Since the beginning of September 2014 I have been going into schools to talk to children about creative writing and the process of making a story.
I have also visited drama groups and have a variety of drama activities based around 'Zachary Mackerel' which are easily adapted for children of any age.
A typical author talk lasts for about an hour which gives us time to discuss as many of the children's own ideas as possible.
For the first 45-50 minutes we discuss the planning process and what we all need to think about before trying to structure a story. We talk about the purpose of writing and how to develop characters, settings and plot. This is illustrated with the children's own ideas. During this part of the talk I like to be very interactive and am lead by the children and what captures their imaginations.
The last 10-15 minutes are spent reading small sections of 'Zachary Mackerel,' to demonstrate how everything we have been discussing comes together to make a story.
I can then work with classes or smaller groups of children to help them unlock their imaginations and begin to build their own characters, settings and plots.
If you are interested in booking a creative writing workshop then I would love to hear from you.
Please e-mail me with your details and several dates that suit. kate@katepoels.co.uk