They say that there is a novel inside each and every one of us and 'they' are quite right. Any novel is a tale in some form or other of the human experience and what better place than to start with our own life. Think of the great characters that you have come across in your time, think of those who did not appear to be so great but now wonder what were they thinking inside or hiding from you as your paths crossed? What if you chose not to get off the underground at the stop you intended to get off but chose to wait just one more stop? What if you didn't get to work on time for your first job? See, it's not so difficult to come up with a story based around any of these scenarios is it?
But why a novel? Over the last twelve years I have pushed myself to achieve academic goals to better myself in my own learning in my field of education but being able to take the time to achieve a creative goal for myself was a new and incredibly rewarding experience. One December day, having finished reading yet another novel the night before, I literally woke up feeling that the time was right for the novel inside me that needed writing to be written. Three characters appeared out of the blue that day - Rudi, his sister Trojan and their plump friend Martha - and started telling me how the story of 'The Last Field in England' would be told. I hadn't worked it out before, I needed them to help me tell the tale. We worked together, the four of us, on the story and told anyone who cared to be reminded that a playing field is a precious space for children to be able to access in order for them to have their right to play. Of course there's a reasonable quota of baddies (mainly adults) in the story and a couple of twists and turns but be rest assured that the three friends use their wit to overcome the odds stacked against them.
The novel has morphed into 'A Place to Play'. I am conscious of a growing movement in the UK of the recognition of the need to protect playing fields whether they are school fields, local parks or sports fields so that our children can be active and healthy. I believe that there is a deeper root to this movement and it is expressed in UNICEF's Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 31 that states that a child has the right to relax, to play and to take part in a wide range of recreational activities. Too many children I have worked with in recent years are carers for their younger siblings, need to take part time work in order for their family to survive or are over or under weight due to neglect. Their right to be a child, to have a childhood needs to be protected even in Canada and the UK.
My novel may not be a great success, time will tell of course, but the tale has been told, the characters have found peace as their mission was accomplished and I have achieved an ambition set around 1977 or so when my brother and I wrote a picture book together on ghosts complete with pictures. The ghosts were orange.
