Table Of ContentCreating Writers
A creative writing manual for
Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3
Creating Writers
A creative writing manual for
Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3
Revised and updated edition
James Carter
For Lauren (a real wiz with words)
with infinite love
First published 2000
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
This revised and updated edition first published 2010
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USAand Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
© 2010 James Carter
All rights reserved. The purchase of this copyright material confers the right on
the purchasing institution to photocopy pages containing the ‘photocopiable’
icon. No other part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Carter, James, 1959–
Creating writers: a creative writing manual for Key Stage 2 and
Key Stage 3 / James Carter.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. English language – Composition and exercises – Study and teaching
(Elementary) 2. Creative writing (Elementary education) 3. English
language – Composition and exercises – Study and teaching (Middle school)
4. Creative writing (Middle school) I. Title.
LB1576.C3178 2009
372.62’3044 – dc22 2009016313
ISBN 0-203-86757-2 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0–415–49902–X (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–86757–2 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–49902–6 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–86757–0 (ebk)
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction: where do ideas come from? 1
1 Write from the start: ways to approach creative writing and
writing workshops 4
Apositive writing environment 4
Feedback partners 5
Time to think 5
Time to explore 6
Freewriting 6
Workshop structure 7
Drafting and editing 7
Realistic expectations of the first draft 9
Process, product and portfolio 10
Ideas and notebooks 10
Ideas and good habits to get into 11
Versions of one idea 12
Stimuli for writing 12
Dictionaries and thesauruses 13
Publishing 13
Using word processors 13
Talking points 14
Writing for the reader in you 15
Enjoy yourself! 15
Writing warm-ups 16
2 Poetry 17
Anew way of seeing: some thoughts on writing poetry 17
What’s so good about poetry? 19
How do poems begin? Poets examine the ways in which their poems
evolve 21
Masterclass: poets respond to questions often asked about writing
poetry 22
Growing poems 29
‘Stars’by Pie Corbett 31
‘The Cats’Protection League’by Roger McGough 34
‘Little Red Rap’by Tony Mitton 39
Forms of poetry: other poetry workshops 63
Poetry word wheel (worksheet) 64
Poetry beginnings (worksheet) 65
v
Contents
Poetry checklist (worksheet) 66
Poetry glossary 67
3 Fiction 68
Facts behind fictions: initial discussion points on writing fiction 68
Planning for fiction: ideas on brainstorming and planning for writing 71
Brainstorming (worksheet) 73
Story mapping (worksheet) 74
Growing fiction: David Almond’s Skellig 75
Short stories 81
Beginnings and endings 82
Story openings (worksheet) 85
Characters: writing about fictional people 86
Invent your own character (worksheet) 92
Dialogue: the role of speech in stories 93
Drama 95
Jacqueline Wison – The Dare Game 97
Narration and point of view: writing in the first and third person 107
Places and descriptive writing 108
Plot: a sequence of events 116
Plot overviews (worksheet) 120
Picture this (worksheet) 122
Looking for an idea? (worksheet) 124
Suspense and atmosphere: engaging the reader 126
Fiction word wheel (worksheet) 138
Fiction checklist (worksheet) 139
Fiction glossary 140
4 Non-fiction 141
Creative with the truth: ways into writing non-fiction 141
Nick Arnold – Bulging Brainsand the Horrible Scienceseries 146
Face the facts: Space is far out (worksheet) 160
Face the facts: Don’t be mean to mini-beasts (worksheet) 161
Non-fiction glossary 166
Appendix 167
Reference texts and further reading 167
Bibliography 168
Featured authors 168
vi
Acknowledgements
We are most grateful for permission given to reproduce extracts, illustrations or materials
from the following:
‘The Cats’ Protection League’ by Roger McGough from Bad Bad Cats (© Roger
McGough 1997) is reproduced by permission of PFD (www.pfd.co.uk) on behalf of
Roger McGough.
Illustration © Tony De Saulles/Martin Brown 2008 (Bulging Brains). Reproduced with
permission of Scholastic.
The Dare Game by Jacqueline Wilson, published by Doubleday. Extracts and cover
reprinted by permission of The Random House Group Ltd.
Extract from The Piemakersby Helen Cresswell (OUP, 2003), © Helen Cresswell
1967, reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press.
Extract from The Bongleweedby Helen Cresswell (OUP, 2003), © Helen Cresswell
1973, reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press.
Extract from The Demon Headmasterby Gillian Cross (OUP, 2009), © Gillian Cross
1982, reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press.
Extract from Wolfby Gillian Cross (OUP, 2008), © Gillian Cross 1990, reprinted by
permission of Oxford University Press.
