Writing workshops
A Nonfiction (and free) Festival!
Attention all nonfiction writers! Whether you’re a newbie or experienced in the world of nonfiction, this new festival is a must-attend. You can participate from the comfort of your home. Plus, it’s absolutely free!
What is it? Here’s a snippet from the NF Fest website, https://www.nffest.com/
About NF Fest
NF Fest, organized by the Nonfiction Chicks in February, is a month-long crash course in writing nonfiction for children. Participants will learn the craft from 29 authors and others in NF publishing through daily posts. Daily activities will get you writing and researching in small steps. It’s all free, and there will be prizes!
Join our NF Fest Facebook community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/NFFest/ for updates and discussion. You can also sign up for email notifications in the sidebar of this blog so you don’t miss a post. We hope you’ll join us in 2020 for this fun and educational event!
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It’s organized a group of veteran nonfiction writers who are ready to share their knowledge with you.
Who are they?
Pat Miller
Linda Skeers
Lisa Amstutz
Nancy Churnin
Peggy Thomas
Stephanie Bearce
Susie Kralovansky
You can read up on them here:
https://www.nffest.com/p/meet-nf-chicks.html
This year’s bloggers will include:
Karen Blumenthal/Candace Fleming
Beth Anderson
Carla McClafferty
Melissa Stewart
Heidi Stemple
Barb Kramer
Sophia Gholz
Nancy Turminelly
Donna Bowman
Mary Kay Carson
Traci Sorrell
Cynthia Levinson
Jen Bryant
Jill Esbaum
Kerry McManus, Marketing Director
Don Tate
Meeg Pincus
Lisa Schnell
Susannah Deevers
Vivian Kirkfield
Kelly Halls
Stacey Graham, agent
Bethany Hegedus
Alice Duncan
Rob Sanders
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Chris Mihaly
Steve Swinburne
Registration begins TODAY and will go on until January 31, 2020.
Click HERE to register.
See you there!
Lydia
Writing Workshops at my Old Elementary School!
Last month, I had the privilege of giving writing workshops at Westpark Elementary School. I always enjoy giving workshops, but this was a particularly thrilling experience.
Why, you may ask?
Because….wait for it….
I used to attend Westpark!
That’s right, many years ago, a Goomie-bracelet-wearing (remember those??) fresh faced little Lydia spent 7 years of her life there. It was and is such a huge part of my life. So I was so excited to return and relive that part of my childhood. Here I am below in a class photo, with my “Cindy Lauper hair” and all.
The morning of my workshops, I was bursting with excitement. As I entered the school and made my way down the hall, memories came flooding in. I remembered almost everything. I remembered where the principal’s office was – Mr. Herman used to call me “princess” and give me stickers, too bad he was no longer there! I remember the gym, and chuckled when I saw they still had the same wooden ladders up on the walls from the 1980s! I even remembered where the milk fridge was. The school had of course evolved, but it was basically the same. That was somehow comforting to me. I had some seriously happy times at that school. I didn’t just learn about math and how to spell, but I also developed friendships and became who I am today.
When I made my way to the first classroom for my workshop, I shared my past with the students. They were intrigued. One student even asked me, “So how old are you anyway, like a hundred?” I had to laugh. I remember thinking, in grade 3, that age 40 was ancient.
I spent 5 days at the school and met many students. I have to say, they were all very charming and made my stay even more special. I taught my curriculum, we played games, we talked and we shared stories about our favourite books. My time at Westpark rocked! It was so special to have attended the school, and then return to teach the new generation of students years later. Look at all the smiling faces!
A special thank-you to Ms. Bakalis and the entire staff for hiring me. I hope to return again one day…
Grades 1 & 2 Put on a Puppet Show!
Our mission? To teach fractured fairy tales to Grades 1 and 2, and have them each write out their very own fractured fairy tale, build puppets, and put on a puppet show.
And, we only had a few weeks to put it together.
Was this even possible? It was a lot of work, and not very much time.
But I’m happy to say we did it!
The Grade 1 class focused on the fairy tale The Three Little Pigs, except their main characters were green space pigs! And Grade 2 used the fairy tale The Little Red Riding Hood, expect their main character became the Little White Snow Boy. Very original!
Here are some of their creations:
And here I am reading one of my stories, and then the kiddies were lucky enough to get “fairy tale” inspired treats at the end!
A special thank-you to the amazing, one of a kind educator Kendra-Ann Fabes from St. Dorothy School, and to the talented Nancy Saltarelli from Une École Montréalise pour Tous for spearheading the project.
