Poster Boys is the debut novel of Canberra’s Scott Woodard. Photo: Supplied.
It was a “happy accident” when Canberra author Scott Woodard stumbled across the boys who would become the stars of his debut book, Poster Boys.
It was 2019 when he was writing a character sketch for a spoken word night in Ballarat when the characters of Edward and Nolan stepped front and centre from his imagination to the page.
“I’ve now been following their journey for the past seven years,” he said.
That seven-year journey evolved into Poster Boys, a YA coming-of-age story about “three unlikely heroes” who decide to stage a revolution at their traditional all-boys school.
It focuses on male friendship, tackling real-life themes in teenage boys’ lives such as toxic masculinity, peer pressure, homophobia and privilege.
Scott said the character of Nolan was actually inspired by Winnie the Pooh.
“If you read [the stories] as an adult, Pooh is a genuinely funny character, who is so full of heart but so self-centred,” he said.
“Everything makes sense to him, he has this logic … and I wondered what that would be like in a high school setting.”
Edward was developed as Nolan’s foil and James rounds out the trio.
Setting the boys in a single-sex school allowed Scott to really focus on issues that affect teenage boys, paring back the rest of society to shine a light on their thoughts and feelings.
He also was interested in the culture that can be fostered through the more rigid expectations of grammar schools.
“I was interested in … the values and ethos that seem so standard to private schools and the impact that this can have on kids,” Scott said.
“For example, valuing competitiveness … some kids thrive [in that setting], others feel like they’re coming up short. This can be a slippery slope to bullying.”
Scott hoped his book would provide an avenue for teens, schools and parents to talk about these issues.
“Teens are often chasing what others view as success … I want this book to empower [them] to look at themselves critically and ask: is this what will make me happy?” he said.
“It’s about learning to love yourself and not bowing to what other people want you to be.”
Another motivation is to provide boys with an avenue to discover – or rediscover – a passion for reading.
Scott said he was an avid reader as a child, but even he had to rediscover this love when he became an adult.
“I want to keep this passion alive, because reading is such an incredible, open space … and one of the few things that requires your entire attention span,” he said.
“At the same time, books put you in someone else’s shoes, they teach us all empathy.”
Poster Boys is published by Hachette Australia and comes out on 24 February.
