07 December 2024
Posted by Susan L. Edser
It's Christmas!
Ali Sparkes is a children’s author who leads writing sessions for Junior and Young Writers every Saturday morning at MAST Mayflower Studios. To learn more about her, visit her website: https://www.alisparkes.com.
Susan L. Edser, MA graduate in Creative Writing and Publishing and winner of Bournemouth University’s prestigious Vice Chancellor Award 2024, is Ali’s assistant and writes the weekly blog.
Christmas has arrived! Ali and Sue prepared the room for our lucky writers. Crackers adorned the table, tinsel hung from anything protruding, and lights twinkled in a twinkly, sparkly way. All the children wore Christmas hats and channelled their inner elves.
Christmas consequences kicked us off, which everyone loved. Eating Brussels sprouts made a perfect consequence. The writers then opened their crackers and wrote a story based on the contents. The first line had to be:
‘I opened the Christmas cracker and out fell a…[insert what was inside their cracker]. I knew it was a message.’
The Junior Writers came up with brilliant Christmas ideas. The first pairing performed their story, acting out snowball fighting. Another person had a bomb, which became a commentary on the American elections. Someone else told an imaginative tale about an elf on a Christmas present production line. The Young Writers told stories of rings falling from a cracker that helped their character grow wings, tweezers being a code for an undercover agent, and lots of commentary on the quality of Asda crackers (other crackers are available).
Ali slipped in a Creepy Christmas exercise for the older group. The brief was to write a short story about Sue and Ali clearing the Barova room and leaving some tinsel in it. What happened next? They told scary stories, even including one about Mariah Carey!
As a Christmas treat, some parents joined us and were invited to help their children write a ‘word and question’ poem. The poem had to include one of the chosen words and answer the question, ‘Tinsel, cheese, or holly,’ and ‘What happened to your nose?’ The groups devised the poems and shared them with lots of laughter.
Finally, our writers showed their families the best of the term’s writing, displayed on the wall. It was lovely to see their work and the pride on their faces.
By the end of the session, everyone had pulled a cracker, shared Christmas stories, and consumed numerous sweets. We hope this got everyone in the festive spirit and ready for the forthcoming holidays. One writer said, ‘This might actually be the best day of Christmas!’
Result. Happy Christmas, everyone.
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'
