04 May 2019
Posted by Lucy Pearce
Curses, Spells, and Charms - Fantasy Poetry
11-14 Age Group, 12 Attending
This week, the young writers experimented with writing fantastical poetry, including charms, spells, and curses.
To kick things off we all looked at poems that fall under this category (which they picked from a cauldron), and discussed what creative tools were used to form them. Examples included: Harry Potter - Gringotts, Lewis Carroll - The Jabberwocky, and Macbeth - Song of the Witches.
Then, using these examples, the young writers all wrote their own spells. Some were kind charms that granted wishes, while others were evil spells cast upon evil people!
Talia Wrote:
Big and tall and broken glass,
beware the house with the door of brass.
Behind that door where shadows sleep,
be careful there, your soul they reap.
If you creep even closer still,
don't look up to the windowsill,
because, you see, that's where she lay,
suddenly dropped dead at the end of day.
Big and tall and broken glass,
beware the house with the door of brass.
After this, the writers read Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes, e.g. Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs, and Snow White. We all discussed what made these stories different to the ones we've previously heard, then going on to create alternative plots in groups of 4.
One group decided that Red Riding Hood's grandmother would kill the wolf and use him to scare Red Riding Hood, leading to Red Riding Hood killing her grandmother by accident!
15-18 Age Group, 6 Attending
Similar to the younger group, the writers read our fantasy poetry and discussed what techniques were used in the writing of them - for example, made-up language. Poems included: Camille Ralphs - Pendle Hill, Lewis Carroll - The Jabberwocky, and The Tempest - Caliban and Prospero.
After this, they wrote their own curses and spells, some even instructional.
Tina wrote:
When your dreams overlap on waking hours, and waking hours become heavy haze,
that is when you know.
When grim shadows haunt the silky corners of your eye, hounds and men and foxes,
that is when you know.
Sly and shy and sickly and swell, your body moves as a magnet does to another and
that is when you know.
Locks and leather and look and long, movements come from your chest to your arms,
that is when you know.
Forget suggestions and thoughts altogether for now you are part of something greater,
now you almost know.
Let your body and your mind dissolve, as pills to water you are to your surroundings.
There you see it?
Now you know.
After this, the writers read fairy tales that were written from a feminist perspective, such as Carol Ann Duffy - Medusa, and Eurydice.
Taking inspiration from these, they then wrote similar poems/tales that went against the societal norms. One student wrote of Burger Queen, while another wrote of a Rapunzel who wanted to live in the tower in order to stop being pestered.
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'
