Hello and thanks for stopping by. I’m so glad you’ve found my writing club.

I’m Nikki and I started Storymakers in 2017. This was just after the publication of my first book, The Mystery of the Disappearing Underpants.

 

At that time, I had been freelance writing and copywriting for over ten years whilst working on my fiction. It had always been my aim to offer something for children – something that would give them the opportunity to write freely and without judgement.

Storymakers began with a few workshops. It grew into a fully-fledged club with weekly groups for different aged children. It also offers holiday workshops and one-to-ones.

Since March 2020 I have been online, but that has only been a positive thing as far as I’ve been concerned. Online learning is extremely flexible and not only that, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are. I have worked with children all over the UK, Europe and even as far as Singapore!

Here is a rundown of what I offer at the Storymakers Club:

The Wednesday Writing Club – this is an hour full of writing prompts to stimulate creativity and get the imagination in gear. I might show you a picture of a setting and ask you to describe it, or imagine what is happening there. There might be a picture of a character that I’d like you to imagine what they are doing, who they are etc. Alternatively, I could ask you to write a conversation between two characters. This club involves short exercises of 5-10 minutes. That means it is fast-paced and fun. Anyone is welcome at this group, from 7 up to 16 years.

The Story Writers – this is the first of my Saturday groups aimed at younger children, from 7-9 years. It is a structured class taking you through the process of story-writing. This means anything from outlining plots, to developing characters, writing dialogue, story openings etc. It helps improve vocabulary and understanding, as well as stimulating ideas.

The Writer Buds – for 8-10-year-olds, the Writer Buds offers a mix of fiction and non-fiction writing. In this group, we might do a news report or an advert, an instructional piece, a factual report or letter, for example. This wider range of writing helps build skills that will act as the foundation for moving on to secondary level.

The Young Writers – for 11-year-olds and up to aged 16, the Young Writers is a more in-depth writing group. Though structured, the Young Writers has a relaxed, supportive feel. We cover aspects of writing such as creating atmosphere and developing characters that are three dimensional. In addition, we practise writing techniques to add depth to your fiction. We also continue to support non-fiction writing such as persuasive arguments, accounts and explanations.

For those who prefer a more tailored approach to their learning, I offer 1:1 sessions.

These include 1 hour or 45 minutes. For my 1:1 students, I tend to work on specifics such as spelling, essay writing, the mechanics of story writing or comprehension. It is really up to you what we work on.

My holiday workshops have been wide and varied. Some have been similar to the Wednesday Writing Club, others have covered vocabulary, spelling and grammar. The workshops are wide-ranging and hopefully as fun and informal as we can make them!

I bring my passion for writing to my work

It is my love of writing and storytelling that I bring to my sessions. I hope that by working with an author, the children are inspired to become writers too. Being a writer does not necessarily mean you have to become an author. We all need to be writers in some capacity. It is a form of expression that cannot be underestimated in its importance. I believe writing extends to all subjects and most areas of life.

I hope you are able to take a look around my website. You can find details of my groups on the ‘What’s On’ dropdown menu – ‘Saturday Groups’ for Story Writers, Writer Buds and Young Writers and ‘After School Clubs’ for the Wednesday Writing Club.

See the ‘Virtual 1:1’ page for booking individual lessons.