Children’s Author Diana Wieler Comes to Hazel for a personal visit

“An inside look into the mind of an author” 

by Hannah Martin- Editor

 Children’s author Diana Wieler visited Hazel McCallion in late October for a personal visit. A writer of 6 young adult novels and a number of short stories, the students here at Hazel are very familiar with Ms. Wieler as most, if not all students, study her short story, The Scream, as part of their studies in English.

The Scream is a story that focuses on a junior high girl named Eliza, who has to confront her personal fears of failure in a class she has never faced before, Drama. Faced with confronting characters with whom she has had a personal history with; the perfect, popular girl who can do no wrong and the class clown who has bullied and tormented her through her elementary years, Eliza, the protagonist, has to endure not only those distractions but the high expectations of a strict and unforgiving teacher in a class that is brand new to her.

The story is an excellent read and its composition enables the students at Hazel to recognize important, essential ingredients of good storytelling. From her story we learned about how an author introduces and develops the protagonist’s conflict, the role of secondary characters and the setting in influencing the conflict, and how emotions change and build towards a climax, the resolution of the conflict.

Ms. Wieler’s visit allowed us to get inside the mind of the creator so to speak and enabled us a first hand glimpse into the thinking that the writer goes through during the process of writing of a narrative. Ms. Wieler spent two full days at McCallion sharing her triumphs and disappointments as a writer and discussing her story and the ideas for the novels she has written with every grade 7 class.

She also had a chance to conduct three ‘writer’s workshops’ with students from Mr. Riddell’s, Ms. Seguin’s and Ms. Archibald’s classes, where she shared some worthwhile writing activities designed to stimulate critical thinking and imagination before beginning the writing of their own narrative.

          The Quest was lucky enough to pin her down during some of the ‘off time’ she had and were able to get this interview. Below is a transcript of the interview in its entirety and here’s what we found out; 

The Quest (TQ): How old were you when you started writing?

Diana Wieler (DW): I was in grade 7 when I began to write my first short stories and poems. 

TQ: Was English your forte in school?

DW: In what we called Junior High – grades 7, 8, 9 – I really enjoyed English, and had a wonderful teacher. (Gee, I wonder if these two things are related?) In high school, however, I didn’t find the English classes nearly as interesting, and spent a lot of time fooling around. As a result, I barely passed Grade 12 English. My final mark was 55 – and I deserved it. 

TQ: What type of books do you read?

DW: I like both fiction and non-fiction. About two years ago, my husband and I decided we hadn’t read enough of the ‘classics,’ and he began to read aloud to me in the evenings. Together we’ve read a number of books by Dickens (who is a master storyteller), The Count of Monte Cristo (wonderful story), Anna Karenina (yech – Russian writers can be so depressing) and others. I love many Canadian writers as well, and have recently read The Cure for Death by Lightning, Fall on Your Knees, and The Shipping News. Canadian writers rock!  

TQ: What job did you picture yourself doing when you grew up?

DW: As a little girl I wanted to be an actress, but I don’t think I knew that the actors and actresses didn’t write the story, too. It always seemed to me that the greatest thing you could be was an artist. 

TQ: Who are your favorite authors and why?

DW: John Irving is certainly one of my favorites. I love the way he winds me into a story, and how he creates characters who are so ‘real’ they seem to live and breathe. When I discovered he has a form of dyslexia, which makes reading and writing very difficult for him, I was in awe. Somehow this man’s desire to write overcomes his disabilities. What an inspiration. 

TQ: Was the Scream your first short story?

DW: Actually, it wasn’t. I’d written a few others, including The Boy Who Walked Backwards, and To the Mountains by Morning (which is a picture book.) 

TQ: What other stories have you written?

DW: In addition to what I've just listed, I've written six young adult novels:

Last Chance Summer, Bad Boy, The RanVan trilogy (RanVan the Defender, A Worthy Opponent, Magic Nation) and Drive. 

TQ: Do you generally write for kids?

DW: Up until recently, all of my writing was for children and young adults (teenagers.) I have begun to write for adults – short stories and a novel which I’m still trying to get published – and it’s fun because it’s a new challenge. 

TQ: After coming here are you surprised at how much the grade sevens have analyzed your work?

DW: Frankly, I was blown away, for two reasons. I don’t know if I’ve ever visited a school that was so well-prepared to meet an author. That was wonderful! Also, the level of learning is amazing. The students are being taught things about story structure that I didn’t learn until I was in my 30s, when I attended a screen writing course. I wish I’d known in grade 7 what these classes do! 

TQ: What do you like to do with the kids when you’re here? Do you enjoy coming to see the kids?

DW: Although I enjoy giving author presentations, I have the most fun taking the kids through a short writing workshop. This is because it’s always amazing to hear what they come up with. I love to see their excitement over what they’ve written. Sparks seem to fly in the room! I also like to ‘debunk’ the mystery of being a writer, if I can. Writing isn’t magic, it’s just channeling creativity in a particular way. And every human being is creative.

I must admit, though, that it does take a lot of energy to work with young people, and I have tremendous respect for teachers who do it every day. After a few days of presentations, I sound – and look – like Popeye, even though the whole experience has been exciting. 

TQ: Where did you get your inspiration for The Scream?

DW: That story was born when I began to think about two things: how much life changed when you went from Elementary School to Middle Years, and also, about a girl I went to school with in Grade 7. The kids really picked on her and I was too shy to stand up to them. I was also afraid that they’d turn on me. I guess The Scream is what I *wish* would have happened for that girl? 

TQ: Were you anything like Eliza when you were young?

DW: I don’t think I was picked on like Eliza, but I certainly didn’t have the courage and self-confidence that I do now.  

TQ: Where did Mrs. Draginda, Todd Zudder and Melissa Downing come from?

DW: Mrs. Draginda was inspired by my drama teacher in grade 7, 8 and 9. When I first went into the class, I thought she was *fierce*. Her blue eyes seemed to pin us to the wall. Later I discovered that she took drama very seriously, and didn’t want us to think of it as ‘play time.’ I learned a lot from her, and came to like her very much. It was a different teacher who walked with a limp, though. I simply took characteristics from two people and brought them together in one.

As for Todd and Melissa – well, I think those kids turn up in every school. There’s always the kid who’s mean and gets away with it, and the student who gets all the attention, without being creative or original.

The great thing I’ve discovered about being a writer is that nothing is ever lost on you. Every person, every experience can inspire you, and work its way into a story. Even terrible experiences can be valuable, because you can spin that straw into the ‘gold’ of a story.  

          Now that we know some of what makes Diana tick, The Quest decided to talk to some kids to get their opinion on Diana’s performance. One student said that, “her presentation was really good” and that he “hope’s that Bad Boys (her latest book) comes out soon.” Other grade 8 FI students, who did not have a chance to meet Ms. Wieler, and to ask her about the story they studied complained. They were overheard  saying things like, “I wish we were in grade 7,” and “that’s not fair!” As you can see Diana and the Scream are well loved here at HMC.