Hello teachers and creative writing workshop leaders!
I know firsthand how challenging your jobs can be – I’ve seen you in action and have learned so much from you all! đ
One of the biggest of these challenges has got to be the number of different personalities, learning styles, interest levels, and the emerging levels of various skills among your group. When it comes to planning a creative writing unit, this has got to be “top of mind” for you! (In fact, from the questions you’ve asked me over the years, I know this is true!)
I wanted to point you to a couple of articles I wrote that were recently posted on my publisher’s site. Â I wrote them with teachers and leaders in mind – I think you’ll find some handy information there and some helpful points for getting you in a great mindset for classroom writing!
Two Recent Musings on Creative Writing in Groups
The most recent article is “Thoughts on Teaching Writing in the Classroom” – it’s about seeing and harnessing the diversity that naturally exists in your classroom as an absolute asset for exploring writing!
Another piece is about that often-dreaded-but-let’s-have-fun-with-it-instead topic: revision! Check out the article “Looking for Inspiring Creative Writing Teaching Ideas?” for more on what I hope you’ll see can be a creative, fun classroom activity!
I’m planning more teaching-related posts for my blog in the near future, so be sure to stop by! And please…if you’re interested in having me explore a particular writing topic of question, send me a note and let me know!
Iâm thrilled to announce that my new book The One Week Writing Workshop: 7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novelis finally here! Itâs for anyone wanting guidance as they write their first novel. It’s also for writers whoâve been at the craft for a while but are looking for fresh inspiration, or a new way of looking at things⊠(we’re always learning, aren’t we?).
This is my first non-fiction book, but itâs based on a lot of years sharing my process with groups and classrooms (I canât believe I started in 2010!). Having seen that showing others how I wrote could help them to spark ideas or get out of a rut was my motivation for putting together my workshop sessions in a book. My hope is to reach even more people who know they have a book in them, but aren’t sure how to begin or have gotten stuck along the way.
I had my workshop sessions in mind as I laid out all the book’s (70+ !!) tasks. I’ve tried hard to keep my instructions brief, encouraging and to-the-point so that you can immediately start creating and writingâjust like in a writing workshop. We go through the whole novel writing process from start to finish so that you learn and practice a method that will serve you now and for years to come. I think the format is what Iâm most proud of and what I hope you’ll enjoy, tooâyou write as you read.
I also love how gathering my workhop sessions into a book allowed me to include everything. Live, in-person workshops are awesomeâespecially for the ability to have discussions. But those discussions often mean you have to dial back the activitiesâŠnot so in a book!
…and YET…BECAUSE it’s a book, you can go at your own pace. You can do it in a week or take longer. And you donât have to do everything the first time around. You can pick and choose what appeals to you and what feels most âright onâ for your project. ThenâŠyou can come back to the book later, or for another project, and do a whole other set of activities if youâd like. (In fact, an online video course based on the book is set to release soon, tooâso please stay tuned!)
Iâm really happy with how the book came together, and if you read it youâll notice that I have a lot of people to thank in the acknowledgments. Iâm also very grateful for the positive feedback Iâve been receiving from readers and reviewers. I especially love hearing that the activities in the book have sparked new ideas and kindled (or rekindled) the joy of writing for many of them. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
If youâre dreaming of writing, writing already, or wanting to add to your idea-sparking and creative-block-busting strategies, I hope youâll check out The One Week Writing Workshop today!
Hope that “back to school” is going well so far. I also hope that somewhere in your schedule there may be a little creative writing planned for your students…
In fact, maybe you’re already to start thinking about what a creative writing workshop might look like with your crew! Quite often, we go straight to hunting for tips and strategies best suited to the beginning of the process: how to spark ideas, how to develop interesting characters, how to inspire great descriptions, etc.  And of course, you’re going to need a writing plan to cover all of these things!
But I wanted to say just in case: don’t forget about revision! I know it probably feels like a far off step. BUT…I also know that it’s one of the most-often-asked-about topics I get when I plan a workshop with teachers. So the odds are if you’re not thinking about it just yet, you will be eventually!
Take a look at my new article Looking for Inspiring Creative Writing Ideas? Â – here I offer my best tips and strategies for teaching revision in your creative writing unit in a way than can be fun and get results!
Hope you’ll take a look – drop me a line anytime to let me know what you think!