Rob Vincent, three photographs in ‘Fiction’chapter.
‘The River’© 2002 James Carter from Cars Stars Electric Guitarsby James Carter.
Reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London SE11 5HJ.
‘Little Red Rap’by Tony Mitton from Big Bad Raps, published 2004 by Orchard Books
and reproduced here with permission from Orchard Books.
Extracts and images from Bulging Brains, text copyright © Nick Arnold, 1999,
illustrations © Tony de Saulles, 1999. Reproduced with permission of Scholastic Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Blood Sinister, text copyright © Celia Rees, 1996. Reproduced with permission of
Scholastic Ltd. All rights reserved.
Extracts from Badger on the Barge by Janni Howker © 1984 Janni Howker,
reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London SE11 5HJ.
vii
Acknowledgements
The poems ‘Empty Bucket’, ‘WhAT on EaRth?’, ‘Amazing Inventions’, ‘Talking Time’
and ‘Love You More’© 2007 James Carter from Time Travelling Underpantsby James
Carter, published by Macmillan Children’s Books and reproduced with permission
of Macmillan Children’s Books, London, UK.
Extracts from Skelligby David Almond © 1998 David Almond and front cover of
Skellig, reproduced with permission of David Almond and Hodder Children’s
Books.
Extract from The Cry of the Wolf by Melvin Burgess, © 1994 Melvin Burgess,
reproduced with permission of Andersen Press/Puffin.
Extract from The Night Watchmenby Helen Cresswell (Copyright © Helen Cresswell)
Reprinted by permission of AM Heath & Co. Ltd. Authors’Agents.
Extract from Snatchersby Helen Cresswell (Copyright © Helen Cresswell) Reprinted
by permission of AM Heath & Co. Ltd. Authors’Agents.
The poem ‘Stars’by Pie Corbett, © Pie Corbett. Reproduced with kind permission
of Pie Corbett.
Cover illustration by Peter Bailey from Write Your Own ... Mysteryby Pie Corbett
(Chrysalis Children’s Books).
‘The Northern Lights’from Greetings, Earthlings!By Brian Moses and James Carter
(Macmillan Children’s Books).
‘SCIENCE MUSEUM’, ‘Mum’, ‘Wrapped In Skin’(extract), ‘Clouds Like Us’(extract),
‘Angelness’(extract) and ‘Tiger Haiku’(Copyright © James Carter).
Extract from Out of Indiaby Jamila Gavin (Pavilion).
‘Down Behind the Dustbin’from You Tell Meby Michael Rosen and Roger McGough
(Puffin). Reproduced by permission of Peters, Frazer & Dunlop literary agency.
Cover illustration © Nick Sharratt. Taken from The Dare Game by Jacqueline
Wilson, published by Doubleday, a division of Transworld Publishers.
‘I Love Me Mudder’by Benjamin Zephaniah (Copyright © Benjamin Zephaniah).
Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders. In the event of any queries
please contact Taylor & Francis, London.
viii
Introduction
Where do ideas come from?
‘Where do you get your ideas from?’It’s what everyone asks of an author. Yet it is an
impossible question to respond to with any certainty, except perhaps with the answer:
‘Anywhere and everywhere.’Above all else, it is the aim of this book to help children
to discover this answer for themselves.
Many authors feel that, to an extent, ideas are the easy part. It is what you do with them
that counts. So Creating Writerssets out to show what many popular and established
children’s writers do with their ideas and how they grow and develop them into fully
fledged poems, stories, novels, plays and information books.
The material in Creating Writerscomes from a variety of sources. Some of the author
quotes stem from interviews conducted especially for this book; some material comes
from public talks, performances or writing workshops. Other quotes derive from my
book of interviews, Talking Books(Routledge 1999). In all cases, full permission has
been granted to use the material.
Creating Writersis a creative writing manual, and covers poetry, fiction and non-fiction.
The ideas, advice, activities and models of writing featured are provided by a variety
of contemporary children’s authors, and offer teachers contexts and opportunities in
which they can help enable young writers to:
• enjoy, explore and feel confident in their own creativities
• discover their own literary voices
• express themselves in a range of literary forms, modes and genres and for many
purposes and audiences
• reflect upon the craft and processes of writing
• discover their own writing methodologies
• appreciate that writing is a craft skill that requires patience, time and dedication
• be adventurous and take risks in their writing
• engage with and respond imaginatively to the work of others
• consider the key elements of poetry, fiction and non-fiction
• perceive themselves as writers and as members of a writing community.
The authors represented here were chosen because they each had something invaluable
to contribute in terms of passing on advice about creative writing to young people, as
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