip to outback Queensland to see the dinosaur museum with all the incredible fossils in their natural environment, my inspiration was so enthusiastic, I couldn’t wait to start writing.

The Age of Dinosaurs Museum at Winton, in Queensland was a must see and experience before I could write ‘Fossil Frenzy.’

I found a replica of the Demon Duck of Doom, at the Discovery Centre in the Daintree National Park, in Far North Queensland.

I have a couple of other manuscripts I am in the process of finishing that have been inspired by my grandson and the conversations we have had. I won’t say too much about these for now, except that I hope to share more sometime soon.

The inspiration for my first early reader books, ‘Gingerbread Aliens’ and ‘Alien Shenanigans’ both came from my children. One day we were baking in the kitchen and we had a bit of a mishap, after cleaning up the mess and laughing together, I knew there was a story in the experience. A little bit of creative thinking and Gingerbread Aliens was born. “Alien Shenanigans,’ was inspired by a the experience the kids had at school with one of their favourite teachers. He was inspirational with his science experiments. Expand on the classic volcano experiment and away went my imagination again.

The volcano experiment in ‘Alien Shenanigans,’ was not only wonderful inspiration but a joy to do with kids during school visits.

While all the birds around my property were the initial inspiration behind ‘Emma the Eager Emu,’ there’s nothing like seeing an emu in the wild. This one was in Monkey Mia, Western Australia.

Living through the the bush fires of the 2019/2020 Summer season, inspired me to write a short story for one of the anthologies.

Inspiration to write can come from so many wonderful places. Writing prompts can be helpful too. The last few years I have written short stories for anthologies that are inspired by a prompt or initial idea/theme. I tend to start with that, then consider all of the above mentioned ways to find inspiration, it’s amazing where it will lead you.

Now that you have learned a little more about where I find my inspiration for writing, it’s your turn to tell me. Where do you find your inspiration for your writing? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to learn more.

5 Great Reasons to Read Aloud With Your Tweens.

We all know the benefits of reading aloud to our babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers, but what about our tweens? Once our kids begin to read independently we often forget to continue reading with them.

As World Read Aloud Day was this week, I thought I would delve a little deeper into the joys of reading aloud, especially with our older children.

But first, what exactly do we mean by tween?

The definition of a tween.

Tweens are the age group that is our 8 - 12 year old readers. They have not only become independent readers, but are wanting to become more independent of their parents. They are in middle-school where hormones start to kick in just before puberty, which also means they want to explore the world and socialising away from family constraints before facing the challenges that come with adolescence. .They are in that awkward stage where they no longer perceive themselves as children, but are not yet teenagers either.

If our tweens are trying to establish their independence from their parents, then why should we still read aloud to them? Do they even want us to?
In summary, here’s 6 great reasons we should still be reading aloud with them. However I am only going to discuss 5 of these reasons, as hopefully you have already ‘created a life-long love of reading’ while they were younger.

Reading Aloud to Kids.

Builds Empathy

Tweens are ready to read more substantial books with more character development, plot twists and adventure. It is through reading theses stories that our tweens are able to explore the world around them, their feelings and emotions. By developing empathy for a character they are able to ‘try-on’ ideas and concepts and it all happens within the safe confines of home or the classroom. Sharing these stories aloud encourages discussion and promotion of developing an understanding for empathy.

Reading builds empathy.

Reading strengthens empathy muscles.

Improves Language and Listening Skills.

When reading aloud with your tween, you can introduce books with vocabulary that is a level higher than your tween can read on their own. It’s an opportunity to improve understanding of new words and concepts and increases comprehension skills. Gradually they will feel more confident to read more complex stories independently.

Even a tween can still have problems sitting still to read, especially when their are so many distractions coming at them from every direction. Reading aloud with them over a meal or snack can be a great way to encourage listening and before you know it, they are so engrossed in the story they have sat still and quietly longer than expected. This also helps improve concentration for other studies and work habits.

Reading aloud build vocabulary.

Facilitates Important and/or Difficult Conversations.

As a teacher or parent we often come across subjects that we wish to discuss that may feel difficult or awkward. Our tween, is also reaching that point where they too, are asking those difficult questions. Reading a book together can help bridge the gap and ease into a difficult conversation without feeling uncomfortable as you discuss the characters and situations in the story. Some of these topics may be around, death, divorce, alcohol, drugs, sex, social media/internet use etc. Both non-fiction and fiction books can be great tools for broaching these subjects. If you are looking for a specific topic a librarian will be able to help you. On Facebook, I belong to a group called Your Kids Next Read where parents often ask for suggestions.

In this link How to use books to spark important conversations you will find helpful questions to use when reading aloud with your tween.