Grade 5 Students Write a Picture Book in THREE Days!
I love writing!
And, I love giving writing workshops. I especially love when my students get really enthusiastic about their own writing.
I recently worked with Royal Vale Elementary and I had the privilege of teaching two classes of Grade 5. Our mission? To create a complete picture in just three days. (Even I can’t do that!)
And I’m happy to say that we accomplished our goal! Here’s how it went down:
Day 1
We had an intensive first session to get the creative juices flowing. The students learned everything from character and plot development to how to write authentic dialogue. After a lot of back and forth, they also decided what the theme of the book would be.
Day 2
This workshop was the most challenging. The students first created the characters in the story. Then we all developed the plot and the structure of the story. After that, I separated the students into four groups and each group wrote a chapter of the book. There was so much to do, so we had to work fast!
Day 3
On the last day, I edited the chapters with the students. We also created the list of illustrations, which they drew out. The last task was to decide on details like dedication, and paper and font colour.
I brought everything home and after a lot of editing and layout magic, the finalized books were sent to the printer. When the students saw them, they were ecstatic! It was a wonderful reward for all their hard work.
Check out their final books Immigration to the States and The Condimental Worlds.
Love & Light,
Lydia
Where Young Authors can Submit their Work
I work with children giving writing and literacy workshops, and I love to encourage their own writing process. Many students are interested in getting their work published or entering competitions, so I compiled a list of useful resources. Good luck to all you aspiring writers!!
Magazines & Online
Stone Soup is a creative magazine for children written and illustrated by children, aged 8-13.
http://www.stonesoup.com/
Skipping Stones is a multicultural children’s magazine that encourages children aged 7-17 to submit their writing.
www.skippingstones.org
Amazing Children eZine – young writers ages 5-17 may submit poetry, stories, book reviews, movie reviews, music reviews, essays, articles, etc.
www.amazing-children.org/
Bazoof! Accepts youth submissions, comics, puzzles, games, crafts, jokes, sports, girl stuff, pet fun, movie previews, stories, recipes, interviews, true stories, posters & more for ages 8-12.
www.bazoofmag.com
Grade 5 Students Become Authors
I love writing!
And, I love giving writing workshops. Especially when my students get really enthusiastic about their own writing!
I recently worked with two schools: Royal Vale Elementary and Edinburgh School. I had the privilege of teaching four classes of Grade 5, and our mission as to create a complete picture in just three days. I’m happy to say that we accomplished our goal! Here’s how it went down:
Day 1
We had an intensive first session to get the creative juices flowing. The students learned everything from character and plot development to how to write authentic dialogue. After a lot of back and forth, they also decided what the theme of the book would be.
Grade 6 Rocks!!
I love writing for children, especially the younger ones. My sweet spot is ages 5-7.
I also love giving writing workshops. I’m passionate about sharing my passion and encouraging literacy.
Side note: kids are hilarious. Seriously.
Every time I’m in a school, I bring a notepad and pen and sometimes take notes on the funny things they say. Kids are like little comedians. They’re not necessarily trying to be funny, but they just are.
I give workshops in elementary schools, so I deal with students aged 5-12. Now, when I walk into a grade 6 workshop, I honestly never know what to expect. Grade 6 students are not so innocent anymore. They’re branching off on their own and starting to truly find themselves. And I respect that. They’re on the verge of turning into teenagers and young adults. It’s another world!
But when I walked into Ms. White’s grade 6 class at Sherbrooke Academy, I was blown away by the students. They were friendly, bubbly, and bright. They participated in the workshop and we had a blast.
Sometimes, the energies align and magic happens. There are times where I feel I’m truly connecting to the students, and they’re receiving with open arms. Those are special moments. I appreciate them because they don’t happen every day.
That was one of the funnest workshops I’ve hosted this year. So thank-you Ms. White, and thank-you to each student who helped brighten my day!!
Why I LOVE Working with Children!
I love being a writer.
It rocks.
But sometimes, writing can be an isolating experience. One of the reasons I love giving workshops is because I get to interact with children of all ages. And let me tell you, that is a truly enriching experience! Even though I’m there to teach them about building narratives and developing characters, I end up learning a thing or two after each workshop.
Here are the top 5 reasons I love working with children:
- Children are hilarious!
I often write down the things they say because the statements can be incredibly funny. Even when they’re not trying to be funny, they’re funny. When I walk into a school, I like to have a notepad and pen handy at all times.
Lydia Lukidis 