Can You Help?

Hi everyone.  We had an amazing session on Saturday! Thirteen children came along, including five returning new members! And I had a barrage of enquiries after the session as well!  This is brilliant for the group and shows that there is still a place out there for Young Writers! Even with the technological highway becoming more like the M1 during peak hours!

At Saturday's session, we were starting the build up to the festive season with the task being to create a Christmas or Winter story or poem.  I gave the choice because I am aware that not everyone celebrates Christmas and I did not want anyone to feel left out.  They practically all went for acrostic poems about Christmas anyway, but it was important they had the choice.  The assignment was to write a letter to their favourite author, but this does not need handing in until our first session of the New Year, which is on January 7th.

The Young Writers were all delighted with their copies of Word Magic 2 last Saturday.  Further copies can be bought for £2.00 each and would make a truly delightful gift for relatives and friends, so please buy, buy, buy!

Our next session is all about Party Time.  It is on 17th December (not the 19th as stated in my previous post - now corrected, by the way) from 9.30 until 10.30, but if we over run a bit, it won't matter.  On that day, we will be launching our new book Word Magic 2 and the group's first ever Trophies are going to be awarded, plus there'll be Certificates of Achievement to everyone who contributed to the book.  I have had a word with Santa and he has given his blessing for me to distribute some early Christmas presents as well so it is going to be a manic but rather jolly affair as we will also be having nibbles.  If you would like to bring along some crisps, or biscuits - that would be fine.  I will bring some paper plates, along too.

Finally, I would like to put some feelers out and I could really use your help.  With the group doing so well, and attendance figures continually on the rise, I really think I need an extra pair of hands during the sessions.  Would any mums or dads be prepared to stay during the sessions or do you know anyone who would like to be a volunteer helper?  An interest in writing would be an advantage, but mainly the ability to get on with children and meet them at their level would be paramount.  If you think you can help - or know someone who may be able to help, please let me know.

See you all on 17th then - mums, dads, siblings - all are welcome to stay!

Amazing!!!

The new Young Writer book "Word Magic 2" is all done and dusted and looks absolutely amazing!  I took delivery of 150 copies yesterday and we will incorporate the launch with the final session of the year on 17th December - as long as the library staff don't mind.  Every single contributor and active group member will receive a free copy of the book this weekend and any other copies required will cost £2.00 - not a lot - and will be available to buy at our session on 17th December.   They will make lovely personal Christmas presents for friends, teachers and relations - especially if your young writer is encouraged to autograph it!

On that day, all contributors will also be awarded a Certificate of Achievement, plus the group's first ever trophies will be awarded so 19th December is going to be a Big Day for AYW!

At our previous session, on 19th November, we did a one-off session looking at research and writing reports.  The idea was to find a period in history they find interesting and look up relevant facts using the library, the internet (with parental supervision) and also just by talking to people - and then to write it up like a newspaper report - a challenge I know the Young Writers can rise to!

Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend, then!

LOOKING GOOD!!!

Hi everyone.  Had another cracking Young Writer session on 5th November - 10 children.  This seems to be the average now, which is fine by me and pretty manageable.

I brought a dummy copy of the new book in to show the members and they all looked delighted.  I am now awaiting a hard-copy proof from Cherrills (the printer), which should arrive any day.  I have also asked for the cover of the finished books to be laminated - I think that will give it extra quality. PLUS I managed to match the 22 pages of the first book and I think it is going to be brilliant. Huge Well Done to everyone.

At the last session, we looked at setting the scene to add atmosphere to our fiction  and the assignment was to incorporate everything we have covered since this topic began - developing realistic characters, developing plot and adding atmosphere through scene-setting - and write a brand new story using all the "ingredients".  I must say I have been very very impressed by everything the members have accomplished during this period as it has been pretty intense.  But - much to their relief (and mine to a degree) - we will be starting something new this weekend - something we have not really done previously, although we have touched on it.

I was delighted a few days ago to take delivery of the first ever AYW trophies! Such a thrill - and my hope is that these will be presented no later than January.  They are absolutely gorgeous and I know just how much they will be appreciated, too!  Plan now is to get everyone to this stage - but of course - much of it lies with the Young Writers themselves and how much work they are prepared to put in.

I don't think I will be disappointed.

See you Saturday.

Happy Halloween!!

Hi everyone.  I have just not had a minute to write a new post for the AYW blog and I am so sorry!  I just hope you are all ok.

