Tim Baker: Writing the Waves

Session description:

Surfing makes great subject matter for story telling and an attractive entry point for high school students to become more interested in reading and writing. In these sessions, we explore a brief history of surf writing and why renowned writers like Mark Twain, Jack London, Herman Melville, Tom Wolfe, and Tim Winton turned their hands to surf stories at various times.

We learn how surfing fits the classic three-act narrative arc of the hero’s journey – how surfers answer the call to adventure to leave their ordinary world and enter an extraordinary world. They have to overcome obstacles in pursuit of their goal to return to their ordinary world somehow changed and better able to deal with life’s tests and trials. We take part in free writing exercises, learning to experience the simple joy of the pen moving over paper to convert our thoughts into written words.

Topics:

Why we tell stories. Why surfing makes great subject matter for story telling. How surfing fits the three act narrative arc of the classic hero’s journey. Free writing exercises to discover your authentic voice. Sharing our writing and workshopping it in groups to develop a better understanding of the elements of good story telling.

In longer sessions and smaller groups, where time permits, we also explore: the art of listening. Interview techniques. Specific genres such as biography, travel writing and reporting.