Three Pieces of Advice from Joy Cowley

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Claudia Palmer attends the launch of Joy Cowley’s latest book A Lot of Silly.

I didn’t follow Joy Cowley’s advice when I sat down to write this piece. Her number one tip is: don’t start with a title: write the story first, and you will find the title. Well, I stewed on the structure, the angle and stared at the blank page trying to drum up title ideas. After thirty minutes of dilly dallying here it is: Where to Find Joy? I found Joy at Summerset at Bishopscourt Retirement Village on a Sunday afternoon for the launch of her new book A Lot of Silly: A Book of Rhymes and Nonsense.

I’ve been to a fair few book launches but never one at a retirement village. Winding past the neatly arranged units, shrubs and flowers, I enter a large building and an open room. Grey hair tops rows and rows of comfy floral print armchairs. I take my place at the back, standing by the wall and a row of mobility walkers. A portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II hangs discreetly on a pillar in the centre of the room. Her reserved stare is juxtaposed by the bright purple and orange decorations hung about the room. Soon, a huge cake lovingly made by the staff at Summerset will be brought out matching the decorations and the book. And at the front, the reason for this event, is a pool of children wriggling around the feet of the radiant Joy Cowley.

In terms of how I’d rank a retirement village as a venue, the abundance of cushioned seats and the next-level cake surely puts it near the top. The setting reminded me of the documentary series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, a social experiment where preschoolers are paired with elderly adults in a bid to improve children’s social skills and improve mobility, social connection and ultimately happiness in older folk. It was a show that made me cry and laugh. It’s filled with so many tender moments and, of course, hilarious quips from the four year olds. The launch of A Lot of Silly was also filled with laughter and a few timely interjections from the children.

Addressing the room, Joy recalls some of her favourite short stories and rhymes from the book. Among them is ‘My Tiger’, about a tiger who has to go to the dentist, and a rhyme about a worm trying to make friends with its other end. Joy’s humour ripples through the room. It’s universal because, as she describes herself, she is ‘just a very big old child’, and aren’t we all? With hundreds of children’s books to her name, Joy seems to have no end of stories and rhymes bubbling out of her. So, how does she do it? Her second piece of advice for the young storytellers in the room was to look for stories in everyday life and interactions.

Writing and creativity is not so much about innate talent but rather fostering a way of looking at the world. Unlikely conversations for Joy Cowley are fodder for her creative mind and prolific writing. ‘I never write about boring things. I write stories about things that are juicy, that are funny, that are rich. You think about the things you enjoy, and you write about them’, says Joy. In her speech, she described an interaction she’d had with a gentleman at the retirement home. He was saying how he really did not like people who say ‘um’ and ‘ah’ when they are talking. So, Joy goes and writes a poem about two people called Um and Ah. I can’t help but think that Joy, with her wit and creativity, must bring a lot of zest to the retirement village common room.

I never write about boring things. I write stories about things that are juicy, that are funny, that are rich. You think about the things you enjoy, and you write about them.

The premise of the launch was to welcome Joy Cowley to her new home in Ōtepoti Dunedin. It’s clear Joy is elated and grateful to be there. This retirement home ‘is heaven before we die’ as she describes it. Like Joy, I too have recently moved from the Wellington region to the deep south (although unfortunately for me I’m not in retirement yet). One thing I have noticed about living here is how open and kind everyone is. I have had to adjust my reflexes to ensure I wave back to everyone on my street. People here make eye contact, smile and introduce themselves. So, while standing in the corner of the book launch trying to make myself small and keep out of the wheelchair accessway, I met a teacher who has been using Joy Cowley’s writing in her classroom for years and an aunt and her niece who is an aspiring children’s book writer. Those lovely now-not-strangers who introduced themselves — it was those interactions, while fleeting, that made my day.

What I took away from the launch of A Lot of Silly is that Joy is someone who notices the small things that delight and entertain her. She seeks out things and people that interest her and doesn’t shy away from asking silly questions. The special thing about this kind of vivacity is that it is infectious. I could feel it in the room: the impact Joy had made on so many generations of children, parents, teachers and writers. And the retirement village was the perfect setting to bring those people together. A Lot of Silly is a trove of short stories, rhymes and perfect nonsense. As publisher Rachel Lawson of Gecko Press said, ‘it’s pure fun; it’s preposterous; it’s filled with delicious words to tangle your tongue around.’ Whether you are a young or a very big old child, I highly recommend inviting a slice of Joy Cowley’s brilliant and playful mind into your life.

Joy Cowley’s third piece of advice for budding writers was to find where a story begins and where it really ends. In other words, give it a good edit, or, in writer’s speak, kill your darlings. So the premature title had to go. And as for the end, any good piece on The Sapling lets you know where you can find the book.

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