Teaching and Workshops

Workshops

NEW for 2019!

Writing for Children: Understanding the Preschool Mind

1 day workshop (5 hours)

This session looks at preschool cognitive development, year by year, with insights useful to those who write for children. What engages children most at each age? What are their struggles and fears? What do they worry about? What do they find funny or interesting? What do they understand re. language and the narrative conventions of stories in books and media? What kinds of stories support their development and help them through difficult times?

Instruction with periodic breaks to brainstorm story ideas and talk about our own childhood memories and the books we loved.

Content for this workshop is adapted from a book I am just completing entitled Portrait of Childhood: A Writer’s Guide to the Preschool Mind.

Instructor requirements: Projector and screen

Participant requirements: notebook, pen, childhood memories

Contact me if you are interested in booking this workshop.

Summer Camps

Whenever work permits, I hold summer writing camps at my home on Salt Spring Island, just a five-minute drive south of Ganges. No Camps are currently planned for Summer 2018.

Summer Writing Camp: Ages 10 – 14

1 week – Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

$175/week (Early bird deal: $165)

Story ideas, character development, plot structure, dialogue, setting, genre, theme, style, and much more! Discussions about favourite books and movies, vocabulary builders, technical tips, games, exercises and prompts. Whether you are working on a project and need a little advice or are looking for inspiration to get started, this camp is for you. Bring your own lunch, notebook and pen. (Computers ok too.)

“It was so much fun – I learned so much and I’m actually writing the book
I’ve been planning to write for a long time.” – Holly

Junior Writers Camp: Ages 8-10
1 week – Monday to Friday, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
$175 (Early bird deal: $165)

For younger writers, this is a very active version of the older kids’ camp, focussing on games, exercises, and storytelling, with a bit of acting, art and puppetry thrown in for good measure.  We’ll make up crazy group stories and talk about our favourite books and movies. With a little less emphasis on actual words-on-paper than the older camp, this week is designed to get kids thinking about story, characters and plot in fun ways. Bring your own lunch, notebook and pen. (Computers ok too.)

To register or find out more info, please drop me a line!

After School Writing Club

I have been known to run the occasional After School Writing Club for ages 10-14 . Some of past club exercises and discussions can be seen on my blog. (Go to the right column there and click on Category: Writing Club)

Read about our first meeting here.

School Talks

I am a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada, which means that schools and other groups may be able to access grants to cover my fees, through the National Public Readings Program, the Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools Program, and the NPR Northern Program. See the Writer’s Union website for more information.

I give school talks on various topics:

Storytelling – K to Gr. 4 – Basic building blocks of a story: Characters, Location, Event, Stories are Everywhere, Different Kinds of Writing Jobs, Learning to Write Well, Reading, Being a Writer

Eldritch Manor  – Gr. 3 and up – Description of Eldritch Manor and a short reading, a little bit about High and Low Fantasy Genres and Classical Mythology, Where Ideas Come From, A Shameless Pitch for Reading everything-you-can-get-your-hands-on

Cartoons – Gr. 4 and up – How television cartoons are made, Different Jobs and Stages of Production (with Sample Designs and Storyboards), Different Kinds of Animation, Experimental Animation, DIY Animation Today!

Writing Skills – Gr. 5 and up – Importance of Writing Well/Different Writing Careers, Basic building blocks of a story, How Exactly Does One Go About Writing a Novel?, Character Development, Know Your World: Location and Genre, Story Structure, Technical Mastery, Writing for Different Media and Different Audiences

These are just guidelines of course, I can alter my talk to suit the interests of the group. I can also pitch my talk appropriately for various ages, though the ranges given above are the best match for the material.

Talks for Grownups (or Reasonable Facsimiles Thereof) – Writing Books for Children, Writing Children’s Television, How Exactly Does One Go About Writing a Novel?, the Writer’s Life: Procrastination and Far Too Much Coffee

Please contact me directly by e-mail for further information or to arrange a reading or presentation.

I am based on Salt Spring Island, BC, with frequent forays to Victoria and Vancouver. Subscribe to this site for updates whenever I venture further afield!

Also: Eldritch Manor Teacher’s Guide

Dundurn provides a free download-able Teacher’s Guide: Grade 5 or 6 for Eldritch Manor here.