‘This Camp is Doomed’ Launch Workshop

Want to know how to create a middle-grade book that is both scary and entertaining? Get a behind-the-scenes peek at Anna’s new title ‘This Camp is Doomed’ (Puffin Books, 10+), which is released to the public on August 29th 2023.

Students will gain insight into Anna’s writing process, and examine how to develop a mystery plot and design a cast of characters. Activities include group-writing a scary opening, playing with dialogue, and spicing up writing with adjectives and adverbs. Students will also have the opportunity to practise Anna’s illustration process, from warm-ups to the production of a beautiful (and spooky) final piece. Special illustration materials will be provided for the students to use. Like Anna’s other workshops, this fast-paced session is founded on her teaching experience, and designed to boost student confidence.

A typical session would include a selection of the following:

Brainstorming ideas for a scary camp-based plot
Group-writing a thrilling opening
An overview of how to write dialogue and how to make it interesting
Group experiments with adverbs and adjectives
Independent writing task
Illustration warm-ups designed to give confidence to reluctant illustrators
Guided illustration using special materials provided by the author

Topics covered:

How Anna became a published author and illustrator
The writing and illustrating process
The purpose of illustrations in a middle-grade text
How to write dialogue
How to be playful with adjectives and adverbs
Why it’s a myth that someone is just ‘naturally’ good at writing and illustrating (it takes a lot of practise!)
How to uncover and nurture your unique style