21 September 2024
Posted by Susan L. Edser
Touch
Children’s author Ali Sparkes and I, recent Creative Writing and Publishing MA graduate Sue Edser, were more excited than anyone to invite our Junior and Young Writers back after their summer break. We had many familiar faces, six new people, and some moving up from one group to the next. Seeing everyone and how well the established writers welcomed the new ones to the mix was a joy.
This term, the focus is the senses, and Ali kicked us off with ‘Touch.’ Our warmup activity was the ever-popular Fill-in Fun, about a character called Wendy. The writers filled in the blanks to create their own stories, one of which saw me coming to a grisly end. Oh dear…
The children and young people were asked to pair up, and one person was given a bag with different objects in it and had to describe them, while the other person guessed what it was. Some were more obvious than others, like the Rubik's cube, but others had the group flummoxed, like the fidget toy. Other items included peppers, leaves, stones, a scarf and dried pasta. This exercise highlighted the need for writers to ‘show rather than tell.’ It’s far more engaging for a reader to work out what is being described than being told what it is.
Following this initial exercise, Ali tasked the group with feeling chestnuts that were still in their protective cases. ‘Imagine you encounter this chestnut in some way,’ she said. The writers had to describe how it felt, and several people focused on the spikes, describing them as ‘tiny needles penetrating my skin.’ The exercise had a twist (like any good story!). Ali explained that their character finds something other than a nut when they open the shell. They came up with fabulous ideas, such as finding a baby black hole, cackling killer death turtles, and even dinosaurs. Additional exercises included ‘What would you say to someone who put a chestnut in your hand?’ and writing a brief dialogue for someone with a spiky personality. A surprise for the morning was one of our writers quietly completing the Rubik's cube puzzle as others read their work. Amazing. See photos for proof!
Archive
Junior & Young Writers Week 3: Return From The Magical World
Junior & Young Writers Week 2: African Mythology
Problems, Problems, Problems...
Cautionary Tales & Christmassy Opening Lines
You've Gotta Have Pace, Pace, Pace
Junior & Young Writers Week 1: Alien Encounters
Junior & Young Writers: Week 5 - Play on Words Pt. 2
Junior & Young Writers: Week 11 - end of term showcase [build a bard workshop]
Junior & Young Writers: Week 10 - Greek Theatre - chorus stories
Junior & Young Writers: Week 9 - Greek Origin Stories - Spring
Rubber Ducks & Writing Festivals
Junior & Young Writers: Week 7 - Greek Hero Stories [the 12 labours of Hercules]
Junior & Young Writers: Week 12 [Wild Words] - Stuff & Things
Junior & Young Writers: Week 11 [Wild Words] - World Building 2
Junior & Young Writers: Week 10 [Wild Words] - World Building
Junior & Young Writers: Week 9 [Wild Words] - Mystery & Choose Your Own Adventure
Junior & Young Writers: Week 8 [Wild Words] - Spooky Sequels & Potion Poems
Junior & Young Writers – Week 10 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Final Showcase
Junior & Young Writers – Week 9 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Editing & Performance Tips
Junior & Young Writers – Week 8 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Cuteness
Time goes on by Tavinder Kaur New
Junior & Young Writers – Week 7 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Natural Solutions
Junior & Young Writers – Week 6 (Writers’ Inspiration) – The Language of Fruit and Veg
Junior & Young Writers – Week 5 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Adventures In Space
Tinklebobs and Bedraggled Angles
Junior & Young Writers – Week 4 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Our Environment
Fortune Tellers & Future Letters
Junior & Young Writers – Week 3 (Writers’ Inspiration) – Home
Young Writers - Week 10 (The Art of Writing) – Final Week Showcase
Junior Writers - Week 10 (The Art of Writing) – Final Week Showcase
Young Writers – Week 9 (The Art of Writing) – Choose Your Own Adventure
Junior Writers – Week 9 (The Art of Writing) – Choose Your Own Adventure
Young Writers – Week 8 (The Art of Writing) – Sequel Stories
Junior Writers – Week 8 (The Art of Writing) – Sequel Stories
Young Writers – Week 7 (The Art of Writing) – Picture Prompts
Junior Writers – Week 7 (The Art of Writing) – Picture Prompts
Young Writers - Week 6 (The Art of Writing) - Script-writing & Dialogue
Junior Writers - Week 6 (The Art of Writing) - Script-writing & Dialogue
Junior Writers – Week 5 (The Art of Writing) – Poetry
Young Writers - Week 5 (The Art of Writing) - Poetry Potions
Edward The Martyr - A Competition!
Mood Boards and Postcards from Space
Young Writers - Week 3 (The Art of Writing) - PLOT
Junior Writers - Week 3 (The Art of Writing) - PLOT
Moomin Stories and Hollywood Pitches
Young Writers - Week 2 (The Art of Writing) - Genre & Setting
Junior Writers - Week 2 (The Art of Writing) - Genre & Setting
Prompts, Dialogues, and Cliché
Story Structure Part One: Exposition and Beyond...
Young Writers - Week 1 (The Art of Writing) - Character
Young Writers - week 4 - Nature Writing [animals & wildlife]
Junior Writers - week 4 - Nature Writing [animals & wildlife]
Young Writers - week 3 - Nature Writing [trees/plants/flowers]
Junior Writers - week 3 - Nature Writing [trees/plants/flowers]
Young Writers - week 2 - 'fractured fairy tales'
Junior Writers - week 2 - 'fractured fairy tales'
