What are the traditions that you and your family have at this time of year? Who decorates the tree and in what order? When does the festive baking commence? Are there certain books or films that must be revisited? Make a list of the traditions that you hold in your family home. Add the traditions … Continue reading There’s no place like home…
Here’s another way of presenting your words, of making your words into a present. It is what I am going to call the collage concertina. If you can think of a better name, let me know! This is a book that you can make as long or as short as you like. You can keep … Continue reading Zigzag Memories
Just at the moment, we are not able to meet many people, to sit around and chat, to share stories, to imagine things together. There are probably people who you are missing. They will be missing you. You may also know of people who live alone and never see anyone, from one day to the … Continue reading A Kindness of Words
All families have lots of stories. Some families are always telling stories. Sometimes you have to ask. My grandfather told me stories of when my dad was a little boy. My favourites were about Jip, the dog. When Jip was a tiny puppy, Grandpa brought him home on the train. He hid him in his … Continue reading Tell me …..
accidentally broke a teacup – reminds me how good it feels to break things Ishikawa Takuboku Japanese poem translated by Carl Sesar I found this poem by accident and it reminded me, also, how good - and how bad – it can be to break things. When I was a child, I quite often broke … Continue reading accidentally
Many of you have been writing about your day to day life for the last few months. You may have poems, lists, observations. Now is the time to put those to use. Kettle’s Yard Gallery has ut out a call for Lockdown Letters. They would like you to write a one page letter telling them … Continue reading Lockdown Letters
It is the end of the school year. Summer holidays ahead. Look back over the year and jot down what you remember. This might turn into a list poem or a piece of prose. Start each line with ‘I remember … ‘ Think right back to September. What did you do in October? Did you organise a … Continue reading I remember…
Non-fiction has a terrible reputation in schools. I have to say it has earned it -all that endless, pointless, writing of instructions, the torture of an explanation and the dreariness of a recount or a balanced argument, painstakingly written within the spiky scaffolding of a writing frame; the convoluted excuses - or the, more honest, … Continue reading Non-fiction
Find a photograph from somewhere around your house. You might have a physical photograph or it might be on a computer or phone, it doesn’t matter. Now, think really carefully because I want you to write in as much detail as possible about everything that happened up until the moment that the photograph was taken. … Continue reading One moment please
It feels like a very long time since I’ve been in anyone’s home other than mine. I’ve learnt that it is very possible to be homesick for other people’s homes! But inside my head and in my writing there are lots of familiar places that I like to visit. One of my favourite picture books … Continue reading Houses
Writing Box 