01 July 2023
Posted by Robyn O'Mahony
Short Stories & Word Association
As we journey towards the end of summer term, we began our first session of July by asking our Junior and Young Writers what they might like to share at our end of term celebration. Having dived into scriptwriting, poetry, and short fiction, we decided there was plenty to choose from!
With our Junior Writers we kicked things off with some word association games, starting with the delicious prompt of chocolate. The group came up with lots of different language, from scrumptious and flavoursome to peaceful and energetic. It was great to see how many words the group could come up from such a simple prompt as, together, we continue to expand our vocabulary and find new ways to describe things. We then got up off our seats and raised our energy by throwing out words into the room that related to each other. Then, returning to the table, we quickly listed all the ones we could remember and used them as a launch pad for writing a short story.
Using just a select choice of words, we thought about how we could shape a story around them. The end results were magic to read; fully realised ideas springing from such simple beginnings. We heard vivid scene-setting, focussed detail and thoughtful use of plot devises from exposition and narrative twists to cliff-hangers.
We ended the session hearing of ‘a kaleidoscope of colour’, ‘hell-like havoc’ and worlds ‘deep within the cosmos’.
After we said goodbye to our Junior community, we welcomed the Young Writers. We started the session off in a different way, asking them to write ‘And now I’m’ ten times in a row. We then asked them to respond to ten different prompts to create a micro poem. A stunner from this part of the session was, ‘And now I’m a thunderstorm brewing in a secluded ocean’.
After our poems were shared, we travelled back to week one. We reminded ourselves of the writing we did on the world behind doors, but this time asked ourselves what happened before opening the door itself. We encouraged the group to begin with a word-map to help build their ideas, and consider the status quo of the setting before their character jumped into a new, unknown place.
This exercise linked in with Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, which we are excited to be seeing on Saturday 8th July with the group. We contemplated how stories weave in the past and present to create an intriguing narrative, something which Gaiman’s story does.
As we closed the session we heard of ‘swirling storms’, the ‘icy air of oblivion’ and ‘isolated insolence’. Another full session with words flowing!
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'
