Hello again everyone. Was very pleased to discover there has been over 40 viewings of the AYW blog so thank you all for your attention. I have a quick question to ask you and would truly appreciate any feedback you can give. As you know I brought a lot of your childrens' work home with me after the last session and I am astonished at the talent and insight displayed by each of them.
As writers, we all need feedback and my question to you is this - would you be happy for me to make comments about their work? It would all be positive and very constructive. There will be a system put in place that is called Two Stars And A Wish. The two stars would apply to parts of their work that I am very happy with and the wish would apply to something within that work that could possibly be made better.
I also think it is important for you to know that I have read what they have taken the trouble to write.
Please send in any comments - it is important for me to know that you and your budding authors are happy with the way things are going. And if you think there are ways for me to improve the sessions, please don't hesitate to drop me a line.
Best wishes always and Good Writing!
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Thursday 17 May 2012
Looking Good
I received a text message yesterday morning from a lady whose children had attended the first AYW session at PMT in Addiscombe. She said that her two youngsters had decided that a writing group was not for them - and that is fair enough. Writing - with or without group support - is not something to be entered into lightly. It demands complete commitment and an overbearing passion. It means thinking about writing every waking moment and not being able to wait to get back to something you are working on. Without that, it becomes another of life's unpleasant chores so I thanked the lady for her honesty and for letting me know and I wished them well.
Not for the first time, I wondered uneasily if their departure was going to set the pattern for the future. Would it be that I turned up at Session Two with nothing but the hiss of the coffee machine for company? NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For all the fact I'd lost two members, I actually found I'd gained three! In fact the Coffee Shop was heaving and I was, once more, astonished and humbled by the sheer unadulterated dedication of these young writers. Their raw enthusiasm is pure and golden - and surely an inspiration to anyone wishing to take up their pen! So a massive thank you to everyone, children and parents alike, for coming along. The next session will be on Wesnesday 13th June, same time, same place - not the first Wednesday of the month I know - but designed not to interfere with any jubilee celebrations in the offing, so I hope that's ok for everyone. The assignment set yesterday was for the young writers to take one of their many ideas produced as the first assignment and write a poem about it. I am starting with poems because they are quite short and not too demanding - particularly since they don't have to rhyme. And we will see where we go from here.
I am aware that this is a learning curve - not just for the young writers, but for me as well. Reading aloud does not work but sitting them round the tables with an exercise in mind and trying to get round to each individual child during the course of the exercise did seem to work. And making myself available if they have any questions for fifteen or so minutes at the end of the session also seemed to work - and of course I am there for you, too, of you have any questions realating to the group - or indeed to writing in general.
I am going to introduce worksheets as of the next session. The idea will be to give each youngster two sheets - one to work on that day and one to take home and use for their next assignment. I think that will work better than notebooks and makes it easier for me to keep an eye on each member's progress. Of course they can keep all the notebooks I have already given out and I will try to keep a few in stock just incase they are needed in future.
Please feel free to comment on this blog - and could you let me know if you are happy for me to mention your children by say, christian name and surname initial in future postings (as in JillyHL). If you would rather I didn't I will naturally respect that.
So that's it for this time but keep in touch. Good writing, all.
Not for the first time, I wondered uneasily if their departure was going to set the pattern for the future. Would it be that I turned up at Session Two with nothing but the hiss of the coffee machine for company? NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For all the fact I'd lost two members, I actually found I'd gained three! In fact the Coffee Shop was heaving and I was, once more, astonished and humbled by the sheer unadulterated dedication of these young writers. Their raw enthusiasm is pure and golden - and surely an inspiration to anyone wishing to take up their pen! So a massive thank you to everyone, children and parents alike, for coming along. The next session will be on Wesnesday 13th June, same time, same place - not the first Wednesday of the month I know - but designed not to interfere with any jubilee celebrations in the offing, so I hope that's ok for everyone. The assignment set yesterday was for the young writers to take one of their many ideas produced as the first assignment and write a poem about it. I am starting with poems because they are quite short and not too demanding - particularly since they don't have to rhyme. And we will see where we go from here.
