Jumping Into the Great Writing Adventure at St.Eustache
My first Artist Residency of the year was at a school in the lovely town of St.Eustache, MB just west of my home in Winnipeg. What a beautiful place to visit in the fall (and at any time of year, I’m sure!). But what really made my week special was the people I met – the creative, enthusiastic students and the friendly, encouraging staff of Ecole St. Eustache.
This is week one of a two-week residency (the second week will be in May – already counting the days! 🙂 ). Together with the teachers, we decided that week one would be about ‘getting started’ on the writing process, or as I like to call it creating ‘great beginnings’. I brought my process along with me to demonstrate and inspire. We talked about ‘brainsparking’, and I showed you some of my notes, story boards, character webs and drafts and had you, the students, try out some of my ‘getting started’ writing techniques. However, we also discussed how no two writers are the same. As you do more and more writing, you might discover a process of your own. Over the years, I’ve tried different writing techniques and have been inspired by other writers, taking bits and pieces of their wisdom and then weaved them together into a process that works for me. I hope that our time together inspired you, and that you will take ‘bits and pieces’ into your own writing process!
I worked with five groups in total, from Grade 1 to Grade 5/6. Each classroom was a pleasure to work with and did a phenomenal job with each step. Every group also had its standout qualities as a group: The Grade 1s were superb brainsparkers and came up with amazing story world descriptions; the Grade 2s combined their real life experiences with their imaginations in spectacular ways; the Grade 3s brought up incredible questions about writing and inspired me to think about new steps for my process; Grade 4/5s bubbled over with creative plot ideas and poetic descriptions that made my jaw drop; and the Grade 5/6s had profound insights into story structure and character development (ideas that I have heard expressed by high school students and adults). Go ahead – say WOW! – I certainly did a few times throughout that week! 🙂
I’m so excited that your teachers will be encouraging you to keep writing throughout the year. I guess you can tell how much I’m looking forward to returning in May when we will come full circle from talking about ‘Great Beginnings’ to ‘Making Our Writing Shine’. I’m looking forward to seeing where you went on your writing adventure, and continuing the journey with you!
All the best throughout the school year – till we meet again (soon!).
Karin 🙂