Continuing with the story theme, the last session (22nd October) saw us looking at way to build a plot.  The idea that an IDEA plus a CHARACTER can create a plot was explored, with the Young Writers creating a "plot sheet" with characters on one side and situations on the other which could then be linked together by a line drawn between them - and the assignment was then to produce a story from those various "ingredients".  This is based on a "Plot Book" I created some years ago for my own use which followed the same principal - and it is in fact a wholly effective way to get the creative juices flowing!

I have promised the Young Writers that I will try to bring a dummy copy of Word Magic 2 in to the next session (this Saturday 5th November).  The layout is almost finished now and it would be great to get their reactions so I will do my best - even if it is not the whole book.  It has actually proved quite a challenge this time, trying to give everyone's work equal exposure but I must say I am pretty happy with what I have managed to do so far.

So will sign off for now but look forward to seeing you all on Saturday.

"All About Me" ...

Very good session on 24th September.  We touched on something we have not covered before (yes - there are still a few things yet to explore) and that was Autobiography, Biography and Memoirs.  I explained the difference between the three - autobiography being about the life of the person writing, biography being about the life of someone else and memoirs being odd little memories that just come back to us once in a while.  I also explained that not only famous people are covered by these, but many ordinary people as well, who want to share with future generations something they have experienced, but don't necessarily want to tell the story of their whole life.

We all love writing and talking about ourselves and each and every one of us has unique experiences to our name so I got the members writing something about themselves, initially.  The assignment set was to write a biography of someone they know - a family member, friend or even a pet or toy - and I was only looking at a maximum of one page so it shouldn't be too taxing for them.  Any brought in for marking will count towards their next certificate.

We had ten children turn up which is brilliant and looking forward to seeing everyone this Saturday, 8th October.

Still working on the new Word Magic book, doing some whenever I get the opportunity and it is starting to take shape nicely.  I will let you see the dummy copy when it is ready.

And please let me know of any school fetes, fayres or bazaars coming up so I can sell copies of my books - or if you want extra copies of my book "My Writer" for Christmas presents, please let me know.

See you Saturday, then.

Hello Again ...

We had a good session on the first day back after the summer break.  Seven young writers turned up including a possible new member and we eased our way in gently with a brief exercise in description. This is a subject rarely touched upon.  But it is a warming thought that most of the Young Writers do it instinctively already!  So I paired the children up as best I could and had them describe their partner.  I didn't set an assignment - they start this week, so that the members can get back on the Certificate Trail.

I have been busy since my last post, compiling and laying out the new book Word Magic 2 and when I have completed a dummy copy, I will bring it in and show the Young Writers then ship it off to the printer.  My hope is that it will be launched in December to take advantage of Christmas buying.  I thought a cover price of £2.50 per copy would be okay - but everyone whose work appears in it or who are active members of Addiscombe Young Writers will get a free copy.  I'd like to see proud mums and dads buying extra copies for friends and family, so fingers crossed.  Let me know what you think about the cover price.

Don't forget we have a session at the library this weekend - 24th Septemeber - and here is a list of future dates right up to the end of March 2017:

8th & 22nd October
5th & 19th November
3rd & 17th December
7th & 23rd January 2017
4th & 18th February
10th & 24th March

I will let you have the dates for April onward a bit later.

See you all Saturday.

Soon Be Back ...

Hi y'all!  Got an email from a member of the library team asking when our Young Writer Sessions start up again.  Just in case you missed it, we are back a week from this Saturday - that is 10th September, so looking forward to seeing you then.

We've Arrived ...

Hello everyone. Yes - it is me - back from the beyond and writing this blog in our new home.  The move went off very well after the removal van's early hiccup when it decided that - as we were about to set off on our first trip to the new house - it was time for a rest with the engine stubbornly refusing to turn over for half an hour!  Then along came liberation in the form of our neighbour's people carrier.  One quick jump-start and the removal van sputtered to life and behaved perfectly for the rest of the day!

It took us three trips in the end to shift everything from A to B - but, oh, it was worth every second! Almost three weeks later our new home is coming together really well with most of the rooms already finished and only half a dozen or so boxes still to unpack.  We think we have done incredibly well, really.

So the plan this week is to finally start to put the new Word Magic book together.  I haven't really had time to even think about it until now so by tonight, I should know if I have at least got enough material to fill it!  I know I have quite a lot - but not all members got round to submitting their contributions so I won't know until I start to go through it if - a - if there is enough and b - if everyone currently active in the group will be represented.  My hope is that everyone will - otherwise we may have a problem.  Anyway I shall come back to you on this in a few days.