My new non-fiction book for adult writers launches on October 17, 2024. Itâs called The One Week Writing Workshop, and itâs for anyone who wants to write a novel (and enjoy the process!). I cover writing essentials while we write and take actionable, inspiring and methodical steps together.
In writing The One Week Writing Workshop, Iâve been thinking a lot about how I first came up with my writing workshop methodâhow and why I teach writing the way that I do…
How could I devise an interesting writing workshop method?
These days, I would describe my writing instruction style as âfrom the ground upââwhere I encourage writers to start with their own ideas instead of story prompts. From there, we build and develop those ideas through my methodical (but flexible!) seven-step writing process. We let ideas grow into what theyâre meant to be rather than focusing on satisfying an external checklist or story template.
I say that I approach writing âfrom the ground upâ…and working with young writers helped me to figure out just where this ground begins. But not, as you might think,because I had to simplify things in order to work with kids. Quite the opposite! I had to find the absolute core of the various steps I take when it comes to writing a novelâand figure out for myself why I do them, what purpose they serve, and how others (anyone!) can harness the same steps to draw out and create with their own unique ideas.
When I got my first long-term âgigâ working with childrenâa two-week residency at an elementary schoolâI was thrilled. ThenâŠI realized that I was also kind of terrified! What was I possibly going to do with 25 fourth graders for an hour at a time…for two weeks?
As a writer, I spend my time thinking, planning and sitting at a computer. How would I show that to others? How would I convey it? And not only that, unlike a sculptor who could bring in some super fun, squishy materials to inspire hands-on creativity, or an actor who could use props and do energizing drama exercises, I was going to talk about writingâsomething students were learning already. Or, as I suddenly realized, something many students even disliked already. Writing â ugh! Thatâs so school-ish!
I was worried. And my immediate response was (forgive me!): handouts. I made crossword puzzles and word jumbles related to “writing words”. I made fill-in-the-blanks adventure stories and templates with space for cute story-related doodles. I used little writing-supply graphics to jazz up pages for lists and notes about our stories…You get the picture.
I printed everything off and brought it to the librarian who was my point person at the school. I am eternally grateful to her for how gracious and kind she was to me as she reviewed my plan. She even praised the hard work that Iâd put into the materials. But then she looked straight at me and said something like this: âBut is this how you actually write?â
Of course, the answer was no. And of course, her implication was: we want you to bring your actual process into our classrooms, not busy work.
It was a wake up call. A good one. I went back to the drawing board before my first session. I ditched the fill-in-the-blanks worksheets, and dug out my own character webs. I grabbed my old storyboards and storyworld maps and notebooks full of different colors and rudimentary, for-my-eyes-only (but not anymore!) sketches. I decided that I would get vulnerable and show the students exactly how I planned, no matter how rough and clunky. Iâd show them how I imagined and played with my stories as I planned and wrote them, and then invite them to try it for themselves. I thought deeply about why I worked the way I did, and experienced several personal epiphanies about my own process along the way (e.g., webs have organic connections between the parts, just like peopleâ perfect for planning charactersâno wonder they feel so right to me!)
The response was terrific. The creativity that came out of the students was astounding. And for me, there was no looking back. This was how I would explain my writing process to writers of any ageâan authentic process that anyone could experiment with, discover with, see themselves and their stories in…and tailor and tweak for their own unique ideas.
So, I want to thank the youngest of my writing students and their teachers for giving me a chance to go deeper than I might ever have (or thought I needed to) in pondering the essence of the writerâs craft. When we get to that essence and mix it with our unique ideas and writing personalities, thatâs when truly exciting stories come to life. Thatâs why I teach writing the way I do, no matter the age or stage of the writing group in front of me.
And if it werenât for that question: âBut is this how you actually write?â, I wouldnât be doing what Iâm doing today.
In addition to my new book, coming soon is the launch of The One Week Writing Workshop Online Video Course. Visit www.authorinyourcorner.com for more information!
Last week, I met with my friends in Room 102 to talk about revision. Revision is when writers look again at what they’ve written. They ask themselves lots of questions, like:
What do I like about my story?
What things does my story make wonder?
Can I add juicier words in some places?
Are there any details I can add to really make my writing shine?
They also ask for feedback from their friends, write it down, and think about it. Quite often, feedback from friends helps to make your story even stronger.
So, this is what we did together!
We started with the rough draft of a short story called Ruby and Her Cuzzins.
