Last Saturday's Session ...

I AM so sorry it has taken me a couple of days to get back to you following last Saturday's session.  I have been nursing another cold and have only just started to get over it so sitting at a laptop held no appeal whatsoever! I just wanted to sleep!  Don't know what is going on with all these colds.  This is my third since mid December!  Ridiculous.  Anyway here I am at last so hello everyone and a big hello to new member Bethany.

We continued the poetry vein at this session.  For those brave enough to try haiku a couple of weeks before, I put another worksheet together and for those not quite ready, we looked at Nonsense Rhymes.  I provided copies of one I had published in an anthology last year and brought the book in so everyone could see it if they wanted to.  It seemed to inspire quite a few to give it a go.  I think the fact there are no real hard and fast rules to nonsense rhymes is what really grabbed their attention. Anything goes really - you can have pretend characters mixing with people you know in real life and put everyone - and anything - in crazy situations straight from the imagination!  Lots of rhyming words, some repetition - all these things help build nonsense poems.  Even those members beavering away at haiku ended up joining in and it was plain to see they just did not want the session to end.

Sophia came up with a good idea (she quite often does) whereby she suggested you write a list of rhyming words at the end of each line - and then build the rest of the poem around that. So something like:

light

bite

jelly 

smelly

could potentially lead to a verse like this:

in the light

elephants bite

mouldy cheese jelly

that's ever so smelly

(and I promise, I have not rehearsed that!).  It certainly worked for her and she soon had others trying it out so all credit to her for inspiring her peers!

The assignment set was to write a nonsense poem or rhyme about ourselves - particularly our names and I have a hunch that I will get quite a few responses so I very much look forward to reading anything they hand in.

  

Finally I have spoken to the library staff about the launch of my new book and they have said they will be delighted for it to take place there, so I will get back to everyone once the date has been firmed up.  All very exciting!

The next session is on February 7th so see you all there.

See You Saturday ...

Don't forget - we have an AYW session this Saturday, same time, same place.  Looking forward to seeing everyone there.   Don't let your Young Writers forget to bring back any completed assignments because they all go towards their next Certificate.  And let me know if you have made enquiries about my new book.  As I mentioned, it will be available in paperback from February and I will be buying a stock of them in so I can do some signings and arrange a launch.  If you are interested in buying a paperback edition from me, let me know.

See you all on Saturday then!

Announcement!!

Hello everyone.  Pray excuse this brief appendix to my previous post but I wanted to let everyone know that my new book My Writer is now available in e-format from Kindle and Amazon and the paperback format will be available from the end of January.  The book is for 6 - 9 year olds and tells the story of Vicky Price aged 10, whose dream is to be a published writer like her favourite author Dickie Doyle.  Over the course of a few weeks, her life is turned upside down by a series of events and she writes all about her adventures in her journal ... but will she get to meet her idol...?

If you go onto Amazon and input the title followed by my name (My Writer by Jilly Henderson-Long) it will bring up the details.

I am planning a book launch in March and some signings and I will of course let everyone know about them nearer the time.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

See you on the 24th.

Feedback From Session (10/01/15)

Had eight Young Writers at Saturday's first session of 2015.  I am taking them in the Poetry direction at least for the next few sessions as they worked diligently on stories in the run-up to the Christmas break.  I had planned to introduce the Young Writers to Haiku but because I know syllables are not the easiest thing in the world to get to grips with if it is your first time, I also came up with an introduction to writing Nursery Rhymes which I offered to the younger members who have not yet met syllables.  This being the case I gave the children the option and three went for Nursery Rhymes whilst the rest went for Haiku.

As ever they applied themselves a hundred per cent but even the Nursery Rhymes proved too much for one member who probably had not had the chance to get back into Young Writer mode so soon after Christmas.  I never want these youngsters to lose their most important strengths with Creative Writing and that is their love and enjoyment of it.  I frequently try to impress on them that the sessions are not an extension of school and that it is quite okay sometimes to either not want to join in or to find something is proving rather more difficult than usual.  Even grown-up writers with decades of experience suffer from Writer's Block sometimes - and I speak from experience!  If you take the fun out of Writing it ceases to be a pleasure and becomes a dreadful chore - something I am anxious for them to avoid.  Fortunately the member in question soon recovered her composure so my hope is that she comes back refreshed and raring to go next time.

The first copy of the newsletter should be available by the end of March as I am looking at producing them quarterly.  Still none too sure how this will work out but I will draw on my experience with Word Magic and get the best out of it.  I have told the Young Writers that not everyone will get into every newsletter, but that everyone will get in at some point, so they will all have some coverage.  I only have limited resources right now and producing it quarterly will probably be the best way to start.  We still have not got a title for this so I will review those submitted already and get one picked in time for the first issue.

I have also explained to the members that I am going to be looking at other possible venues where they can experience a different environment in which to get the most of their five senses - perhaps a picnic in a park or a trip to a different library.  Once I have some clearer ideas on this I will let you all know.  They won't be until the warmer weather arrives, anyway, so I have a couple of months in which to work a few things out.

Assignments set were to produce at least one new Haiku or Nursery Rhyme by the next session.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next session on the 24th.  If you have any comments or suggestions please get in touch.  Till then - Good Writing everyone

All The Best For 2015 ...

Hello mums, dads and Young Writers.  Happy New Year to everyone and all the very best for 2015. This is just a quick reminder that we have our first session of the New Year this Saturday, 10th January, same time, same place.  Have got lots to catch up on tonight so will keep this short, but I promise I will do a nice newsy post next time!

See you Saturday!