Karen Comer Shares Her Writing Journey with UHS Students
On Monday July 29th we had the pleasure of hosting Karen Comer, author of Grace Notes, during our fifth session. Karen, a writer and freelance editor, shared insights into her writing process and offered valuable tips for our own creative writing endeavors.
Karen’s young adult verse novel, Grace Notes, was remarkably, written during Melbourne’s six lockdowns, when she took advantage of the imposed isolation to focus on her writing. Her middle-grade verse novel, Sunshine on Vinegar Street, was published June 2023. This book represents a thirteen-year journey, evolving from a picture book to a middle-grade prose novel, and finally to a middle-grade verse novel. Karen’s passion is to introduce more readers to the lyrical beauty of verse novels.
Living in Melbourne with her family, Karen has established herself as a significant voice in contemporary literature. Her book, Grace Notes, was chosen for Uni High's Shadow Judging program, a prestigious recognition. Grace Notes is a debut YA verse novel that explores the intertwined lives of a talented violinist and an aspiring street artist during the pandemic in Melbourne, one of the most locked-down cities in the world in 2020.
In her novel, Grace Dalfinch is a gifted violinist who dreams of playing contemporary music in bars, a desire her mother strongly opposes. James Crux, an aspiring street artist, promised his father he would refrain from public painting until he finished school. Their paths cross when Crux witnesses Grace's spontaneous performance on an empty tram, inspiring him to paint her and her violin. When Grace discovers her portrait in a Melbourne alley by an anonymous street artist, she sets out to find its creator. Fans of Cath Crowley and Pip Harry will find much to love in this story.
During our cozy Shadow Judging event in the library, Karen engaged with us, answering our questions, sharing writing tips, and discussing how she conceived the idea for her book. Through personal anecdotes and snippets of her life, she guided us through writing habits and techniques for crafting compelling stories. Her insights brought our group closer, sparking a shared creative excitement. We had many group discussions where we grew as learners and explored what it means to be a writer, sharing both the joys and struggles of the writing process. We also participated in activities where we shared our own pieces of writing.
Shadow Judging is always a wonderful experience, but this session was exceptionally special. A big shoutout to Uni High for organizing these enriching workshops and programs, and heartfelt thanks to Karen Comer for visiting our school and inspiring us with her journey. Stay tuned to find out the results of the Shadow Judging competition and whether Karen's book, Grace Notes, comes out on top.
Zaara K, Year 9