Award winning children’s author, Lucy Strange, delivers creative writing workshop for NewVIc students
On Tuesday 25 March, NewVIc was delighted to welcome award winning children’s author, Lucy Strange to run a creative writing workshop for students currently studying English at NewVIc Sixth Form.
On Tuesday 25 March, NewVIc was delighted to welcome award winning children’s author, Lucy Strange to run a creative writing workshop for students currently studying English at NewVIc Sixth Form.
Lucy is known for her critically acclaimed books which capture elements of classic children's literature in an engaging and accessible way. Her first novel, The Secret of Nightingale Wood, was published in October 2016 and was the Waterstones Book of the Month. It has since been translated into French, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Farsi and Mandarin.
During the workshop Lucy encouraged students to experiment with their descriptive writing through a range of writing exercises which challenged them to notice small details, choose the right words to enable their descriptions to grow and illustrated how students can use techniques to build suspense, atmosphere and tension in their writing and how to manipulate and shape the reader's experience.
Lucy also took timeout to present certificates and prizes to students who completed the annual NewVIc Reading Challenge. She also hosted a ‘Meet the author’ Q&A and book signing session, and discussed with students what she loved most about her job, why reading lots of books across a range of genres is so important, and which of her books she hopes will be spotted and turned into an anime!
Lucy Strange said:
“We are all born with ideas and imagination. It's important to think about how we feed our imaginations and ideas, as well as our bodies!”
“Writers are noticers! I get a buzz writing stories when I am choosing the right words to describe a situation. It is an art which can be practiced and I want to encourage students to play with words and ideas and to test it out in their heads to see if it is right.”
She also shared some tips with aspiring writers:
Be a noticer! Make sure that you notice the details that others don’t
Always carry a pen and a notebook to capture your thoughts and your ideas
Have a go at sketching out your ideas - and keep a notebook by the bed at night time!
Read loads - not just the stuff you are immediately drawn to. Expose yourself to different genres and read not so good books. This will help you to recognise what good writing does and doesn’t look like and it will also help you to set the bar high!