We talked about how the revision step focuses on improvements, adjustments, polishing up, and adding creative details into the rough draft. (We noticed that there were some spelling corrections to make, but we agreed to wait until the end when we could edit or proofread our final draft.) Revision is all about making our rough draft come to life!
Making Feedback Notes on the Rough Draft
We brainstormed a few details we wanted to see included in the next draft:
After this, we split into pairs to brainstorm some juicy words:
We thought that maybe we could bring some of these words into our story, to show how our characters talked (and make our readers see their different personalities!).
We also decided to really bring that secret forest we liked to life. We used our senses to imagine what it would be like to actually be in that forest along with Ruby…
Then, we put it all together, adding in our new details, ideas, words, and descriptions into our Rough Draft.
It was almost time to go home for the day. I took all of our wonderful work home with me, and typed in our revisions. I was even inspired to build on your feedback and add in a few extra ‘tweaks’. I think you’ll agree that the story is REALLY coming to life because we took the time to do some revision!
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting even more excited about this story now that we’ve done some creative revision. I think there’s even more that we could do to make this story shine. Do you have any other creative ideas? Would you make any more creative changes? This is why I love the revision step!
Thanks again for a terrific and creative session together. Congratulations on your wonderful work!
I was so excited to meet a group of new friends on February 29 – Leap Day! Thank you Room 102 for inviting me to spend the afternoon with you. I am so glad you enjoyed No TV? No Fair!. You asked great questions that really made me think, and had great ideas of your own. I loved how the more we talked, the more we made “les connections” with one another.
A handcrafted gift!
Thank you for the GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers, made with so much creativity and care. I love looking at them! I know that if Chloe was a student in your class, she would have enjoyed designing, crafting and creating right along with you!
Oh! I almost forgot. Do you remember how we talked about how writers don’t just sit down once at their desk, do a little writing, and voila – a book is done? I have a few pictures to prove that’s not the case!
Here’s a picture of my complete, published, finished, as-good-as-it-can-be book Lights! Curtains! Cows! (the one that looks like a book!) beside the book the way it looks printed out once my computer.
Draft copy of Lights! Curtains! Cows! beside final book
And HERE is a picture of that same book beside all the revisions I did to get it into its final shape.
Multiple drafts beside final book
Wow, right? I must have printed it out at least 10 times! And each time, before printing it out, I made changes — again and again! Some changes were HUGE – like taking out whole chapters and writing new ones. Some were small, like changing a few sentences around, or adding or taking out a word here and there. But I really wanted to share the best story I could with readers. I wanted my readers to picture the action, feel the feelings, laugh and be held in suspense like I was in my own head when I imagined the story. Well, that took a lot of tries!
So you can see that no one gets it perfect the first time (or the second, third, fourth time…). Even authors who have published books make a rough draft, then go back again (and again) and change things to make it better and clearer. When a teacher suggests that you might want to make some changes and improvements to something you’ve written, just know that there’s nothing wrong with your writing. In fact by making changes, you’re being a writer!
Well, once again — I enjoyed talking about writing with you (and pickles…and pizza… pineapples…and hockey…and all sorts of things!). Thank you also for being the very first audience for my unpublished adventure story, which just happens to take place on Leap Day. You were a great audience and have given me and my co-author Anita Lebeau lots of inspiration to keep on writing (she loved hearing about Room 102!). We hope to have more to share with you soon.
In the meantime, keep on reading and writing and doing the activities you love and thinking about the things that make you curious.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my young writer and reader friends these days. I know things have been very different for you lately – especially when it comes to school – but I hope that you’re doing well!
As the summer approaches, I’ve been thinking back over the past school year. I haven’t done as many school visits as I have in the past. But one visit was an absolute ‘stand out’ – and that was my surprise visit to the very special Grade 4s of Ecole Margaret-Underhill this past January!
I’ve blogged about this AMAZING school before. It was the very first school – years ago – that I visited with my creative writing program. (In fact, if my calculations are correct, a lot of the students I met in 2012/2013 will be graduating from high school very soon!!) Since then, I’ve had several opportunities to return and have enjoyed the friendships I’ve made with teachers, staff and students.
