Monday, February 25, 2008

Young Writers Workshop

Saturday was the second of the two Young Writers Workshops I teach annually through the Friends of the Los Gatos Library sponsorship.

Dark day full of rain outside. Inside, 14 soggy kids straggled in. 8 - 13 years old, some returnees, others with the writers glaze already in place, a couple who were made to attend by their parents, one under such duress he succumbed to three - count them three - temper tantrums before coming. Could have fooled me. He appeared to have the most fun of all the kids there, and he wrote pages......

Loose overview of what to comes in the Beginning of a book, instruction to create a Beginning, hats in place, a fury of writing. Lunch to discuss beginnings of favorite books. Then, process repeated for the Middle, and then the End. A bit of reading at the end. Closing ceremony. Parents arrive.

By the time we left, the sun had come out. Sort of sums up the workshop. As one of the volunteers commented: "The kiddos left starry eyed."

No comments: