WORKSHOPS
I offer a range of different workshops and talks for young people.
• Workshops last around 90 minutes but can be adapted to fit.
• Workshops can be tailored towards primary or secondary school children in groups of no more than 30.
Planing and writing nonfiction
A look at different types of nonfiction books. How they differ from novels, how they are made, how to use them, how to find information in them. We will construct a model for creating a non-fiction title and then participants will work on a plan for their own nonfiction title.Fairy tales
Based on my Snippets project, we will look at fairy tales and focus on the missing details of character, motivation and setting. I will read some of my own stories, we will share ideas and then the group will write their own fairy tale snippets.Creating believable characters
We will discuss how writers make characters believable using examples generated by the group; we will look at a text to discover clues about characters; pupils will create a character sheet; pupils will write a short scene involving their character.Point of View
We will look at how writers use different points of view, first and third person narrators (and very occasionally second!) and how to swap point of view, using samples from different authors. The examples will be followed by a writing exercise and then participants will be encouraged to share their work with the group.Senses
Using examples from writers we will investigate how and why writers make use of the sense in their writing. A number of short exercises involving senses will lead to discussion and then a longer writing exercise. Participants will be encouraged to share their work with the group.Writing Dialogue
Using examples from writers we will investigate ways of dealing with dialogue and why writers use dialogue. For the first exercise, participants will be given a piece of dialogue which includes only the words spoken. They will have to write a scene around the words. Next, participants will be divided into pairs to write a short piece of dialogue. Participants will be encouraged to share their work with the group.Beginnings, middles and ends
We will discuss the way stories are structured, beginning by reducing classic stories to three short sentences to express beginning, middle and end, and going on to look at more complex stories in the same way. Participants will then write a selection of beginnings, middles and ends which will be swapped around and each person will construct a story outline around the information they receive.How to perfect your story
Looking at vital skills for budding writers: how to critique your work, how to edit, using beta readers, perfect beginnings, satisfying endings. The session will involve examples from different authors, a piece of practical editing and a short piece of writing which will be critiqued by another member of the group.What shall I read?
The session opens with a book list swap, which encourages the participants to share some of their favourite books with others. To follow this there will be tasters from different genres of books old and new, read aloud by Claire and volunteers and discussion leading from the readings. We will finish by attempting to create a Must-Read list which includes at least one book championed by each person in the room.BOOK CRAFT WORKSHOPS
Origami book
Participants will fold paper to make a simple 8-page book and plan, write and illustrate a story to go inside. This project will take 90 minutes.Ribbon-bound book
Children will plan a story, write and illustrate it and then bind it to form a book. This project will take two 90-minute sessions.TALKS
These can be class discussions or an assembly with a larger group.Duration: around 45 minutes.
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