On the 23rd of February, the Year 11 cohort had the privilege of inviting Victorian author Cate Kennedy to the college. Here, she shared insight on her works, including a piece the boys had previously analysed in their English classes, ‘Flexion’. Within the piece, Kennedy explores themes of vulnerability and trauma, ensuring some details of characters were left for interpretation.
Although never said, one word summarises Cate’s approach to writing an authentic and powerful piece, ‘ambiguity’. Keeping many things a secret, or rather never focused on, her works highlight the importance of reader interpretation. This is demonstrated within her short story ‘Flexion’, where the farmer’s wife’s name is never mentioned. Following this, the ungrateful husband was never defined an abuser, rather it was implied for him to carry such traits. This importance of reader discovery is what drove Cate Kennedy’s stories, where the crisis moments drive audience suspense rapid. Furthering this, she mentions how she never tells the story, but rather “places ideas on the table and leaves them”. This concept of the reader building the story themselves is the crux of Cate’s pieces. However, this achievement cannot be obtained without the proper effort put in.
Cate continued to share her ideas of creating text, mentioning the extent of her efforts. When posed with a question on how long it takes to write one of her short stories, Cate shares that there must be three to four drafts to properly refine ideas. She highlights how a story cannot be written but developed from a thousand thoughts. Ensuring she has the space to fit this, Cate does not concern herself with years of lore or thousands of locations, rather focuses on “the single day or even moment in the narrative”. She manages this through the common practice of ‘show, don’t tell’. In this method, the author describes the environment, its feelings, sights, and sounds. They do not rely on summarising a story, but rather telling what it was like, and how it was felt.
Overall, Cate Kennedy’s visit to the college was one that left the boys with valuable insight, professional viewpoints and an ultimate sense of ‘feeling’ the story, not summarising it.
Xavier B
Year 11 Student
