Author Interview:  Goldy Socks and the Three Hares

How would you like to interview an author and ask about a specific work?  What could you learn about the writing process?  What could you learn about the author?  What could you learn about yourself?  Readers Theater All Year interviewed Carol Montgomery in spring 2010 about her free Readers Theater script "Goldy Socks and the Three Hares,"  just after she completed the script.  Here is that brief interview:

Idea?

RT All Year: Where did you get the idea for this script?

Carol:  I had ordered some script books on readers theater recently that reminded me about this technique.  Basically, you take a fairy tale and switch things up a bit, making it a whole new story.  I read several of the fairy tale switcheroos and realized I didn't like some of them.  Since I had never tried altering a fairy tale before I thought it would be a good exercise in creativity.  The first idea that came to my mind was "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."  Because I like to have fun with the writing I lightened the story a bit by making the characters Big Papa Harry Hare, Sweet Mama Sherry Hare, and  Silly Little Berry Hare.

Resources?

RT All Year:  What resources did you use to write this script?

Carol:  After it was written I looked up an original Goldilocks story online  to see if I needed to adjust anything in the pattern.

Time?

RT All Year: How long did it take you to write the script?

Carol:  The rough draft was done in a couple of days, but I needed to make some adjustments and then edit it several times.  Remember, I don't write full time.  We have a family so I still cook, clean, do laundry, and oversee  our last year of homeschooling...

Why?

RT All Year:  Why did you write the script?

Carol:  I knew I would be teaching how to write readers theater scripts again to parents, students, and teachers.  I thought using fairy tales was a good idea--especially if they can be changed creatively.  Since I had never done it, I decided to stretch myself and see where it went.  It was fun!  I'm an optimist and a parent. So, I approached the fairy tale with that perspective.  My goal was to inspire others to stretch their brains creatively and see what they can write using a fairy tale as a launching point.  I even mentioned the idea to my niece (11) who happens to be exploring writing scripts, too.  :)

Personal Story?

RT All Year:  Which story about the script or the process of writing it would you like to share?

Carol:  Ummm, that's a toughie.  I guess for this script part of the fun was reading it aloud with the different voices.  Goldy is another animal, so that added another flavor.  I loved writing Silly Little Berry Hare's words because he does such fun little sing-songs.  I may actually bring him back in another story--or bring all of them back!  Since readers theater is such an auditory experience I explored sound effects by some of the characters that I'm really looking forward to hearing.  Here's one excerpt from the script:

Zing! Whirrrr!  Blip, Blip, Blip?

"Zing! Whirrrr!  Blip, blip, blip.  Zing! Whirr!  Blip, blip, blip. Zing, zing! Whirrr, whirr!  Zoom, zoom, zip!"  What was that?  :)