The Blog
What am I?
The Young Writers got creative recently with some 'what am I?' quizzes. Can you guess what they're describing? Can you come up with your own? 1.)I can whistle but I can't talkAnd I can dance but can't walk.I can brighten someone’s day or make it worse!I'm invisible...
Recommended Lockdown Reads
The children at Storymakers have told me they’ve been reading more during lockdown and that their choice of book has differed due to having the freedom to choose. They also said they’ve enjoyed having more time to read, which is great news isn’t it? Here is a...
Using sensory language for describing settings
When we describe settings in our writing, it's important to consider not only what you can see, but to use all your senses to give a full description of the sounds, scents, textures and even how it makes you feel. Young Writer, Isobel, is here to give you the full...
How to make a story out of idioms
Idioms are common sayings used in the English language. They don't have a literal meaning, so can be difficult to understand. You might hear your grandparents use them - they're quite old-fashioned - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't know what they are and what they...
Writing for a purpose – send a letter
Want to engage your reluctant writer to put pen to paper? Get them to write a letter. This is a box of letters I kept from my teenage years. It is my life at that time, catalogued, my email thread of old. Yet, it’s tangible. People of my generation remember what it...
Choosing the right point of view for your story
Most people have their preferred point of view when it comes to writing. It helps to understand each method though and today, I have a guest post written by Isobel, to explain the different points of view and how to use them. Isobel is one of the Young Writers and...
Seven-Line Poetry – Creative writing prompts
Today's creative writing prompt is a poem in the form of seven-line poetry. The inspiration for this poem will come from one of the books on your shelf. Here's what to do: - Go to your book shelf and take the seventh book along.- Open this book at Page seven.- Find...
First line, last line, creative writing story prompt
Are you looking for a fun creative writing story prompt? Here's a tried and tested one, with an example of how it's done. This is an exercise we've done a few times at the Young Writers Group. It involves looking through the books on your shelf. You take the first...
Danse Macabre Writing Ideas
How honing your listening skills can benefit your writing. Writing is more than just what we see, but we often ignore our other senses because we default to our most dominant sense. Now, that's not true for everyone, but it includes the majority of us. At Storymakers,...
How can I support my child with their English and writing now they’re at home?
Ways you can help your children with their English and writing at home. There are a whole host of resources on line that are currently free to download at home to help with English and writing support. Educators have made this possible because they know parents will...
Creative writing inspired by board games
On a rainy day there is nothing better than to wipe the dust off a few board games and start playing them. However, what if you could incorporate these exciting games into your writing? That’s just what one of our Young Writers did and here she is to explain for...
Story planning – Brainstorm a sandstorm!
I recently worked with some Year Six children on story planning and writing, under timed conditions. We had 45 minutes, 15 of which were for story planning and the remaining 30 minutes for writing the story. This was the brief: You are lost in a desert and get caught...