Author's Club - Rocks!

Most Important Rule - No Laughing at Fellow Authors

Oakenwald School's Author Club is off and those young authors are writing up a storm of zombies, magical worlds, wilderness adventures, and mysterious disappearances.

Yesterday was our second meeting and we gained another writer bringing us to 15 eager young minds.

I told them I named them Writers-in-Training, WITs for short, and they looked less than thrilled by my enthusiastic announcement.

When I slipped and called them authors, many of them responded with surprise and excitement.

"We're authors!" rippled around the library.

They sounded like I gave them the best Christmas present. You know the one; the one you were hoping to get, but didn't dare ask for, because it was a long shot. It was too expensive or too hard to find, or didn't actually exist. I remember asking for a magic book that would let me travel to other worlds when I was about 8 or 9. Apparently Santa was all out that Christmas.

And once you give that perfect gift, you can hardly take it back. Unless you are a Grinch. (Which would suck, with that minuscule heart and all.) But I digress.

I, not a Grinch, quickly trashed my grand plan of a cute acronym because they were right. They know who they are better than I.

They ARE authors.

And they impressed me. Already, without prompting, most came to me with story ideas in hand. Many had begun to write and were through their first chapter.

Together we explored the school and became sensory detectives. What did we see, hear, smell, touch and even taste as we prowled the building?

Nigel Watts' 8 Point Story Arc - Next Week's Lesson

(I provided Smarties for the taste challenge. Who wants middle schoolers licking the hall walls in an attempt to hone their writing craft? Not I. Plus, I'd like to return next week.)

We assembled back in the library and shared our observations, highlighting what I like to call 2nd Level Observations.

What is a 2nd Level Observation? 

It is when a writer goes beyond the obvious of what they see, hear, taste, touch or smell and hooks it to another thought, feeling, or memory.

For instance, one young author said when she saw the previous years' class photos hanging in the hall, memories came to her. Memories of teachers and friends, and days gone by. This is 2nd Level Observation and I was thoroughly impressed. Did I mention she is 10 years old. 10, peeps. This is what an author in the making looks like.

I can hardly wait for next week. Already I see we have different skill levels, different story interests, and as important; different levels of writer-self-confidence a.k.a - WSF. (Yes, I made that up. I do love a tidy acronym.)

That is where I am going to pay particular attention, for beyond the writing skill set, successful authors need to "know" they can write. 

That can be a hurdle, which we will overcome together.

Great Resource for Young Authors
(And their instructors.)