Did everyone enjoy the Rio Olympics?  Unfortunately, because it was two weeks before our TV could be set-up again, we missed the bulk of it - but that doesn't mean we weren't cheering Team GB on with all our hearts!  And to finish second in the medals table was a massive achievement so a huge well done to all of them - athletes, trainers, supporters, back-room staff, logistics - you all did amazingly well.

I hope their wonderful displays of spirit inspired the Young Writers to enter our summer competition. Don't forget that I left entry forms at the library but if they have all gone and your budding author or poet still wants to enter, there is still time.  Let me know and I will email a copy over.  Closing date is 10th September - which - by coincidence,  is our first session back after the summer break!

Hope you have all enjoyed your summer?  Looking forward to seeing you all again on the 10th.  And Keep Writing!

Competition Entry Forms ...

Thank you to those who turned up on Saturday and for all your ideas for the coming year's programme.  Watch this space.

Also wanted to just remind you that there are spare competition entry forms at the library so if your Young Writer couldn't make it on Saturday and would like to enter, just enquire at the desk in the main library.

Thank you also for the work I have had handed in for the new book.  Once I am moved and settled, I will start going through it and working out how to present Word Magic 2.

I will be pretty much out of commission for the next couple of weeks but you can still reach me by email or on my mobile if you need to.

See you in September and huge thanks to all the Young Writers for all their hard work over the past year.  Very very well done!

Moving On ...

First of all I'd like to just remind everyone about this Saturday's Young Writer session at Ashburton Library.  This will be the last session of this school year and I am not expecting everyone to turn up. I know a lot of families go on their summer holidays as soon as the schools break up, so don't feel bad if you can't make it. The first session after the break is on 10th September and  I will have the next newsletter ready by then as well with all the new session dates on it.

Please please ensure you get all work intended for Word Magic 2 back to me this Saturday or your young authors may miss out which would be an horrendous shame after all their hard work.  If you really really really can't get it back to me by then, text me  ASAP and we will work something out. Steve and I are likely to be moving around the second week in August now, so please don't drop it off at the house (if I have given you my current address) after that because I will not get it and it will likely as not be lost for ever.  I have been telling everyone for months when I need the work in so please do your best to get it to me this Saturday if you can.

As mentioned in the last blog-post, I will be running a competition this year as the summer project and I am going to start work on that very soon.  I will be leaving spare copies of the entry form at the library for those who can't make it this weekend.  There will be bronze, silver and gold awards for the three best entries but everyone who joins in will earn a special certificate so it definitely worth a go.  I won't be judging the competition, I am going to ask somebody else to do that so that it is fair.  It would be quite hard for me to pick the winners as I know most of the Young Writers' styles by now and also quite a lot of their handwriting, so I feel it would be much better for someone else to judge it.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday and if you are away by then, have a really great summer and I'll see you all in September.

Good Writing everyone!

Perfect Day For A Picnic ...

We had a brilliant time last Saturday at the popular Picnic In The Park session.  The weather was very kind to us and the rain held off for the whole hour which was rather handy!  We started, as ever, with a mad five minutes on the swings, slides, see-saws and roundabouts, then everybody came back to the picnic benches where the Young Writers were given sheets to record what they could see, hear and smell whilst outside.  Then it was another mad five minutes before they were called back to finish their reports and finally a mad ten minutes before we got on with the important bit - our snacks and drinks.  I think around ten children turned up so massive thanks to everyone and an even bigger thanks to the mums who hung around to help Vicky and I supervise.  It was a huge success and I am convinced that it offers up a unique opportunity for the Young Writers to practise their observational skills whilst burning off some excess energy. Well done to everyone who took part and thank you once again.

As the children were playing, I announced to the mums present that Steve and myself will be moving out of Addiscombe around the end of August.  We have lived there for eighteen years and just feel it is the right time for a change.  The plan is that we will live in Sutton for the next 3 to 5 years and during that time - and for as long as possible - I will continue to run AYW.  It is easy enough to get to the library from where we will be living.  But the longer term plan is to retire down to the South Coast and obviously, then, continuing the Young Writers won't be an option.  Having said that, though, it won't affect the current members really because by then,   most of them will have moved on to High School and may well have developed other interests.  So there is no need to worry.  For the foreseeable future, anyway, it will be As You Were with the sessions taking place two Saturdays a month at Ashburton Library as normal.

Finally, before I go, a quick reminder to everyone whose work has been earmarked for the new Word Magic book - please, please ensure they are brought in to our final session before the summer break, which is on 23rd July - and if your child is fairly new to the group but has some work they'd like considered, then please bring that along as well but let me know on that day so you can complete a consent form and the Young Writer can fill out their Author Profile - I will ensure I have spare copies of each on that Saturday.