Thank you to Young Book Love for providing this useful blog post.

Activates and Empowers Imagination.

Stories can take us to other places around the world, in the past, present and future. They can also take us to new or other worlds of science fiction, dystopian and inter-planetary. In reading these books, we explore, develop and stretch our imagination. It encourages us to flex our brain muscles to foster our own creativity. Through imagination and creativity grows innovation. As our tweens expand their imagination they become more curious and think outside of the box. From the imagination of a tween comes the discoveries and inventions of our future.

Is Fun.

It goes without saying that reading together aloud is fun for all the family. It is a time to come together and share, bond, comfort and enjoy each others company. Through reading aloud we can laugh and experience the world around us together. Use silly voices, vary the tone to increase suspense and include plenty of expression to make the experience fun and entertaining. We can introduce new genres that your tween may not have otherwise tried and we become wonderful role-models to continue to demonstrate and foster the love of reading that we began when our tweens were little.

My own middle-grade series The Adamson Adventures are a great place to start reading aloud to your young tween. They are packed full with fun, adventure, entertainment, historical information and opportunities for learning and developing a love of reading through exciting imagination. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a tween that was excited to meet the author of this series. He said he had bought Fossil Frenzy and loved it so much that he then went back and read the other two. They gave him the confidence boost he needed to begin reading longer books that he previously found too daunting and challenging. His parent started by reading the books aloud with him until his confidence grew. If he could do it, so can you.

Have I covered all the aspects of reading aloud with your tween?

Can you think of anything I may have missed?

Please leave a comment below.

The thrilling middle-grade series The Adamson Adventures by Sandra Bennett.

In Celebration of Dinosaurs

June 1st was International Dinosaur Day! Woohoo!

So in honour of dinosaurs and lovers of dinosaurs, let’s talk about those roarsome curious creatures.

Kids of all ages love dinosaurs. We all have our favourites from our childhood. Which one was yours? Here are a few to jog your memory. Have I missed anyone?

1. Dorothy the Dinosaur from the Wiggles

2. Barney from Barney and Friends

3. Little-foot from The Land Before Time

4. Rex frim We’re Back a Dinosaur Story

5. Rex from Toy Story

6. Earl Sinclair from Dinosaurs series

From an early age kids are naturally drawn to dinosaurs . By the time they are learning to talk they can name all the different types. By three years old they can even pronounce some of the trickiest ones that as an adult we stumble over. My three year old grandson can name most dinosaurs. Although I admit I have taught him to say ‘longneckasaurus,’ instead of Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus or Apatosaurus. I figured there are so many different sauropods, it was easier to lump them all together in one group at this stage. He can learn each of the different names as he grows.

Brontosaurus

Brachiosaurus

Apatosaurus

Both my grandsons even have dinosaur pyjamas, and that gorgeous three year old mentioned above, even has a ‘dinosaur bed.’ His sheets and doona are covered in dinosaurs.

Many children continue to be intrigued by dinosaurs well into their childhood. Just this last month I did a book reading at the Clarke Earth Sciences Museum located in the University Western Australia, for kids from the Children’s University WA aged 7-10 years. One keen young reader said his favourite dinosaur was a Mosasaurus, an aquatic dinosaur. He was so excited when the curator of the museum, palaeontologist Dr Kailah Thorn subsequently produced a fossil fragment of a Mosasaurus for him to see and touch.

Reading and chatting about dinosaurs with Dr Kailah Thorn at the Clarke Earth Sciences Museum UWA

Having fun reading to the kids from the Children’s University at the Clarke Earth Sciences Museum UWA.

By now you probably know that I still have a fascination with dinosaurs, which is why I wrote Fossil Frenzy the Adamson Adventures 3. I not only wanted to write another fun adventure, I wanted to take kids on a journey back in time and help them learn about the dino-mite creatures that have been discovered here in Australia.

Fossils can tell us a lot about dinosaurs, but they don’t tell us everything. That is a writer’s dream, as it leaves many options open for interpretation and the development of our imagination.

One of my favourite dinosaurs is the Demon Duck of Doom, also known as the Thunderbird or Bullockornis Planei. It is a flightless bird like the emu or cassowary and belongs to the Dromornithids family, sharing its ancestry with ducks and geese. To find out more about this dino-rrific dinosaur see my previous post

https://sandrabennettauthor.com/blog/2020/9/30/a-couple-of-curious-creatures

Knowing the fabulous vibrant colours on the head and neck of a cassowary, I decided I wanted to make my Demon Duck of Doom in Fossil Frenzy covered in bright feathers too.

The Cassowary is a flightless bird found in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. Imagine a Demon Duck of Doom with these coloured feathers all over his body.