So I was thrilled when I was contacted about a surprise visit to Room 202 for January! The class was reading NoTV! No Fair. As a surprise, I was asked to come to the class to read the next chapter – and I’m not sure who was more excited, me or the students! We had a great time reading and laughing together. And then came the questions! Students had prepared questions that they were going to send to me as a letter – but their very clever teacher said: “Why don’t we just ask Mme. right now?” ;). I heard some very insightful comments, and had to scratch my head as I fell deep in thought to answer your awesome questions about Chloe, Mark and Mr. Z… We may have only spent half an hour or so together, but I won’t forget it!
After ‘secret visit #1’ I then headed off to two other grade four classes. I had a chance to read from Frostbite Hotel, and the teacher from Room 206 reminded me that years ago, I read a chapter from Frostbite to his class …before it was published! So, it was pretty cool to be able to read the published version in the very same room. Lots of questions from this ‘crew’ about the life of an author…and I was excited to hear about all the creative and active things you’re into as well!
One last-but-not-least stop to another very special group of grade 4s, many of whom had read No TV? last year as Grade 3s…but wanted to hear it again anyway (thanks – that made me feel pretty great!). We read and laughed and talked over some very creative ideas and thoughts you have. I can tell that this is a group of energetic thinkers with lots of imagination!
Once again, thank you EMU for such a fun visit and for being a bright, standout event in my ‘author life’ in 2020. I hope that you all have a happy, healthy summer!
Amazing Scraphic Art pages based on Frostbite Hotel (so creative, 4C!)
Hello my friends from 4C at R.W. Bobby Bend School!
I received your wonderful – and very bright and colourful – letters about Frostbite Hotel a few weeks ago. I had so much fun reading them and wanted to say a big THANK YOU for all of your comments, suggestions and questions! I enjoyed learning a bit about all the writers, mystery writers, hockey players, artists and video game enthusiasts among you. Also – no – I did not know the total number of metaphors and similes I used in the book, so thank you for that information (and I promise that I tried not to cheat when reading your letters – LOL).
It was exciting to hear that you read my book (and how awesome that your class got so many copies – thank you!). I loved seeing the picture of your wall of art as well – very creative and 3-D in the true Scraphic style.
Back to those letters: in addition to the comments and suggestions, many of you had questions. I’ve tried my best to answer them below. I combined some of your questions if they were similar to each other so you wouldn’t have to read the same thing again and again. (SPOILER ALERT – if youâre not in 4C and havenât read Frostbite Hotel, some of these answers may reveal story information!)
Here it goes:
How many books have you written? Are you writing any other books?
As of this moment, I have written five books that have been published. I have written other stories, scripts, poems, plays and even songs that Iâve shared with friends and family…or just for me! I am writing two new books right now, one non-fiction (about writing) and a fantasy novel (thatâs new for me – but Iâm having fun with it).
What’s your favourite book that you’ve written?
Hmmm…that is SUCH a hard question to answer. I enjoyed writing and sharing all my books, but Frostbite Hotel certainly has a special place in my heart. I like the fun story (it makes me think of me and my friends at winter recess time many years ago!) and it’s the book that’s helped connect me to the most readers (like all of you in 4C).
Do you like being an author?
Yes, although it isnât always easy. My two favourite things about writing books: when the story comes alive and I forget to look at the clock when I write, and sharing stories with readers like you (and hearing from you)!
Why did you put a bully in the book?
I knew that Kirby had to have conflicts to face so that he could try and grow and fall down and get back up again as he went after his goals. Sometimes conflicts happen between people (even though we wish they wouldnât), and for Kirby, The Bear and his buddies were definitely a source of conflict. Also, as I wrote the story, I realized that Kirby himself and Jeannie arenât always the best âhotel bossesâ; sometimes they too are just making their friends do what they want them to do. So, in a way, they have to figure out how to go after their dreams without becoming bullies themselves…
I have thought a lot about The Bear though since writing Frostbite Hotel, like what made him think it was a good idea to boss others around and why he felt he had to be âin chargeâ of the school yard. I wonder if he might now change his ways seeing how things turned outâŠWhat do you think?
Why didnât Marvin just go around Christmas Orange?
 What a good point! When I wrote that scene, I was thinking about the first few times that I used snow shoes â  if you haven’t practiced that much, they’re not that easy to walk around in, and it’s hard to quickly change direction (especially when youâre running). At least that’s what I found. Maybe Marvin (like me) needs more practice! đ Also, I picture Christmas Orange spinning and spinning in such an out-of-control way, that Marvin canât move away fast enough.Â
What is your favourite part of the book?
