A well-known children’s author and blogger has been coaching pupils from a Harrogate school in the art of penning a best-selling short story.
Ruth Eastham, whose fifth book is to be published later this year, spent the day at Ashville College leading writing workshops for Year 7 and 8 students, as part of the school’s annual Book Week.
During the lunch break, Ms Eastham signed copies of her previous four books – which she describes as “edgy fiction where the past meets the present” – for a host of young fans.
The Lancashire-born former teacher, best-known for her novel The Memory Cage, gave the Year 8 pupils a masterclass in “micro” or “flash” fiction, where a complete story is told in between 250 and 400 words.
For her session with the Year 7s, the writer got her young protégées to think of a “memory” as the starting point for fiction and non-fiction writing.
And, with a memory in mind – be it a place, a person or an object – she got the budding authors to write the opening paragraphs of their own novel.
Ashville College’s Librarian Laura Herring said: Ruth’s workshops were really inspirational and the Year 7s and 8s thoroughly enjoyed working with her.
Being a former teacher, Ruth knew exactly how to get the best from the students, and her enthusiasm for books, reading and writing was contagious.
Book Week is a popular and important feature on our calendar, and one that pupils of all ages thoroughly enjoy and always benefit from.