And last but not least - I will be running a competition to keep them busy during the summer - more info on 23rd.  See you then.

Poor Maddie ...

Everyone knows about the AYW mascot - Maddie - the little golden bear who proudly sports her AYW tee-shirt with extreme pride.  Maddie loves her exciting lifestyle where she is constantly staying in different homes where all her adventures are recorded in her diary.

But oh dear me!  I think she partied a little too hard last time because when she came back to me, one ear was hanging off and stuffing was coming out of her chest!!!  When I asked her what she'd been up to, she just smiled at me very cheekily!

The good news is that she is now all mended and better and her tee-shirt is nice and clean so she will be back with the Young Writers on Saturday.  But please can whoever takes her home take extra special care of her?

I don't want to have to take her back to the Teddy Hospital again ...

On a different note - massive thanks to everyone who turned up at the last session where we worked in pairs to write poems.  And a special thank you to those who turned up at the Workshop at Croydon Central library on Monday.  It was brilliant to see people from so many different places - Croydon Literacy, Children Who Shine and  AYW to help us with the creation of The Magical Quest - a wonderful story about twins who go on a quest to find The Lost Book Of All Languages.  Everyone worked really hard with their ideas and we are hoping that copies of the finished story will be available to everyone who took part very soon.  Thank you all again - especially to Jenny who instigated the event.  We had a brilliant time!

Looking forward to seeing everyone at this Saturday's session - and don't forget we have the Picnic in the Park the following Saturday (2nd July).  And please - if you have not yet returned your Author Profiles and Consent forms, they really do need to brought back ASAP if you want your work to appear in Word Magic 2 later this year.

And finally thank you to everyone who has recently bought copies of My Writer - if you know anyone else who would like a copy, let me know.

See you Saturday and Good Writing!!!

Back From Bonny Scotland ...

Just got back from a smashing week in Oban in Scotland.  Had plenty of time to relax and plan ahead and look at everything going on.  Decided it would be great to go back to poetry for this week's session (11th June) - maybe being in the homeland of Robert Burns had something to do with it!

I have lots of preparation to do in the coming weeks - one thing I will be doing is the workshop with Croydon Literacy on Monday 20th June, 5pm - 6.30 pm.  I will be handing out invitations to this event this Saturday and everyone is welcome.  It'll be structured quite differently from a Young Writer session and is guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing - so why not come along and join us on The Magical Quest on 20th June?  

On 18th June, I will be running a stall in Croydon as part of Croydon Heritage Festival.  I'll be selling copies of my books but mainly I will be advertising Addsicombe Young Writers so if you are around Croydon that day, why not come along and say hello?

On 25th June, I have got a stall at the Woodside Primary School summer fayre from 12 - 4 where I will be selling copies of  My Writer and I have also been asked to consider doing a Creative Writing workshop from adults at Ashburton Library so if this is something you would be interested in, let me know and I will keep you updated.

I am still waiting on a few consent and author profile forms from everyone who wants to be included in Word Magic 2 and I will follow up on this on Saturday so if you haven't handed yours in yet please do so ASAP - I cannot stress how important this is!

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday. Good Writing everyone!

AYW - ok

Hi everyone.  Been another busy two weeks but you will be pleased to hear that the latest newsletter - AYW - ok is all done and ready to go out at tomorrow's session.  Have also got the worksheet ready. Further to requests earlier this year for writing topics we haven't yet covered, this week, we will be looking at writing recipes.  But as usual, there will be a twist.  The Young Writers can either produce a real recipe, chocolate rice krispie cakes, fairy cakes or a favourite jacket potato topping, for example - or they can invent one - like a scare-the spider-away potion or perhaps a bounce-about-like-a-bubble cookie; whatever their choice, this is something new and I think it could be lots of fun!

Picnic-in-the-Park - this session will be on 2nd July (weather permitting) so pack your snacks and drinks that day and we'll head over to Ashbuton after meeting at the library.  Need lots of mums and dads to help supervise so why not make it a family occasion?  The last two have been a huge success and the sessions give the Young Writers new opportunities to explore, listen, look - and have loads of fun!  Definitely a win/win situation, I feel!

So see you all tomorrow, same time, same place!

BRILLIANT!!!

