Val Rutt

East 1 Writing Project

2010-06-03T15:51:00.005+01:00

Last week, along with the writers from the seven schools in the East 1 Partnership, I went to Kensington Gardens and spent the day exploring. For some of the time we were intrepid writers hunting for things to write about, other times we were daydreamers waiting for inspiration to settle like dust. Some of us saw a heron catch a fish, most of us marvelled at the out-of-focus softness of the cygnets. We got up close to Peter Pan and wondered what those fairies were whispering about. We stared at the bareback rider of the Physical Energy Statue looking as if he were trapped and would be forever galloping away from us.

The following day we met to write. We shared some of the phrases and vocabulary we had written, creating Poet Trees on the wall that were surrounded by Eimar Daly's photographs. For some of the time students worked together and wrote poems personifying the point of view of an object or creature in the gardens. For most of the day though, students from Years 2 to 8 worked on their own writing.

Story Inspiration

2010-05-11T16:20:00.005+01:00

I am hoping that Kate will use this tiny character she made from plasticine in a story. Then make the story into a book.

And Maybe Eileen will write a story set in a circus big top.

Looking forward to some creative afternoons this week.

A Closer look at Emille's Book

2010-05-09T07:44:00.004+01:00

Emille's book shows that we should teach a skill then give young people the time and encouragement to be creative and do what they want to do. You never know what they might come up with - I hadn't thought of this.
It's wonderful - well done Emille.

Serena's Book

2010-05-06T13:44:00.004+01:00

Just a quick post because I am thrilled that Serena is not only making books for herself but for her little sister too. (I'm hoping she might make one for me!)

Template for the Matchbox Books

2010-05-01T11:59:00.004+01:00

Several of you have asked for the matchbox book template and here it is. Many thanks to Robyn Wells for designing it and sending it to me and saying that I could pass it on. You can look back through this blog to see what Y6 students have done with this design and for more inspiration you should see Robyn's mini zine Grass and Stars which is what got us all going in the first place.

The template needs a little explaining best given by Robyn;-

The (template) I'm sending you is called a work and turn, and it just means that you print half of what you want, and then take the stack of printed papers, turn them and then print the exact same thing on the other side. This means that the 8.5x11 pdf I sent you, actually has two templates on each letterhead 8.5x11. Once you are done copying/printing them out, you can just cut them down the middle.

I needed to play around with it a bit to make it work and suggest you print draft copies on scrap until you get one that you can hold up to the light and see the pages sitting neatly on top of each other. The pages are numbered 1-16 with 1 being the front cover (1-FC) page 2 is inside front cover (2-IFC)and so on.

Matchbox Book

For the matchbox itself I think you should use a real matchbox and cover it. You can buy matchboxes from craft suppliers but they tend to be flimsy.

If you email me a pic of your matchbox books I'll post it up. valatvalruttdotcom

Happy book making!

Young Writers 5

2010-04-14T21:27:00.009+01:00

I took my A'levels in the baking hot summer of 1977 and I remember feeling really miserable that I was having to revise when the sun was shining and the neighbours were out dancing in the street. Oh yes, they were literally dancing in the street because it was the Queen's Silver Jubilee and everyone went slightly crazy. Well, they did where I lived - for example, Mr.Broadhams and his son painted the kerb stones red white and blue. It was still there ten years later.

There seems to me to be something mean spirited about the timing of exams. Enter the evil fairy "Are you enjoying the sunshine? The blossom and the birdsong? Lovely isn't it? Well, now you have to do a test. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!"

SATs are coming up for Year 6 and I'm always on the lookout for ways to make the task of revision more interesting. Just before the Easter break we made folding books with tips and mnemonics to help with editing. True to form they took the idea and ran with it.

Examples shown are by Kate, Ruby, Hugo, Emille, Sofia, Eileen, Margaux and Syd

East 1 Writing Project - Thames River Walk

2010-04-03T14:18:00.004+01:00

Photograph: Eimear Daly ©2010

I am working with the East 1 Schools Partnership on an exciting writing project. Involving ten schools and sixty pupils, the project aims to inspire students to write by first immersing them in the rich cultural diversity that the city has to offer. Last week we met for the second of three experience days which found us walking by the Thames from Tower Bridge to the London Eye and coming back to the Tower of London by boat.

