Writing for Kids
Writing for Kids
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2010
Do you have a bank of bedtime stories swirling in your head, waiting to be written down? Have you started a children’s story, but don’t know how to finish or polish it for publication? The Whistler Writers’ Group (aka The Vicious Circle) presents four local, experienced writers who will instruct a workshop series “The Toughest Audience of All: Writing for Kids.” The workshop is open to writers of all genres, as well as those interested in writing for children.
The two-hour workshop sessions begin May 13, 2010 at Myrtle Philip Community School and run for six consecutive Thursdays until June 17. Instructors and writers Michel Beaudry, Cindy Filipenko, Sara Leach, and Rebecca Wood Barrett will explore different aspects of creative writing for children.
“This is a unique workshop, since we have four local authors exploring different aspects of writing for children and youth,” said Stella Harvey, Whistler Writers’ Group founder. “Even though the focus will be writing for children, participants will learn about aspects of the writing craft that apply to all genres. For instance, why you have to make every word count, how to honour the reader, and how to keep the story moving—all through writing practice.”
Adventure storyteller Michel Beaudry will lead two sessions exploring The Power of Story. Participants will learn how the key elements of storytelling can create magic in a story. An award-winning writer, consultant and big-mountain adventurer, Michel’s adventure-and-travel tales have appeared in publications ranging from SKI, Outside, Equinox, Sports Illustrated and Reader’s Digest.
Sara Leach will instruct the session Forms of Children’s Literature, and explain the differences between sub-genres in children’s literature, including picture books, chapter books and mid-grade novels. In this session the “rules” for writing in these genres will be demystified, so participants will have a clear understanding of what publishers are looking for. Sara has published in several children’s literary genres, and her titles include the chapter book Jake Reynolds: Chicken or Eagle? and picture book Mountain Machines.
The fourth session will feature Visual Storytelling with Cindy Filipenko, who will show how stories can be told visually, through mediums like television and graphic novels. Cindy is a screenwriter who specializes in the development of animated projects. Among her credits are the upcoming My Life Me, a 52-episode original animated series scheduled to debut on Teletoon in 2010, as well as in Europe and Asia.
Rebecca Wood Barrett, writer and filmmaker, will assist students in completing a short project, or outline for a longer project, over two sessions in Drafting A Story. Participants will be encouraged to develop their own stories from the nuggets produced in the creative writing exercises from the previous four sessions. Each student will decide on a children’s genre suited to their story idea, and work towards a finished draft, through group critique, editing and re-writing. Last year Rebecca produced the short film Bear Essentials, a campfire musical on Whistler bears, with three teenage students for the Whistler Film Festival’s Whistler Stories Youth Program.
All sessions will be interactive and will include creative writing exercises. No previous writing experience is necessary. To sign up for the course, which will be offered for $120, go to www.theviciouscircle.ca, or call 604 905 7653.
The Whistler Writers’ Group presents workshops and reading events throughout the year. Tickets are available for the upcoming reading by Lawrence Hill, author of The Book of Negroes, on Saturday May 8, 2010, at 7pm, at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre.
