Sally Gardner

 

    I'm delighted to welcome my special guest Sally Gardner to Cornflower Books today. I knew when I read her first novel I, Coriander that hers was a special talent, and her subsequent books - most recently The Double Shadow (which I wrote about yesterday) - have confirmed my impressions.

 

    Sally's here today not just because she's a brilliant writer but also because she's a severely dyslexic one, and as I've long been interested in that subject through my involvement with the charity Mindroom, I wanted to know more about her experience of dyslexia and how it affects her creativity, so she has kindly written the following piece, one I find both illuminating and inspiring.

    Over now to Sally:-

    Dyslexia for me has been a gift, one that took a long time to unwrap. It was not delivered neatly packaged with a note saying the contents would miraculously disappear by a certain date. I am still dyslexic. I will always be dyslexic. But when I at last managed to peel off all the wrapping paper and the impossible sticky tape, I found, inside, was not one gift but many. The ability to draw, to write, to be a teller of tales.
    This shouldn't have come as much of a shock to me as it did. After all, I had told myself stories for as long as I could remember. When small, and when taller, and when finally five foot four, I had, through living in my head, amassed a whole world of characters and stories. It was a vivid imagination that proved to be my saviour throughout my education. This talent for telling myself stories stopped me from accepting that I would amount to nothing.
    I went to art school and studied theatre design, then worked in the theatre for fifteen years. It was there that I learned about telling a story - what makes an audience sit on the edge of its seat, what makes it nod off. I saw that you mustn't give all your tricks away at the very beginning, that you should keep your surprises well paced.
    After I had my children I became an illustrator of children's picture books. Never did I think that I would go on to write novels. The Double Shadow is my fourth to date. I was very lucky to find an editor who saw that I was more than just a bundle of badly spelled words.
    'Everyone,' she said, 'has a voice. And then there is Nina Simone.' 
    I think in a way I am blessed. In this age of computers I have found my voice which I doubt I would have managed with pen and paper alone. On my Mac I can cut, paste and write and rewrite, only to rewrite it and write it again until I am satisfied. Today I do something that as a child I was constantly told not to do - daydream. The difference is that now my daydreams are published.
    I believe we fail too many creative children in this country, whether they are dyslexic or not. If a child is interested in a button, you can teach him the world. Teach him the world and don't expect him to be interested in a button.  We are looking the wrong way down the telescope.
    I'm not saying that all dyslexics are creative but I strongly believe that a dyslexic child who isn't crushed by the age of sixteen stands a chance of discovering what and where his talents lie. It is a lucky child indeed who manages to unwrap his parcel before the last school bell rings.

Comments

[Liz]

Wow! What an incredible blogpost. Utterly inspiring. I love it. I love this especially: 'Everyone,' she said, 'has a voice. And then there is Nina Simone.' Now that is a trueism if I've ever heard one.

Thank you Sally for delivering an article that made my heart soar.

L xx

[Susan Campbell]

Bib, big agree!
Having watched and tried to help my dyslexic son in his struggles through school education, which failed him to the point of my taking him out of school for two years to teach him myself, his difficulties were dyslexic-typical. Like Sally, he became a skilled artist from a young age, which he now puts to use in his work in project designer.
It wasn't until he trained his memory enough to get through Highers without taking notes, then at uni he was properly assessed and given the most advanced computer available in the 1990s. It wasn't until then that he started to believe that he could 'do something good'. Since graduating in Oceanography and Geology, he has successfully run his own business, and his skills are much in demand.
Dyslexics can do well, but it takes 2000% more effort than for the rest of us, and a bit of help.

[Juxtabook]

"Dyslexia for me has been a gift, one that took a long time to unwrap." Lovely idea.

I am mildly dyslexic and though at times (exams!) it has been the bane of my life, given the choice I wouldn't wish it away now. I think it is part of who I am and affects not just superficial things like spelling but also how I think. I wouldn't be me without it. As you say it is just getting through the education system with your self-esteem in tact.

And god bless the IT revolution! It would be so hard to write without a pc.

[MzTallulah]

A lovely contribution, and food for thought for all of us who've always taken the pleasures of reading and writing for granted. I recently heard a segment on Woman's Hour (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01684jc) which mentioned this very idea, that dyslexia can become an advantage. I am always in awe of those who are able to turn something that could be seen as a handicap into a foundation for their strength and creativity.

[Deirdre]

As someone who used to tutor children with dyslexia, I am so moved by your piece, Sally, because you have survived a world which can crush many by the age of sixteen. You are an inspiration. Go ahead and "daydream" as much as you want!