What a totally brilliant session we had on Saturday!  Sixteen children including several new members!  The session started with a brief reading from Eva Ibbotson's "The Great Ghost Rescue" to primarily demonstrate that not all Ghost Stories need to be scary.  This particular book is an absolute joy and was published way ahead of its time because it doesn't just talk about young Rick's bid to rescue the ghosts being driven out of their stately home to make way for a new Holiday Camp - it talks about conserving wildlife in general, which has long been a subject close to my heart!  But mostly it is a really good read - very funny.

Ghost Stories per se have not been properly covered before and most of the session was trying to get the Young Writers to use their imaginations.  I tried to kick-start them by giving them a worksheet with some suggestions but I think I gave them too much to work from because a lot of them seemed to struggle with it despite the fact it is a subject they have repeatedly asked for.    The valuable lesson I learned from this is that Less is More and my plan is to work on that basis from now on.  Having said that, though, by the end of the session, when I set the assignment to be handed in by 21st May, I think they were Up For It so it will be interesting to see their finished work.

Congratulations are in order for member Dhilon who became only the second member thus far, to achieve the Rainbow Band 2 Certificate.  His presentation book was about writing comic strip stories because I know it is a subject he has particularly enjoyed, so very well done, Dhilon.  Who will be our next?

The next session is on 21st May, by which time, I hope to have the date for our picnic in the park but see you in a couple of weeks.

Don't Forget Saturday's Session ...

It has been nuts the last couple of weeks - loads going on.  Finally got the session sheets for this Saturday done - just need to print them off - and half the latest AYW - ok newsletter - but that may need to wait for a week or two because I have a couple of things outside of the Young Writers I need to prepare for and time is of the essence.  Having said that though - great news!  One of our library allies told me about a competition for Young Writers currently being run by Explore Learning so I will delve more into that by Saturday and let any interested parties know.  ALSO - very aware we need to organise the Picnic in the Park so will come back to you with a date - in fact, will get it into the newsletter as well as onto the next post here on the AYW blog.

Looking forward to seeing you all at Saturday's session (7th May 9.30 to 10.30).

Coming Into Our Own ...

What a stonking Young Writer session on Saturday! I introduced Vicky as my new assistant and asked her to tell the Young Writers a little bit about herself.  It was very lucky she was there because, with fourteen youngsters in attendance, we had to take up two double tables - which meant Vicky could sit with one whilst I sat with the other.  Also present was Jenny who is linked to the Croydon Literacy Scheme.  Jenny was there to have a look at how we operate because she has invited me to go along on 20th June and present a Writing Workshop for them.  She has said any members of Addiscombe Young Writers are welcome to come along so if you think you and your young wordsmiths would enjoy a different kind of Writing activity, let me know.  The session is on 20th June, 5pm to 6.30pm at the Central Library in Sutton and Jenny will be sending me more info to pass on to anyone interested.

Saturday's session covered report writing again.  We looked at the various topics that would make for good reports, such as pets, hobbies, school, nature, history etc etc and, as usual, the children did not disappoint, putting in their own ideas.  Everyone seemed really fired up and there was a brilliant atmosphere!  The assignment set was to write a book review in time for the next session on 7th May and, as promised, I will absolutely ensure I have a worksheet in place for the Ghost Stories session that day.

Finally, just needed to add something that has been talked about with the library staff which may need further discussion.  The Young Writer group, as you have no doubt noticed,  is absolutely flying at the moment!  We have an average of three new members at each session and at least two enquiries during the course of those sessions from parents who think their children may be interested in joining.  At the moment we are averaging between eight and eleven children per session with occasional weeks - like last week, where we have fourteen or more.  Because of this - and a lot depends on how the next couple of sessions go - we might, at some point, have to  put a cap on the amount of members who can be safely accommodated at the library during each session.  This may mean we need to start a waiting list with strict criteria that once a member reaches eleven, they have to leave in order to make space for a new member.  Now please don't worry about this as it is only being talked about at this point and may not amount to anything.  But health and safety, as I am sure you appreciate, has to be taken into consideration.  I will be having further discussion with the library staff and will keep you informed.  I just wanted to update you on what might be taking place over the next few months.

That aside, I just wanted to say a massive thank you the the library staff, Vicky, Jenny and everyone else for their continued interest in - and support of - Addiscombe Young Writers.

See you on the 7th and Good Writing everyone.

Brief Reminder

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at Ashburton Library for our latest session.  What with family weddings, get-togethers and general exhaustion, I am afraid I did not get another work sheet done in time for tomorrow and because of this, we will stick with report writing for one more week and then we'll move on to a popular story form - the ghost story.  I rarely set a genre for the short stories I urge the children to write so this should prove a good challenge.  And I will ensure I do have a new worksheet available for that session.

