My children’s novel ANTics touches on the subject of bullying. One of my characters is the victim of bullies. This leaves him timid and frightened.
The character is an ant. What! An ant being bullied. Is that possible, I hear you ask? Well, who knows. I did a lot of research on ants to help with the writing of ANTics and never – you’ll be surprised to read – came across an instance of bullying. But I don’t see why not. Ants are social creatures that work to benefit the collective. And there are all kinds of ants with all sorts of behavioral traits. So why not a bully.
This aside. My novel is an animal fantasy so you are asked to step into an imaginary world where animals, or in this case, bugs, behave as humans. They talk and experience emotions.
My ants symbolise human counterparts – children. And as we know many children are preyed upon by bullies.
Luckily, I wasn’t bullied as a child but many children are not so fortunate. Bullying comes in various guises, mental as well as physical.
A writer friend and former teacher, Mark Newhouse, has created a handbook all about bullying. Mark was bullied as a child and now works very hard to help stop it.
His handbook is FREE to downland. It’s packed with useful information, facts and creative ideas.
For a copy, visit http://bullystoppersclub.com