Fossils usually can’t tell us the colouring of the feathers on a dinosaur, even if a few feather fossils are found, they usually lack any pigmentation. Here is how I imagined and describe the Demon Duck of Doom when Zac, Clare and Luke first encounter it. -

“There were mottled hues of green that camouflaged into the rainforest all over the back., yet the head and front feathers were red and orange. The underbelly and legs were a deep purple combined with shades of blue. The beak and feet were yellow. It was quite a rainbow of colours.“ - Extract from Fossil Frenzy the Adamson Adventures 3.

I have also added a short video clip of me reading an extract from Fossil Frenzy when Zac, Clare and Luke encounter the Demon Duck of Doom for the second time. Have a listen and tell me whether you think I made my Demon Duck of Doom a friend or foe?

Thanks for coming along on this journey back in time.

Now it’s your turn.

Don’t forget to let me know your favourite dinosaur in the comments below. It’s always fun to see.

A Couple of Curious Creatures Part 2

We stared at the Megaraptor standing on the other side of our fire. It smelled the smoke-filled air then took several slow steps towards the fire.

‘So much for the fire keeping us safe,’ Clare whispered. ‘He looks curious.’ It started sniffing at the ground where we had been sitting and eating. Clare had dropped a ham and cheese sandwich, the Megaraptor was quick to snaffle it up. It sniffed at the remains of my apple. To my surprise , it gobbled it up too. Then it moved onto the chocolate Luke had dropped. - an extract from Fossil Frenzy the Adamson Adventures 3.

Did the Megaraptor eat Luke’s chocolate? What happened next? You’ll have to read Fossil Frenzy if you want to find out.

Every good story needs a good antagonist, or villain. In Fossil Frenzy it is the Megaraptors that roamed Australia during the late Cretaceous period. The most famous one is a raptor named ‘Banjo.’ He is an Australovenator Wintonensis. I first encountered this fellow during a visit to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum in Winton, Queensland. A replica of him stands out the front of the museum. I became fascinated with this dinosaur, he was a raptor bigger than the usual ones you see in the movies. I knew kids would find him interesting too. When I did my research for the story, only the remains of one of these fossils had been found,. However, I have it on good authority, (a dinosaur expert aged 10 at a recent school visit) that they have now found the remains of a second one.

Banjo- Australoventator Wintonensis found outside the Age of Dinosaurs Museum, Winton.

Banjo stood about two metres tall, had sharp claws and was a very fast carnivore. He was found in a dried up river bed or billabong alongside a massive sauropod. This specimen the palaeontologists named Matilda. Diamantinasaurus Matildae was a large herbivorous dinosaur that was also around during the late Cretaceous period. So far only two of these sauropods have been found in the Winton area. However the museum is also a working science laboratory with many fossils still to be cleaned and pieced together, much like a giant jig-saw puzzle. They may find more of both of these dinosaurs yet.

Matilda - Diamantinasarus Matildae, found in the Winton, Queensland region.

When I have told the kids at school visits the reason for the naming of these two dinosaurs, they are amazed. A herbivore named Matilda and a carnivore named Banjo found beside an old billabong as if they came from the famous poem, Waltzing Matilda, by well known Australian poet, Banjo Patterson, who by the way, happened to have lived in the Winton area for some time. Pretty awesome don’t you think?

During school visits we have also looked at the full size footprint of an Australovenator Wintonenis and compared it with the size of a human footprint. The kids take amazing guesses at how many human feet can fit inside the fossil. How many do you think?

Footprint of an Australovenator Wintonensis drawn to scale.

How many of your feet would fit inside Banjo’s footprint?

Inside the pages of Fossil Frenzy you will also find an armoured plated Ankylosaur and a Qantassaurus named after our national airline that had its beginnings in the Winton/Longreach area. but I am not going into any details of these two curious creatures here, you will need to research those yourself. Not too many spoilers here.

Qantassaurus information at the Daintree Discovery Centre

A replica of Qantassaurus from the Daintree Discovery Centre.

Fossil Frenzy is a thrilling and fun time-traveling adventure from the drought-stricken outback of present day, to the rainforests of millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed Gwandana. It is a fiction story filled with plenty of facts for the avid reader to digest. It bridges the gap between those readers who only read non-fiction and leads them into reading fiction with adventure and knowledge. It also encourages fiction readers to learn a little along the way. It is suitable for readers aged 7 -12 years and anyone who loves a dino adventure.

Me standing with a copy of Fossil Frenzy in front of a dinosaur fossil at the National Dinosaur Museum.

Are you fascinated by dinosaurs?

Which dinosaur is your favourite?

Please leave a comment below.