See you all tomorrow then.

WOW!!!!

Truly amazing session on Saturday.  Thank you to everyone who came along - including our three Newbies.  We were looking at writing reports and everyone was given a work sheet.  Just to refresh memories - reports feature real life events which are told in a newsy style (and I forgive those members who came up with headlines such as "I Was Bitten By a Vampire" because it just goes to show how active their imaginations are).  But for the actual assignment, the idea is to write about something they have experienced, seen or heard - and some of the ideas that came up included trips to museums and tricks played on April Fool's Day.  Which just goes to prove that even with their fertile imaginations, most of them did grasp the difference between writing a story and writing a report.

In the crazy rush of finishing when the session ended, I completely forgot to send Maddie off on her travels and was somewhat surprised to find her and her diary still in the bag when I got home.  She obviously wanted to come home with me for a change so I guess even little teddies must find too much travelling somewhat tiring!  I am sure she'll be ready to go again when I bring her to the next session which is on 16th April.  And - just in case you missed it, here is a list of the sessions coming up between now and summer: 7th & 21st May,  11th & 25th June, 2nd & 21st July.  We will then finish up for the summer and our first day back will be 10th September.  How swiftly time flies when you're having so much fun!

So see you on 16th, everyone, and keep up the good work!

So Much To Do ....

Sorry I haven't been back in a couple of weeks but I just seem to have so much going on that time runs away with me!  Wanted to remind everyone we have a Young Writer session this Saturday at the library so looking forward to seeing everyone there.  Please don't forget to return your consent forms ASAP  so that I can start to plan the new book.  I really cannot stress how important this is.

This weekend I will be introducing the Young Writers to writing reports.  I would like to show as diverse a range of their work in the new book as possible and this will include book reviews and reports as well as stories and poems.  Each member will be given a Junior Reporter sheet to read and work through which, I hope will inspire them.

Now that the weather is finally improving I am looking ahead to arranging the next Picnic In The Park session so keep an eye out for that.  I am yet to get a response from the fire brigade about the tour of the station so I will chase that up.  I will also find out if the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon has anything on that we could go and see, with a view to getting a back-stage tour again; I know the first group members enjoyed this immensely and it is yet another experience for them to think about.  Finally, how does everyone feel about a trip to the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill?  It is only a bus-ride away and could be a really thought-provoking event so let me have some feedback and tell me if you want me to look into this.

See you all Saturday then and Good Writing ...

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ...

Great session Saturday (but then I'd expect nothing less from your talented young wordsmiths) with 11 children in attendance including Shaan who came straight from a drama class to spend the last 20 minutes of the session with us.  Saturday's session revolved around our previous Word Magic book. The idea was for the members to acquaint themselves with the book's contents and also to get a feel for the Author Profile of each of its contributors.

It was brilliant to hear them reading parts of the book out loud to each other and during the course of the session they were also encouraged to practice their own Author Profiles for Word Magic 2.  At the end of the session, the assignment set was for the youngsters to read the first book through at home and then each of them were given their own Author Profile to complete and return on 2nd April. Each member was also given a consent form to take home to their parents.  It is absolutely essential that the parents complete and sign these because without your consent, I will not be able to publish the young writers' work.  The consent form asks you to indicate how you would feel comfortable having your child identified as the author of their featured work.  If you are happy for their full name to appear, that is fine, similarly if you would prefer them to be identified by just their Christian name or their initials.  Whatever your preference, you need to let me know.

The library staff have suggested that it would be lovely to launch the new book at the library and we could in fact make quite an occasion of it, so that has given me something else to think about.  I will fill you in on this after further discussion.

And finally a round of applause was given (and deservedly so) to Amber for achieving her Rainbow Band 2 certificate for which she also received a book "Write Your Own Story Book" which I hope will encourage her further in her writing projects, so Well Done Amber.

With an Easter Egg from the Easter Bunny held firmly in their grasp, the session ended on a high note.  I will see you all again on 2nd April.

Have a lovely Easter break!

Have A Lovely Easter!

Don't forget we have another session this Saturday (19th) in order to allow for the Easter weekend.   After that we will back on April 2nd  In fact here is a brief reminder of forthcoming session dates:
16th April
7th May
21st May
11th june
25th June
2nd july
23rd July
and that will be the last session this side of the summer holidays, we are then back on 10th September which gives me the whole summer to put together the new book so that it is published and on sale by early November at the latest so that people can buy copies to give as Christmas presents.  And because the funding has been put up for the new book, the money raised from the sale of copies can be ploughed straight back into the Young Writers.  It is a Win/Win situation and your talented children deserve it!

