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First school visit with 'Chloe'

edited July 2011 in - Writing Tales
Have just done my first school visit! A great class of Year 9s, who were full of questions and enthusiasm, all credit to the their teacher and the school. They made me really welcome and asked lots of good questions about writing and books. I gave them a worksheet to help them develop a character of their own and they seemed to enjoy themselves and produced some brilliant ideas.

Whew! Was very nervous beforehand but so relieved it went well.

Comments

  • Oh I am so envious of you Rosalie. This is something I would love to do, not written anything to do it with though. Well done.
  • Yes well done. It does seem like a lovely bonus to your writing career.
  • Yes, it was a lot of fun. A nice complement to hiding away in my study, writing. Mind you, I'm still happiest writing, but it make a lovely change to interact with some of my (potential) readers.

    Jennymf - get writing! :)
  • Great it went so well! Something else to put in the article? :)
  • Glad it went so well Rosalie- another item to add to your CV.
  • edited July 2011
    Fab news, Rosalie - it's such a crucial part of being a children's writer and something I'm not sure I'd be any good at. Here's to many more successful visits! :)
  • That sounds so exciting, and you seem to be a natural at it. Well done.
  • How wonderful to hear such good news. We've followed you through Chloe's journey and it's lovely to hear how she's getting out there and into classrooms.

    Excuse the expletive, but bloody well-done; I'd have been nervous as hell.
  • Well done, sounds brilliant. I's love to do that.
  • An imaginative idea, getting them to develop their own character. Sounds like you've had a really successful promotion. Well done!
  • That sounds great. I know who to come to for advice and tips if I ever get to where you're at, Rosalie! I'm really enjoying hearing about Chloe's journey and also learning lots about what's involved post-publication.
  • Congratulations, Rosalie. So glad you enjoyed it and that it went well.

    [quote=Tracy] it's such a crucial part of being a children's writer[/quote] Yes, it is. We have to do it really. I love meeting the children too, though the ones I visit are all primary age (and that can be nerve racking enough at times).
  • You're doing so well Rosalie. Those school visits are such a good idea.
  • Well done Rosalie, what's next?
  • Great stuff, Rosalie !
    I know (from teaching myself) how nerve wracking it can be to talk and discuss with a class of any year group - Yr 9's are not usually the easiest of pupils and to discuss your own work is extra specially difficult.
    Next stop, writer in residence somewhere I reckon !
  • Lexia and Ceka, I'm looking into giving writing workshops at a MIND drop-in centre for people with mental health problems.That appeals to me in a lot of different ways. Writing has helped me so much with my depression (though it's a chronic thing and I will probably always have recurrences of it). But it would be great to help other people with related problems to find their voice.

    Mind you, I'd love to be a writer in residence, too - how do you get such things?
  • Congratulations, Rosalie. I think you're very clever. x
  • If a place hasn't got a writer-in-residence, you could ask if you could be theirs!
  • Great stuff, Rosalie. Your hands on approach to marketing your book is an inspiration!
  • Thanks for all the kind comments. The other side of it is that selling books in the current economic climate is very difficult, as you know, unless you are published by a big publisher *and* they are prepared to invest huge amounts in publicity for your book. It's great fun doing your bit as an author, but the sad fact is, book sales are down and even well-established authors are being told by their publishers that the rest of their series has been cancelled, owing to economic factors (I know quite a few children's authors in this situation, some of them well-known names).

    So there may not be a sequel to Chloe - not because my publisher doesn't want one (she does) or because my readers don't (they do - or some of them do - I know, because they've told me so) but because sales may not be high enough to justify publication.

    It's very sad, but much worse, in a way, for these long-established authors - some of whom are now turning to Kindle and the like, to re-release their backlists and publish their new books.

    The whole face of publishing is changing beyond recognition. Let's just hope some good comes out of it for writers and readers, for all of us, in the end.
  • I never had a writer come to my school when I was younger. But I hear of writers going into school now. I would either have wanted to talk non-stop to them and then felt embarrssed, been to shy to speak, avoided the assembley and missed them or been so jealous or in awe.
  • Yes, I think I would have been tongue-tied too. But to have had an author come into school who was interested in what we kids were writing would have been amazing! That's why I'm keen on doing writing workshops with the kids and encouraging those who tell me they are writing books (which a surprising number seem to be - it's great!)
  • [quote=Rosalie]But to have had an author come into school who was interested in what we kids were writing would have been amazing! [/quote]

    Couldn't agree more! Those children are very lucky to have authors like you, Rosalie.
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