Students used post-it notes to record their observations, thoughts and feelings through the day and these were added to a frieze of the river made the following day using a giant roll of blue paper, pupils' drawings and photographer, Eimear Daly's wonderful photographs.

This is an ambitious project and, it seems to me, a unique one - yet from it a very useful model for creative writing is emerging. As a teacher and a writer I'm keen to nurture the desire to imagine and create as well as help young people develop the skills they need to communicate effectively.

There never seems enough time in class lessons to inspire the writing AND teach the nuts and bolts stuff of good grammar and punctuation. Could this kind of rich experience with a follow-up day of shared writing be transferred to a weekly or fortnightly experience in every primary classroom? I think it could and should. With a third day being devoted to editing skills where work is prepared for sharing with a wider audience.

Young Writers 4

2010-03-26T18:26:00.008Z

Inspired by Robyn Ayres delightful Grass and Stars - a tiny book in a matchbox - I asked her advice on how to go about making one. Robyn sent me a template for the sixteen-page mini book so that I could share it with school students aged 9-11 yrs for book-making fun on World Book Day. Thank you Robyn for your generous help. Here are some of the books made by Year 6 students.

Matchbox books shown above made by Hugo, Kian, Eileen, Sofia, Joe, Ruby and Aidan.

A Few Special Books

2010-02-19T13:19:00.017Z

I'm preparing a school event about why books are special. Here's a preview of some of the books I've chosen.

First up is this beautiful catalogue of The Albertina Exhibition of Hundertwasser's Complete Graphic Work 1951-1976. I've treasured this since 1985.

And nearly twenty years later it inspired my daughter to make this.

Next, my most recently acquired special book and current favourite. The Margaret Rudkin Pepperidge Farm Cookbook beautifully illustrated by Erik Blegvad. I've wanted this book for ages and have often looked for it on Abe Books It's big and heavy and most likely to be found in the States and sellers don't want to ship to UK. But I found this one in England and now it's mine and I love it!

Lots of things make this book special - the quality of the illustrations, the years of wanting it and finally owning it to name but two. But there's more. The dustjacket was damaged and consequently I noticed that the hardcover beneath it had a different illustration. Imagine someone owning this book for years, cooking from it, loving the pictures and getting it down from the shelf for a child to enjoy without knowing it had a secret.

The care, outstanding quality and sheer generosity of the design takes my breath away. Erik Blegvad is one of the finest illustrators there is and deserves world recognition. Read more about him here.

And this copy is special to me because last week Erik signed it for me.

Next, a book that is simple, clever and utterly brilliant. Perhaps the most honest and the most accessible Don't Do Drugs message there is. If you don't know this book and you know a teenager buy it for them.

The House That Crack Built - written by Clark Taylor illustrated by Jan Thompson Dicks. Get it from a bookshop near you.

And now for the handmade books and a whole other level of special.

This beautiful book, The Firewood poem bound in wood is from Harrington and Squires All I want to say about this exquisite book is you have to hold it in your hands to believe it.

Here is another I treasure from Harrington and Squires - The Golden Key

Better pictures on their website

As I'm doing this I keep thinking of more books on my shelf that I want to include here. This is the last one for now though.

Last but not least but oh so very tiny.

It's small, but yes, you can read it.

Writing Away from Home

2010-02-18T19:43:00.006Z

I seem to write more when I'm not at home.

I write more, I think more clearly and I sleep like I've been switched off. And I'm not talking about a going-off-by-myself-and-severing-contact-with-the-world-writing-retreat kind of experience. (Though I'd like to give that a whirl sometime.)

I've just spent three nights with friends and family and even though it was fun and busy I had some great writing sessions and made significant progress with my current story.

Despite the thrills and spills of the Winter Olympics, that got my heart going like the clapper on a cowbell, some committed movie watching, walks with the dog, long suppers, having a crossword on the go - despite all this, I was able to write. I wrote early in the morning, in the afternoons, in the evenings and had a couple of four am writes after which I went back to bed and slept like someone hit with a mallet.