Assignment set last Saturday was to copy out the opening and closing sentences from three random books at home to explore the various ways to start and end a story.

Better go now - stuff to do.  See you Saturday.

Saturday Session Coming Up

Don't forget we have a session on Saturday 12th March.  Looking forward to seeing some stories for our brand new book.  Hoping to get our benefactor in for a visit soon so fingers crossed.  He is moving house at the moment so it is unlikely to be this Saturday but I will let everyone know when we are expecting him.

See you Saturday!

Great Session

We had a good session on Saturday! Thirteen Young Writers came along, including three new members and two returning newbies which is totally brilliant!  We continued our foray into writing for comics and I asked the Young Writers what kind of story they feel would work well in comic form.   It was great to see so many new ideas - and some not so new ones - and I pointed out why it is better to be original and come up with your own characters.  Using Star Wars and Beano characters is ok at this stage - but thinking up your own characters and putting them into a totally new situation - is much better.  I think they got it.

The big announcement was that a local councillor has offered to fund the production of our new book and with this in mind the assignment set was to come up with a short story, specifically for our new book.  I referred the children to the original Word Magic because there are a few short stories written by former members in there, which should get them thinking.

The plan for the new book is to introduce some samples of as much as we have covered over the past year as possible.  I decided starting with stories should be the first step.  Some of the poetry handed in recently is already in my file because the standards of their work are so high that I want to share it with the world!

As with the previous book, I will be handing out consent forms to all the grown-ups over the next couple of sessions and the children will be getting Author Profile forms to complete and hand in.  I want each contributor to be recognised for their work.

The other announcement is that I will be holding a competition for this summer's project - more details of that later.

So all in all it was a very successful session and I was thrilled to see the childrens' excitement when I announced we'd be publishing a new book this year!

The next session is on 12th March.  I look forward to seeing you there.

Important Announcement

Just a quick reminder that we have our next session tomorrow so very much looking to seeing you all there. Also just to drop a hint that I have some wonderful news to announce at the end of the session!

Did any of you see last week's Croydon Advertiser?  The Young Writer group had a mention in its pages.  I will bring a copy tomorrow to show everyone so if you didn't see it, don't panic.

See you tomorrow then...

Super Saturday!!!

Had a mega session on Saturday!  Ten Young Writers came along including two new members! This is so great!  Huge welcome to the newbies, I am so glad you enjoyed the session and hope to see you again next time.

The topic this week was - back by popular demand - writing strip picture stories for comics.  This is still a hugely popular area of literature with Graphic Novels for both adults and children currently making a big come-back.  That whole novels can be told in this way clearly enthralled the Young Writers!

Having gone through the basics - getting the idea, outlining the pictures, adding the script and then combining all three - the Young Writers were soon working diligently away.  Some invented characters and stories of their own and some "borrowed" characters from well-known comics and built new stories up around them.

It intrigued me that they mostly went haring straight into the pictures, making up the stories as each picture box emerged and adding the speech balloons as they went along.  Talk about spontaneous! But the point of the session was really to get them to plan something out, come up with a simple story that could be told in three pictures and then develop it and I have made it very clear that when they hand in their assignments, I want to see how they worked on the story, planned it, developed it and produced it so perhaps you could gently remind them for me that I don't just want the picture stories back when they hand their assignments in, I want to see how they got to the end-product.

Maddie the AYW mascot bear went home with Shaan so let me know what she gets up to, Shaan!  Don't forget you can write a poem about her, write it as if it's a letter or do it as a diary entry or story and it is perfectly ok to let your imagination run wild!

I have sent a letter to Croydon Advertiser asking for support from the local community to pave the way to the next Word Magic book.  I had the idea of inviting local businesses and organisations to make a contribution towards the cost of producing the book in exchange for a mention on a special supporter's page in the book.  Similarly, I have also suggested a special page where someone can write a dedication for a loved one or a friend in exchange for a contribution so let's see how it goes.  Let's hope the letter appears in this week's paper first.

If the book is going to come to fruition, I need to raise around £300 so please put the word about.  I am going to ask if we can hold a small sale at the library as well and if you can think of any other fund-raising ideas please let me know.  I am desperate to give the current batch of Young Writers their own book but I need all the help I can get and that is an appeal from my heart and, I am sure, from the hearts of the Young Writers, so please give us some support if you can.

