October meeting at The Lighthouse Toowoomba

Piano Fingers and the Magic of Illustration

 

The October meeting of Write Links (and the Book Links AGM) were held at The Lighthouse Toowoomba, a brand-new Writers Centre located in the CBD of the Garden City. Following a few small technical glitches, the AGM kicked off with speeches from our sponsors followed by reports on what was a wonderful twelve months. The new board was elected and looks uncannily like the old board…but why change something that is not broken.

 

Following the AGM, the real reason Writelinkers were tuning both online and in person began when Caroline Magerl took centre stage. Caroline is the author of numerous books for children (and adults because let’s face it…we all love her work) and the audience – which consisted of Writelinkers but also many members of the public – were mesmerised by a story on Caroline’s journey as a creator. From getting her first contract to meeting her grandmother for the first time as an adult the audience sat spellbound by Caroline, learning what inspires her and what techniques she uses both to write and illustrate. Caroline also told the captivated audience about the process she went through with one of her latest books Piano Fingers, literally walking those present through the process she went through both writing and illustrating the story. We found out that it took her four months to complete, and Caroline was able to give insight into how the characters and setting changed and developed across that time. This Write Links member could have listened to Caroline talk for hours, but all too soon the presentation was at an end. Personally, I was struck by how much consideration Caroline puts into every spread, consideration which emphasises the fact that picture books are works of art and their creators (including all of us) are artists.

 

Following Caroline’s wonderful presentation most members broke into their critique groups, but for some members visiting Toowoomba this would have presented too many technical difficulties so instead they took the opportunity to explore The Lighthouse which is a truly magical facility, well worth a visit if you find yourself driving up the Toowoomba Range. For my own part, I thoroughly enjoyed splitting into a small group and sharing the latest books I have added to my picture book collection. It was a treat that is rare for an author that lives outside of the big smoke and one not soon forgotten.

 

Rory H. Mather

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Photo credits: Danielle Freeland, Annaleise Byrd and Jenny Stubbs.