Igniting Another Writing Fire

Hello hello, dear blog readers!

I'm just home from an exciting morning at Westmount Library, where I did another "Ignite Your Writing Fire" workshop with Grade Seven students from Selwyn House and Miss Edgar's & Miss Cramps's School. The activity was part of this year's Blue Metropolis Children's Literary Festival.

Both schools are close enough to the library that the students were able to walk  over -- maybe that helped get them in the mood for my presentation. We started with a short discussion of body language (how to hold your pencil in a way that makes you look studious!) and how writers need to SHOW not TELL. (Body language happens to be a great way to show important information about your characters. Here's an example of body language -- check out today's pic... you can tell by the way I am LEANING IN that I was really interested in what this student had written!)

I also explained how writers need to ask themselves the question WHAT IF? in order to advance a story's plot. Sivan, a Miss Edgar's and Miss Cramps's student told me, "I think 'What if?' all the time." A Selwyn House student named Hamza had many good questions for me. I talked a little about my novel What World Is Left and how it deals, among other things, with the question of propaganda art. Hamza wanted to know how drawings can lie. I told him that the father in the book is forced by the Nazis to make drawings of happy scenes (for instance, people lounging in a café) in the concentration camp -- even though there was no real café in the concentration camp.

Another student from Selwyn House, Ben, told me he has a collection of apology notes that he seems to have written to just about every staff member at the school! "Every letter has a story in it," Ben said. I suggested that package of apology notes just might make a great idea for a story.

Okay, I'm off to my own students now at Marianopolis College. Thanks to Wendy Wayling, the terrific children's librarian at the Westmount Library, for getting today's event organized. Thanks to the students and teachers who participated, and to the others who joined the audience, including two of my own students (Maria took  photos for me -- thanks!) and my good friend Katherine Walsh. 

Remember: TROUBLE makes good stories, but STAY OUT OF IT! And SHOW; DON'T TELL. And one more thing: NEVER EVER GIVE UP (even if your own dad tells you to!).