Karin Adams

The amazing Grade 3s of Room 211 offered wonderful feedback on a rough draft I shared with them, a very short story called “Ruby and the Ball”. Now, I know I told you wonderful writers that I would try to revise this story using your ideas. However, I find myself suddenly very busy with another huge writing project leaving me very little extra time (eep!).

But I did want to take the time to say thank you! You all helped me to see what was already working in my little story by telling me what you liked. Then came your imaginative suggestions for improvement! These included adding names and ages to the existing characters, adding more action, putting in a plot twist, bringing in the parents as important characters, describing the forest with more intriguing details (a path, a gate)…maybe even taking the whole story in a new and exciting science fiction direction! I mean, wow! So much to think about and so many ways the story could go…

So, thank you for helping me to see the possibilities in this story, just like I saw so many possibilities in your own creative stories, characters, story worlds and ideas. (And hey – if you want to rewrite the Ruby story using your own great ideas, that would be amazing – let me know how it goes!)

Thanks again Room 211 for a great time, and the warm welcome before each and every session (I felt like part of your class!):

Happy writing – till we meet again!

Karin 🙂

I had the privilege of working for two whole weeks with the Grade 3 and 4 students and teachers at Ecole Riviere Rouge in Seven Oaks School Division. What a welcoming, friendly and enthusiastic school community!

Together we explored steps in the creative writing process, tried out some activities to keep our creative juices flowing, and even worked at revising our work to take it from good to great.

Remember how it all started in our first week together? We asked ourselves what is was we enjoyed doing and what we dreamed of one day doing or becoming. From there, we brainsparked a fictional character – someone we could easily get to know because he or she was connected in some way to our own interests and dreams…

I don’t have photos of our storyboards (probably because we were so busy working on them to stop to pose for a picture!), but it was amazing to watch as you went from having one fictional character to having a plan for an entire story, start to finish. Some of you kept working on that story, while others were inspired to start something new. Either way, going through these steps together got each of us where we needed to go! 🙂

When I returned in April for Week 2, the focus for the Grade 3s turned to strategies to keep our creativity sparking. I was impressed and inspired by the wealth of ideas that were generated. Whether we were looking at interesting objects with ‘wondering’ minds, imagining storyworlds with our 5 senses, playing charades, or listening to music and picturing a trio of cats playing music at a jazz club, we were practicing creative writing. That might sound funny…until you remember that writing isn’t just about putting pencil to paper – it’s about dreaming, planning, wondering, sharing ideas with others, keeping our minds open to the possibilities around us, and trying new things out!

With the Grade 4s, we plunged into creative revisions and practiced techniques for writing with impact. I have to say ‘way to go’ to you all. You did a great job beginning the creative revision process. In my opinion, revision is one of the most important – and hardest – things an author has to do. But you were willing to look at your own work and reflect on how to make it stronger. That takes maturity, patience, and focus. Keep at it and once again, way to go!

Oh – and because this came up a few times in several classes, here’s a photo of my dog Storm (he’s one of the ‘people’ to whom I dedicated my book “Frostbite Hotel”):

He’s a sweet, gentle, miniature long-haired dachshund (a.k.a. a wiener dog). He says ‘hi!’ (or “woof”, I suppose…)

…and just because this is cute, take a look at this:

Enjoy the rest of the school year, everyone. Work hard, be creative, and keep on helping each other!

Till we meet again,

Karin 🙂

I was so fortunate to join four Grade 4/5 classes at Ecole Belmont for several writing workshops. We started with a couple of sessions each…and we enjoyed our time together so much, we added a few more (it was a treat for me to see you all so soon – thanks for inviting me back!). You had a lot of questions about writing – great questions that really made me think! You also had many wonderful insights about writing from your own experiences. I can tell that you all read and write a lot at Belmont…and at home, too. That’s great and I hope you keep it up!

Besides ‘talking shop’, we searched our hearts and minds for concepts we cared about and knew about to inspire our writing. We brainstormed characters, worked through a few strategies for writing with impact, and even practiced revisions on a rough draft together. Some of us further explored our characters’ story worlds, and even made plans for stories on storyboards. Several students began drafting their stories, while others continued to dream and plan. It’s all part of the process, and it was fun for me to see it all in motion…

Meeting such friendly, enthusiastic and creative students  – and teachers – was an absolute highlight. I was also impressed by a willingness among many of you to go back to your ideas and dig a little deeper, or to review your writing and rewrite – exploring  other ways to describe a scene or set up your all-important opening moment. It’s great to overflow with ideas, but when you’re willing to keep working at them and to polish and refine your work, that’s where things really come to life.

Another neat ‘moment’ I just have to mention – when several writers at a table ‘became’ their characters as they worked, talking and acting as though they were the heroes from their stories. I even joined in for a bit as Dylan from Mermaid Warrior Squad. I loved seeing this happen because, really, this is what you need to do when you write – ‘become’ your character(s) so that you understand and experience the world from their point of view. I find it helps in my own writing, and I was thrilled to watch you discover the ‘acting technique’ for yourselves!

I hope you all learned some creative writing approaches and strategies, and discovered some of the joy that writing and sharing your stories can bring.

Enjoy the rest of the year. Till we meet again!

