Jane Elson
About Author
After performing as an actress and comedy improviser for many years, Jane fell into writing stories and plays. A Room Full of Chocolate is her debut children's book. When she is not writing Jane spends her time running creative writing and comedy improvisation workshops for children with special educational needs. She is also a guest practitioner at Soho Theatre's Writer's Lab.
Author link
Interview
A ROOM FULL OF CHOCOLATE
HODDER CHILDREN'S BOOKS
FEBRUARY 2014
Jane Elson's debut children's book explores what happens when ten-year-old Grace is sent to live with her grandfather in the country, after her mother is diagnosed with cancer. Once there, we see her make friends, start at a new school, confront bullies and unearth more of her mum's past life. While dealing with a number of difficult issues, Elson ensures that Grace's story is by turns funny, adventure-packed and surprising.
Q: Your previous careers including acting and comedy; what took you into writing for children?
A: It was fate really that lead me to writing novels for children. I love animals and I applied to be a fosterer with the local Cats Protection Shelter. I passed the interview process and when they heard that I was writing a play they asked me if I would foster a ginger cat called Griffid. He had been found abandoned, starving under a bush in a garden. Griffid was blind and had a condition called Cerebella Hyperplasia which meant that he wobbled when he walked. Cats Protection thought it would be excellent company for Griffid to sit with me as I wrote.
I immediately said yes. He was absolutely gorgeous - enormous like a little tiger cub and he completely changed my life. When I took him to the vets I found that children were fascinated by him and would crowd round and want to know all about Griffid. I found myself telling his story again and again and I realized that Griffid the Wobbly Cat would make a lovely book.
I enrolled at City Lit on a writing for children course. So many people who do this course start off thinking they are going to write for one age group and end up writing for a completely different one. This happened to me. Griffid the Wobbly Cat was a lovely project to work on but it was A Room Full of Chocolate for the eight to 12 age group that really took off.
So it was a natural progression really from plays to novels. I feel that writing dialogue for plays really helps when you write novels. As an actor you have to pick up the characters' speech patterns - which helped with writing plays and in turn with writing novels.
Q: Do you still act?
A: I didn't ever say I am going to leave acting, I just found that I was spending more of my time writing. I actually recently played a role in a verbatim script From the Mouths of Mothers - a play about child sexual abuse - and before that I was in a play about knife crime. At school events and festivals I will be using my acting skills to perform readings from A Room Full of Chocolate, so in a way it's all merged in to one.
However, writing is very solitary and I really enjoy the comradeship of being part of a cast when performing in plays.
Q: Why did you decide to tackle a mum with cancer in this story and a mum / daughter relationship?
A: My mum had breast cancer when I was six and I was sent to live on my grandad's farm. I didn't realize she was ill until I came down to breakfast on Easter day and everyone had given me chocolate eggs. I realized people felt sorry for me - so that bit (in the book) is true.
The mother in Chocolate is very different from my mum and Grace at 10 is older than I was. Writing Chocolate was quite therapeutic as it gave my six-year-old self a voice. There are bits of me in Grace.
Q: Did anyone inspire your granddad character?
A: The grandad in Chocolate is fictitious. I can see him so clearly but if I analyse it he probably has elements of my granddad and uncles in him, but he is his own person. The Yorkshire men I know are men of few words but have so much going on in their eyes, behind those few words. I find that rhythm really interesting.
My grandad was very strict about thank you letters, and rightly so, however for a dyslexic child in the pre-laptop era, writing them was torture!
Q: Why did you want to tackle bullying and especially the issues around text bullying in this story? Do you feel it is something many children will need to confront?
A: I feel very strongly about this. It was bad enough when I was at school but at least when you were at home you could get away from it. Now it's relentless. There is no getting away from it - what with Facebook and texting. The bullies can reach their victims at any time.
Q: How many of the issues you raise in this story were raised during your workshops with children?
A: When I was teaching workshops working with Young Offenders you are very aware of the pecking order. You have to be. You have to know who the ringleaders are. Bullying is a huge issue in prisons and is a subject I also tackled in my play Leonardo Stole my Crayon.
When working with younger children, their friendships grow and change in front of your eyes and I find that fascinating.
Q: Although there are many difficult issues raised by the story, from cancer to broken homes, it doesn't come across as an 'issues' book: what are your techniques for lightening the tone?
A: I don't have any specific technique for lightening the tone that I am aware of, apart from humour that is. I think it just comes from being dyslexic. We are often natural clowns and good at sending ourselves up as a distraction when we can't do things. All my life I have found the humour in dark situations. It's just the way I operate and I think that feeds into my writing.
Q: How early in your planning did Claude the piglet make his appearance?
A: A little pot bellied pig literally ran across my vision and bang I knew he was called Claude and his owner was Megan, the rainbow girl. I knew it from the moment they appeared in chapter 2.
Q: What inspired the farm setting? How well do you feel you need to know / imagine a setting before you can write about it?
A: The farm is based on my granddad's old farm, though the position of things in the farmyard is fictitious. I drew a map. Yes, you do need to know your location really well because if you don't your reader won't see it.
My next book is set on an estate and in my head it is as real as my granddad's farm. I described it to my friend Jos who is an architect and he was actually able to draw a plan from my description.
Q: What's your favourite chocolate? How much chocolate can you eat at any one time?
A: I love Galaxy and Thornton's chocolate. I pick a little at a time and before I know it I have eaten the whole bar! Chocolate Buttons are great as they are so small you don't feel guilty.
Q: Who was your favourite author when you were a child? Who are your favourite authors now?
A: When I was a child I loved Judith Kerr, Noel Streatfield and KM Peyton. As part of my course at City Lit we were introduced to a lot of contemporary literature for young people. I would say that now my favourite authors are David Almond and Siobhan Dowd and I recently read some Phil Earle and really enjoyed his work.
Q: What are your top tips for getting children to write creatively? Can you tell us a little about your schools-based events?
A: It's important that children play with words - enjoy their sound and rhythm - also that they experiment and not worry about getting it wrong.
It is also vital that children who may find spelling and punctuation a challenge do not let it inhibit the joy of creating a good story. Spelling and punctuation can be fixed later. I have developed a series of worksheets to get children started that will be shortly available to download from my website: www.aroomfullofwords.com
For my school visits I offer an author talk about my journey from struggling with dyslexia to getting my first novel published. I also offer a creative writing workshop inspired by Grace in A Room Full of Chocolate's special blue book. I also offer an improvisation workshop on friendship.
Q: How does your writing day go - do you have any bad writing habits?
A: I've got plenty of bad writing habits. I have this idea of myself sitting at a neat tidy desk writing all day. But in reality it never works like this!
When I am in full flow with a story I tend to go to sleep early and wake up at about 3 in the morning and write till dawn. I don't set the alarm, I just naturally wake up as the story is ticking away in my brain. I find this method works as I have no distractions at that time of the morning.
I am not someone who can write from 9-5. I prefer to write a little that is usable rather than writing endless reams. If I have a problem with a plot I think about it before I sleep then often when I wake up in the early hours it seems clearer to me.
I am at my most creative on days when I don't have to do anything else. When I know I have to go to teach a workshop or an appointment of some kind I can't let the story flow as I am constantly watching the clock. When my stories are flowing I seem to create a path of chaos, bits of paper and half drunk cups of tea everywhere.
Q: What are you writing next?
A: I am writing my second novel, Jump - an urban tale.
A Room Full of Chocolate
