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 selection of books they’ve read and recommend. Slime […]
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 lowdown on how it’s done. […]
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 mean! Let’s look at an example. Someone may say, […]
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 feels like to […]
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 she’s in Year 9. Point […]
Seven-Line Poetry – Creative writing prompts
Today’s creative writing prompt is a poem. 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 the seventh sentence on this page and copy […]
First line, last line, creative writing story prompt
Are you looking for creative writing story prompts? 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 line of one story and the last […]
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, we’ve done exercises that hone in on the […]
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. Educators have made this possible because they know parents will be feeling the strain of having their children at home when they’re supposed to be at school, […]
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 herself just what that means… […]