Today in my writing group, we all brought prompts to the table. We'd been discussing the problems of coming up with ideas, especially if there is a theme at work so we decided to play with it. We brought a range of things: letters, photos, objects, story dice and I brought a song. In turn, … Continue reading Idea generation
Tag: teaching
Retrospective
So, I started this blog and my new writing habits about a year ago. Before this point, I had written but nothing had ever seen the light of day. So, I thought perhaps it’s time to think back and take stock of what’s happened. I started off starting a twitter account and religiously writing twitter … Continue reading Retrospective
Intervention (a poem)
For generations we've wished that the youth would act Now they do, we complain, belittle, push them back. Stop assuming they know nothing, been force-fed false truths, They're canny and wily, they know what's fake news. Perhaps you should listen, hear what they say They have views, made opinions and at the end of the … Continue reading Intervention (a poem)
Inspiration – where do you find it?
I've been trying to enter a lot of competitions and submit to anthologies lately. My writing group have been sharing the different outlets we've found and it's led to the conversation - does a theme make it harder or easier? I've submitted stories that fit themes and some that only fit a genre. And honestly, … Continue reading Inspiration – where do you find it?
Music Maestro Please
A new twitter prompt game has emerged recently called #MusicalChaos; the brainchild of a group of clever gents who go by @CreatorChaos. (I definitely suggest finding them on soundcloud and listening to their podcast.) Anywho, the game involves writing a twitter story based on a song. Initially, I just found it fun trying to guess … Continue reading Music Maestro Please
Déjà vu (Or- flashbacks: the curse English teachers are doomed to repeat)
In England, the national curriculum states that when children leave primary school at year 6 (aged 10/11) they have to take SATs. These are different from the American exams. (A cynic would tell you the English SATs are purely to judge the school and put children in their first sets for high school and the … Continue reading Déjà vu (Or- flashbacks: the curse English teachers are doomed to repeat)
Views- a short story
Today, I gave my class 30 minutes free writing time. I asked them to write a story based a picture and write about whatever the girl can see through a telescope. The extra challenge was whether they could make me feel hopeful when reding it. I decided there was no reason I couldn't write too … Continue reading Views- a short story
Tales of a writer’s workshop
So, you may remember that I mentioned that I was going to organise a writing group in my area because one did not exist. We've been meeting monthly and discussing different people's writing each time. It's been fascinating, at times terrifying, but I have found a great bunch of people with similar senses of humour … Continue reading Tales of a writer’s workshop
NaNoWriMo – Yikes
So, we are nearing the end of October and it can only mean one thing.. Hallowe'en. Well, yes Hallowe'en... Christmas is nearer. Ok, fine. Yes Christmas is nearer... The clocks change in the UK and everyone complains about how dark it is now. Yes. All of those things. Are you done? Right, thank you. I … Continue reading NaNoWriMo – Yikes
The devil’s in the detail- the art of show not tell.
This week, I introduced my class to the wonders of Sherlock Holmes. I was delighted to find that some of them already knew not only him, but Watson, Moriarty and 221B Baker Street. The idea of a mystery story delighted a good proportion of them too. But why had I picked this for my group … Continue reading The devil’s in the detail- the art of show not tell.
Lexikon 