Karin 🙂

Imagine my delight when I checked the mailbox at the beginning of summer holidays. Waiting for me was not one but two incredible collections of original stories by the writers of 4B from Ecole Bobby Bend. WOW! (Check out the cover designs, and artwork, too!)

I flipped through the books eagerly, and started reading… you all did such a great job!

Remember when your stories began with a web? In fact, here are the webs we brainsparked on our very first day together:

Well… you’ve sure come a long way and have turned those first sparks into finished stories. WAY TO GO! Thank you for sharing with me, and for the great honour of acknowledging me on the cover, too.  It’s very special to me!

I popped a thank you card in the mail addressed to your 4B teacher. However, knowing that you will all be starting new adventures in Grade 5 and won’t be in the same classroom, I  decided to share what I wrote in the card below, too:

Thank you for sharing your two marvelous story collections with me! I received them in the mail at the beginning of summer – what a wonderful gift! I’ve enjoyed all your stories. They had humour, mystery, suspense, and terrific characters. Each one started with a ‘hook’ that drew me right into the action. You all worked very hard and should be proud of every step. I’m proud of you, too!

Congratulations, thank you, and keep on reading and writing!

Sincerely,
Karin Adams

This past May and June, I spent a few days a week with the awesome Grade 4, 5 and 6 students at Wi Wabigooni and Victoria-Albert. From the moment we met, I felt like an old friend somehow (a very friendly school!). And then came the amazing questions! This is a curious, passionate group full of wonder about the world (we talked about way more than just writing…animals, the environment, art, sports, books we love…) – so, thanks for wondering about me!

(Above are some of the questions my friends at Wi Wabigooni thought up together. This was one page of about five or six pages of questions – a world record!!)

Between all of conversations, somehow we also managed to do some writing, too ;). And we learned together that writing isn’t only about sitting by yourself with a pencil and a piece of paper. It’s about diving into our memories, observations, interests and experiences to come up with intriguing characters:

…then plunging deeper as we get to know the characters we want to write about. Here are some more of the webs we created together – have you noticed that I love webs?). I could barely write fast enough to catch up with the creative flow:

I didn’t snap any pictures of our 5 senses webs (must have been too busy!), but these were great, too. Besides the swimming pools and jungle scapes we created together, as I strolled around your classrooms I saw you developing soccer pitches and ice rinks, arts colleges and family homes, theatres and hospitals, underwater ocean lairs and dry deserts, party rooms for fun and games and kitchens filled with the aroma of fresh baked cookies…and so much more. Your imaginations were taking off…

After making storyboards to plan our stories, we next talked about how to make good writing into writing that shines, by choosing intriguing words…

…and showing more than we tell. You all did so well with this, turning a basic draft of a story into something with character growth, atmosphere, emotion and suspense (and in some cases humor!).

I’ve heard from your teachers that you’ve gone on to do more work on your stories. Some of you even started again, to make use of an ‘opening hook’ and write with even MORE show and LESS tell – I’m so proud of you for doing that. That’s what all writers must go through to bring their story to life. But isn’t it exciting to see your own story get clearer and clearer every time you make a thoughtful, creative change?

So… congratulations to you and your fabulous teachers for a spectacular Engaging Fusion experience. I won’t forget it! And thanks for the best kind of an end to the school year (we even got to cheer on our Jets together during their outstanding playoff run!):

Have a happy summer doing the things you enjoy (I know a lot of you will be reading and writing!)

Till we meet again,
Karin

Hi Everyone!

I hope you’re all doing well and having a terrific final few weeks of Grade 6.

I was honoured to be invited to attend East Selkirk Middle School’s tenth anniversary celebration. I enjoyed catching up with your teachers, seeing some of you again (YAY!) and meeting your families. And most of all…I LOVED getting to see your amazing finished books!  (Pardon the silly selfies – just wanted to show you that I was really there! LOL)

I was proud of the work you did to carefully craft your finished stories. You made me see, hear, and feel the action (I read each and every book’s opening paragraph  – couldn’t help myself, they hooked me right in, just like we talked about! 😉 ). The cover art, dedications, and books summaries were also beautifully done, and the bookbinding gave your stories a deserving frame.

I know how exciting it is to see the idea that jumps into your head leap off onto the page and then (after lots of hard work) become a book to share – I’m sure you all have that same feeling…

A special thank you to those who dedicated their books to me. I was moved to see that I helped you in some way along your writing journeys. I also must give a big shout out to your teachers who helped guide your work and put on such a fantastic book showing.

Have a happy summer full of all the things you love to do. (And do keep reading and writing!)

Till we meet again,

Karin

Hello students at Victoria-Albert and Wi Wabigooni!

I’m an author who LOVES to work with young writers like you. I’m going to be coming to your classrooms starting next week to do some creative writing together, and I can’t wait to meet you!

In case you were wondering, I’ve written five books (so far… 🙂 ). Here they are:

If you want to know more about the books, you can read about them here:

And of course, I’ll bring them with me next week.

Can’t wait to meet you soon – have a wonderful week!

Karin

P.S. I love the sound of the words Wi Wabioogini, but – I don’t know what they mean! I really, really want to learn. Instead of googling it, I’m going to wait until I meet those students at Wi Wabigooni. Would you please tell me what this means when I meet you? Thanks so much! 😉