Our blogs

Regular news and insight from our many poets, writers, educators and facilitators

17 May 2025

Posted by Susan L. Edser

Codebreakers

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 and click on her profile: https://artfulscribe.co.uk/facilitators/ali-sparkes

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. To learn more about her, click on her profile: https://artfulscribe.co.uk/facilitators/susan-l-edser


This weekend marks the latest release of the Mission Impossible film, ‘The Final Reckoning’. Ali wanted the writers to experience their own secret mission and so put the writers to the ultimate test: breaking codes and writing stories in the spirit of Mission Impossible.

With the blockbuster movie soundtrack as their backdrop, the children and young people searched the café and office hallway for their first clues. They retrieved multiple slips of paper with a sequence of numbers on them. The first mission was to break the code and reveal the message. The writers discovered words like ‘Monster Makers’, ‘Dark Summers’, and ‘My Sister is a Dog’. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to realise they were all books written by Ali! 

The books were tucked away on a window ledge, and once discovered, each writer had to pick the book that corresponded with their slip of paper. Then, a cypher code was passed to them, a simple encryption that is one of the hardest to crack in the world. They had to follow the three-digit sequences corresponding to the page number, line, and word. Each one revealed a sentence, such as ‘How had the cat got in the jacuzzi?’ Ali instructed the group that this would be the first line of their adventure story.

The Junior Writers wrote about dinosaurs, dreams, and, of course, danger. The Young Writer’s work included stories narrated by David Attenborough (together with a first-class impression), an FAQ style story and one that began with a self-penned poem. The talents of these writers…seriously…[beams with pride]!

The session ended with the Young Writers creating their own codes for each other, passing secret messages between them.

Choosing the writer of the week for each session was hard, but George won it for the Junior Writers for his roller coaster and emotional story, which showed maturity beyond his years. Yusif was awarded the prize for the Young Writers, with Ali explaining that his story ‘grabbed me, pulled me in and surprised me at the end.’ 

Incidentally, the young writers had a bonus exercise at the start of the session, to write a verse for their own Eurovision song. They created universal musical ditties, including one with no actual words, while two others were written in French and Welsh. 

All in all, Ali stretched the writers, and everyone left buzzing. I am pleased to say: ‘Mission accomplished!’

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