I have lots, actually. I love the cozy opening scene: video games in Kirbyâs room while a snow storm howls outside. I love the Magic Monday tradition in Kirbyâs class. I love the hockey and snowshoe scenes, and I had fun writing the scene where Kirby pictures a ninja creeping across the school ground and starts thinking about a spyâŠAlso, the scene where Jeannie squirts the boys with her ginormous soaker squirter. (I wasnât even planning to add that – Jeannie was just going to chase Marvin and Kirby, then all of a sudden as I was writing I saw the garage door open and Jeannie with the huge soakerâŠI had to add it in! LOL).
Well – I think I just mentioned almost everything in the book! I guess I must enjoy writingâŠ
Will you write a Frostbite Hotel 2?
I havenât yet written a book that has a sequel, but I have a few ideas that might just work for a ‘Frostbite Hotel 2’. I would definitely have to spend some more time working out the details, though…I guess we’ll see!
Thanks again 4C for your letters and questions. I hope I answered everything!
I also hope that you’re finding a good balance between school work, creative fun, and family time these days.
This past February, I had a two-week residency, the longest of the year, at the wonderful R.F. Morrison school. It’s a place I’ve had the pleasure of visiting many times over the years, and to which I have many personal connections. I was lucky to work with teachers who I’ve come to know quite well – add to that very welcoming students and it was like ‘coming home’ in a number of ways!
I was invited to spend two weeks with Grades 4-6 students during I Love to Read month, which is always a major event for this school community. There are challenges, decorations, games, prizes, quizzes, and special reader guests all month long — all celebrating books and stories. So, focusing on writing during this special month was very fitting, and I was honoured to be a part of the celebration!
Connecting ourselves to our story ideas…
We explored the writing process from start to finish – from searching our own hearts and minds for what we care about, to creating characters, to building story worlds, making storyboards, and on to diving into that first draft and adding in more impact with vivid, sparkling language. Many students continued to work on their stories during breaks, computer time, indoor recesses (it was COLD out there!) and even at home. I love when that happens! đ
Character web – exploding with your terrific suggestions
During this especially ‘frosty’ February, I was thrilled to connect with a classroom who had not only read Frostbite Hotel together, but who did a fascinating project connected to the book. Each student created a special cereal box with a highly original Frostbite Hotel theme. On each box there was dazzling artwork in ‘chilly’ colours, ‘ingredients’ from the book (like the characters from the book!), games (mazes, crosswords, etc.) that connected to the story, even fabulous Frostbite Hotel inspired prizes. I hope you enjoyed making those boxes as much as I enjoyed looking at each and every one – they were truly amazing!
Those wonderful words with IMPACT!
As we all look forward to some summer fun, I hope you all look back at our frosty February together with a smile on your face, and maybe a few new ideas about writing in your very imaginative minds.
I know I will always remember your creativity (and ‘cousin Biff’!)
Thank you, everyone at R.F.Morrison, for having me back this year, for working so hard, and for embracing reading and writing in such an inspiring way!
My senses still spark when I read your creative revisions to this simple story!
I was very fortunate to be invited back a second time to the wonderful, welcoming and enthusiastic Ecole Bobby Bend this past school year! In 2017 I worked with the Grade 4s on getting started when it comes to creative writing. This year, we looked at the end stages of the writing process â doing creative revisions.
Teachers often tell me that ‘doing revision’ is the hardest part of the writing process to teach. Writers often tell me this is the hardest part of the job, too! I know what they mean. After all the hard work it takes to brainspark an idea, create characters and a rich story world, plan your story, and then write a first draft, itâs tough to think you havenât yet reached the endâŠ
Hmmm…wish my kitchen was like that right now
Thatâs why I was SO proud to watch as you patiently worked through everything we talked about to take your writing from good to grrrrrreat!: showing more than you tell, choosing vivid words, using the five senses to inspire your writing, sharing and receiving feedbackâŠThatâs a lot to practice (and so much more than just ‘fixing mistakes’ which is what people sometimes think revision means)!
But what I hope you learned is that even though revision is tough, itâs your chance as an author to look again, to make your writing shine, and to bring your stories to life so that others can see, hear and feel what youâve imagined! In other words, it can be a very fun, creative and rewarding step of the process, too.
Thanks you for one of the most memorable weeks of my ‘school year’ – as well as the lovely card and Timmy’s gift certificate (put to good use!). Have a happy summer full of activities that you enjoy (perhaps including some reading and creative writing!)
