Author Talk: Upper Primary

5 Steps to a Great Story (more advanced for the older students)
An interactive talk that includes writing activities and brainstorming of story ideas. Initial discussion with the group about ideas and how we develop them dovetails into a series of quick and fun writing activities that even the most reluctant writer will get involved in. From here, Jane talks about the writing process – planning, drafting, language, character and plot - drawing on her experience as both a publisher and writer, and using examples from her own work and the activities that the students have done. The aim is for students to feel more confident as writers, to have a straightforward set of steps to follow in their narrative writing, and to enjoy the writing activities and be keen to further develop the stories they start in the session.

Topics covered:

• Developing an idea for a story
• Writing activities
• The writing process