I am aware that this is a learning curve - not just for the young writers, but for me as well. Reading aloud does not work but sitting them round the tables with an exercise in mind and trying to get round to each individual child during the course of the exercise did seem to work. And making myself available if they have any questions for fifteen or so minutes at the end of the session also seemed to work - and of course I am there for you, too, of you have any questions realating to the group - or indeed to writing in general.
I am going to introduce worksheets as of the next session. The idea will be to give each youngster two sheets - one to work on that day and one to take home and use for their next assignment. I think that will work better than notebooks and makes it easier for me to keep an eye on each member's progress. Of course they can keep all the notebooks I have already given out and I will try to keep a few in stock just incase they are needed in future.
Please feel free to comment on this blog - and could you let me know if you are happy for me to mention your children by say, christian name and surname initial in future postings (as in JillyHL). If you would rather I didn't I will naturally respect that.
So that's it for this time but keep in touch. Good writing, all.
Sunday 13 May 2012
Hello And Welcome
This blog is to celebrate the Addiscombe Young Writers group. In it I will keep parents up to date on what is going on, mark the achievements of the members and make myself available to any questions or enquiries the Young Writers may have as they embark upon this exciting journey.
I was seven when I produced my first book. I wrote it, illustrated it, designed a front cover for it and bound it. It was entitled "The Little Actress" and anyone who was anyone was shown it - teachers, neighbours, Sunday School Teacher, aunts, uncles, cousins, schoolmates, complete strangers on buses. It was read, handled, folded and passed round so often, it fell to pieces and I threw it away - much to my mother's fury. But by by then I had created five sequels, only one of which remains.
I knew then I wanted to be a writer when I grew up and as I grew up, I embarked upon a very long and lonely apprenticeship. Children and Writing in those days were synonimous with school. Nobody expected a ten year old to stay home and write, they expected that ten year old to be outside playing 'in the fresh air'. Consequently there was no way in; nobody to ask for help.
I know things are different now. There are a lot more options for young would-be writers. But helping them to find their way is my dream and I knew for months that I wanted to start a group that would encourage youngsters to once again reach for their pens and discover their creativity. The question was how?
A few years ago, I ran a series of very successful Creative Writing workshops for seven to nine year olds in conjunction with my local library. They were incredibly well attended with youngsters as young as five turning up to take part. Each child was encouraged to create a book that they could then take home with them and show with pride just as I had with The Little Actress all those years ago.
Popping into a new local coffee shop a few months back, I thought I'd ask owner and manager Amanda if she'd be interested in selling books by a local writer. Something clicked, we got talking - and Addiscombe Young Writers was born.
So a big hello and welcome to children and parents alike. We have grasped the bull by the horns. Now lets pepper this world with the next generation of J K Rowlings, Philip Pullmans and Julia Donaldsons. |Let's get writing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was seven when I produced my first book. I wrote it, illustrated it, designed a front cover for it and bound it. It was entitled "The Little Actress" and anyone who was anyone was shown it - teachers, neighbours, Sunday School Teacher, aunts, uncles, cousins, schoolmates, complete strangers on buses. It was read, handled, folded and passed round so often, it fell to pieces and I threw it away - much to my mother's fury. But by by then I had created five sequels, only one of which remains.
I knew then I wanted to be a writer when I grew up and as I grew up, I embarked upon a very long and lonely apprenticeship. Children and Writing in those days were synonimous with school. Nobody expected a ten year old to stay home and write, they expected that ten year old to be outside playing 'in the fresh air'. Consequently there was no way in; nobody to ask for help.
I know things are different now. There are a lot more options for young would-be writers. But helping them to find their way is my dream and I knew for months that I wanted to start a group that would encourage youngsters to once again reach for their pens and discover their creativity. The question was how?
A few years ago, I ran a series of very successful Creative Writing workshops for seven to nine year olds in conjunction with my local library. They were incredibly well attended with youngsters as young as five turning up to take part. Each child was encouraged to create a book that they could then take home with them and show with pride just as I had with The Little Actress all those years ago.
Popping into a new local coffee shop a few months back, I thought I'd ask owner and manager Amanda if she'd be interested in selling books by a local writer. Something clicked, we got talking - and Addiscombe Young Writers was born.
So a big hello and welcome to children and parents alike. We have grasped the bull by the horns. Now lets pepper this world with the next generation of J K Rowlings, Philip Pullmans and Julia Donaldsons. |Let's get writing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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