Creative Writing Talk at Clifton School

I had the absolute pleasure the past November of leading a creative writing talk at Clifton School in Winnipeg. I was a guest at the staff’s regular learning meeting where I know all sorts of creative and innovative ideas are surely discussed! That’s because the moment you walk into this vibrant school, you are welcomed by student projects proudly and beautifully displayed in the hallways. There are colourful, permanent murals from years past celebrating the school and surrounding community created through collaborations between students, staff and community artists. In the hall in front of virtually every classroom space, current projects are shared. At first glance, they are dazzling mixed media creations that showcase student ingenuity. On closer inspection, the artwork pieces are also amazing vehicles for exploring math and science concepts, books and literature, and ideas about who we are and can be as individuals and together. Clifton hallways must be an ever-changing gallery of ideas and imaginative creations!

I was at Clifton in order to share a bit about my new book The One Week Writing Workshop and to offer a brief mini-workshop on creating fictional characters. As often happens in a workshop, time became a factor and we didn’t quite get to everything I had planned. But…since a lot of this had to do with our great discussion, I personally feel our meeting was a success (hoping you all did, too 😉 )! Teachers shared past and current writing-in-the-classroom experiences they’ve had. I loved to hear about eager students who are quick to take your lessons, like making an outline, only to expand it to suit their boundless imaginations. There were also lots of great experiences shared about using oral storytelling strategies to invite the youngest of students into the writing process, and students who are emerging as writers. And of course, the use of artwork as a storytelling strategy—so evident when you first walk into Clifton—was a popular and engaging tactic you’re clearly using and using well!

I was so glad to hear these things! They line up with aspects of my own process as an author, which I share about in my book and have chatted about in a little reflection on my writing workshop method here on my blog.  Writing and storytelling are not exclusively desk-only, pen-and-paper-in-hand activities! I personally love using arts (and crafts), even theatre exercises, and I definitely support  adapting and expanding tools to suit the needs of a particular project (like some of your students seem to do instinctively: “We need a BIGGER storyboard!!” 😉 …I love that!). It’s all writing, and the more we see writing in this holistic way, the more we can invite students of all ages and stages into the process, not only those who early on have discovered a love of scribbling in notebooks (but of course, they’re coming along, too!).

I want to thank you, Clifton teachers, for a great discussion that certainly left me inspired. I’m also grateful for your willingness to jump right into the lessons I brought with me, fearlessly sharing your creative thoughts, even though we’d only met moments before! In about our hour, we had created a list of intriguing characters including moody superhero manatees, a caring, organized woman perplexed by her family’s behaviour, and a trio of pirate pumpkins. We also brainstormed ideas about fictional Mark, the 14 year old competitive swimmer (my former workshop participants have met Mark before. Each group gives him a different dimension…I should get all the Marks together on one web someday!). Had we had a bit more time, I think it would have been fascinating to explore how “Clifton’s Mark” might deal with his unique combination of traits and experiences, some apparently in tension/conflict with others (oh, how human!). I think we all agreed that several intriguing stories could rise up out of this web!

Last but not least, we grabbed a stretch exercise from my workshop book and spent a bit of time getting to better know our newly created characters by asking them open-ended questions. Challenging ourselves to think and even speak like our characters as we responded was a fun and  effective way to get to know the differences and similarities between these unique individuals we’d created, don’t you think? A few of you noted that this last exercise, which we did as an oral Q & A would be a helpful way to develop students’ writing abilities without needing to present another writing-only exercise. Yes! I agree! Have any of you tried it since with your students? Let me know if you have!!

Thanks again Clifton teachers for an invigorating morning full of ideas and imagination! Have a great school year!

Till we meet again,

Karin 🙂