Next session is on February 26th so see you there.  And good work everyone.  Saturday's was a great session!

See You Saturday ...

Can hardly wait to see you all again this Saturday (13th) - same place, same time.  Hope the Young Writers have lots of comic-book ideas!  And don't forget to bring in any other work - including assignments set - it all counts towards the next Certificate.

If anyone would like some more leaflets about the group for school or if you haven't had the latest issue of AYW - ok - let me know.

See you Saturday!

On Our Way ...

It was lovely to welcome new member Jasmine to our Young Writers session last Saturday!  And great to see the Regulars getting stuck in with the topic which was Non-Rhyming Poems.  We haven't actually covered this as a subject in its own right before - although we touched on it when we did Free Verse a few months back.  I explained that snatching sentences out of the air and stringing them together is a good way to create a non-rhyme poem.  I suggested something along the lines of Fish in a pond, a day at the zoo  as a good way to open such a verse, concluding it with Busy day out with Auntie Joan as a means to tying it in. Thus:

fish in the pond
a day at the zoo
busy day out
with Auntie Joan

is a perfectly good example of non-rhyming poetry.

After overcoming the restraints of syllable counting with Haiku and Tanka in recent sessions, once the Young Writers grasped the concept of practically anything goes, they were, as usual, soon coming up with some cracking poetry - some of which will appear in the next AYW - ok issue.

It is this constant eagerness and being willing to try anything in the world of Creative Writing that so thrills and excites me about these young writers.  They truly love to write; they are passionate about it and that is what it is all about of course!  One day I am going to put all this into a book to encourage others to start similar groups - and that book will be dedicated to every single AYW member, past present and future.  They are the lifeblood of this group and I am so proud of them!

We will be going back to writing comic strips for the next couple of sessions.  This subject is back by popular demand and I think there's only a couple of members who were here when we tackled it last time so, for most, it will be another new experience.

The next session will be on 13th February so please come along - I look forward to seeing you there.

WELCOME BACK ...

Huge thanks to everyone who turned up to the first AYW session of 2016!  It was great to see you all there and eight on a first day back after a break, is brilliant! 

We got off to a flying start - albeit in the junior library.  I asked the Young Writers to just write a little piece about their Christmas break to get the creative juices flowing - and then we tackled the completely new poetry form (for most of them anyway) of Tanka.  Like Haiku, Tanka is a syllable-led poetry form consisting of 31 syllables, usually laid out in 5 - 7 - 5 - 7 - 7 formation - although its beauty lies in the fact that unlike haiku, the actual pattern is pretty flexible as long as the number of syllables used is 31 - so you could even have a pattern of 1, 5, 5, 10, 10 or whatever you like.

Once the Young Writers got to grips with this, they were churning out Tanka like there was no tomorrow so well done to all of them for giving it a go!  The assignment was to produce a Tanka at home and, of course, any that are completed and returned will count towards the next Certificate.

Have decided to always log on this blog who takes Maddie the AYW bear home with them - especially following her period of  being AWOL just before Christmas.  So on this occasion it was Timothy who was given the pleasure of Maddie's company and her diary to record any adventures (and she seems to have plenty!).  So Timothy I hope she behaves herself for you and that you have some fun times between now and the next session.  Don't forget to update Maddie's diary!  It is always fun to read after one of her little jaunts.

And talking of the next session - that will be on Saturday 30th January so I look forward to seeing you then.  Good Writing, everyone.

PENCILS POISED ...

This is GREAT!!!  We are only in the second week of January and I have already had an enquiry about Addiscombe Young Writers!  I am so chuffed!

So how is everyone?  I hope all the Young Writers are ready for another busy year of writing.  Don't forget the next session is this Saturday (16th) - usual place and time.  My plan is to have the new issue of AYW - ok ready.  That is the plan anyway.  And also to have some new and fresh ideas to see us through the coming sessions.

How was your Christmas?  Mine was lovely but very busy busy busy.  And it didn't stop on 1st January either.  Only yesterday I was in Southend with husband Steve to celebrate youngest grandson Oscar's first birthday!  Have quite a lot coming up for 2016 with one thing and another - writing-wise, job-wise and family-wise - including a Christening in February and a wedding in April!  Sometimes I don't know how I cope!  But I always do.

I am planning to concentrate my own writing activities to poetry this year.  I rather neglected it last year once My Writer was launched.  I am going to be stocking up on copies of my book again soon so please keep me in mind for Spring Fairs or Fetes at your child's school!

That is about it for now - must start on the new newsletter.

See you Saturday!