The workshops are suitable for all abilities and are designed to spark an initial interest in creative writing. Community group leaders are welcome to book tickets for their whole group up to the max number of tickets remaining, as long as they are able to travel to our workshop space and attend all six sessions.
The lively, collaborative and interactive workshops will last 2 hours including a 10 minute break for a drink and a snack. The children will dream up original characters, stories, scripts and comics, poems, jokes, and even local guides. They will receive individual help from our volunteer mentors, and their group stories will be brought to life by a volunteer illustrator.
Please book a ticket for each child attending. There are 20 places available and each child must attend all six sessions. Parents and community group leaders are required to bring their children before the start time, and to pick them up again promptly at the end, or else remain in our centre as an observer. We always welcome new volunteers and hold training on the first tuesday each month.
Series Outline (may vary): 3.30-5.30pm each Thursday for 6 weeks. New writing will be produced in each session and we will publish the children's writing in a digital book at the end of the 6 sessions.
Week 1: 2nd March - Storymaking and idea generation. Creativity, Empathy, Conflict and Identity. Shared Reading.
Week 2: 9th March -Poetry/Songwriting: Values, emotions and senses.
Week 3: 16th March - Oral Storytelling with Janice Witherspoon from Armstrong Storytelling Trust. Confident communication, Memorisation, Place based stories.
Week 4: 23rd March - Scriptwriting - Realistic dialogue, Communication, Conflict and Dialogue in Drama/Film. Storyboarding/comics.
Week 5: 30th March - Journalism - Interviewing, Mini-Zine making, letters to care home residents.
Week 6: 6th April - Joke-writing - humour, fun, irony, misunderstanding. Giant Pencil making - Reminder to Keep Writing.