It's been an extraordinary few days starting with torrential rain the day we arrived (the field opposite the house would have made a good location set for a film about Paschendale) followed by a blue-sky day where the sun felt warm and my son swam in the river. Then, this morning we woke up to a world whitened by frost.

It is, nonetheless, good to be home and I'll be back to my usual writing routine tomorrow - hopefully it'll go just as well as at the start of the week.

Pay and Display

2010-01-24T13:31:00.006Z

We'd been driving for a few minutes, me in the passenger seat, my friend A behind the wheel, her little boy singing in the back, when I saw the ticket.

"WHAT???!!!! NOOOOOO!!"

How can this be? A has a residents' permit to park so she's mighty surprised and not a little annoyed. I get out to have a look.

Well now, that is very strange...how on earth did that happen?

And that folks is what you get for telling your kids not to throw rubbish on the floor.

Apology to the Retford Book Club

2010-01-11T12:46:00.007Z

My lovely friend Sarah and her friends read Out of the Blue for their Retford Book Club read last week. And I've been looking forward to seeing the comments Sarah tells me they posted on my blog. But so far no comments...where can they be? Have they got stuck in the snow? It's not fair I want to see your comments!

A Little Concertina Book

2009-12-31T17:33:00.003Z

Two gorgeous little boys I know decorated a cake for their grandad's birthday while I took photos. We cut and folded card into a concertina book and stuck in the sequence of photographs.

A cake and a book for his birthday - lucky grandad!

East 1 Writing Project

2009-12-14T15:34:00.005Z

Last week, I met sixty pupils and their teachers from schools in Tower Hamlets for two days of fun and writing. The first day we travelled into the West End to see a matinee performance of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. After the show we walked to Oxford Street to see the Lights and have a pizza.
The following day we met to share our experience and write about our day out. On our experience day I asked the pupils to record the things they saw, heard and felt on post-it notes. What became clear when we shared our post-its - sticking them up in the sequence they happened - was that even though we shared the experience different people notice different things. Everyone has a unique perspective and the young writers are each developing a personal voice describing the day as they saw it. It was fascinating and impressive to watch the pupils focus their attention and begin writing. It was great fun to meet such a vibrant enthusiastic group and I am looking forward to working with these students again next year.

Cumbria Book Appeal

2009-12-05T12:10:00.002Z

Last week I arrived at Alexandra Park School to meet Y8 students in the library only to find that the school had been evacuated. Torrential rain the night before had got into the electrics and made the school unsafe. An unexpected day off on a Monday morning will have been a joy to many students and I can easily reschedule my visit. But Cumbrian schools are still closed after the November floods and children there will be missing out on all the fun end-of-term activities as well as their education. Many are still homeless.
An email was forwarded to me this week from Chris Priestley who is rallying Children's authors and Illustrators to send signed books to Cumbrian children. To find out more see Chris's Blog and get involved if you can help.
Thanks

Writing about Rain

2009-11-29T16:51:00.008Z

Doesn't the Steadfast Tin Soldier in Hans Christian Andersen's story get washed down the gutter in a deluge of rain? Or am I confusing him with Incy Wincy?

My husband is from Cumbria and I've had many visits there when it has rained - I've seen how it can go on and on for days, the skies heavy and grey, the ground sodden. But what they're going through now is unbelievable. My sister-in-law's friend in Cockermouth told her how the windows of submerged shops caved in under the pressure and the shop goods set off down the street like items on a conveyor belt.

Condolences to all who have lost so much in the last few weeks.

With the rain driving against my window while I write today I've been thinking about rain in stories -

Getting waylaid by torrential rain - As I Lay Dying
Sheltering from rain as a means to develop intimacy - hmmm...can't think if any examples but I know there are some. Any ideas? Dickens?
Constant miserable wetness as an allegory of the general miseries of life
Characters who are oblivious to the soaking they're getting due to their emotional state - Jane Eyre
Rain after drought to signify hope and renewal.

Visit to St. Mary Magdalen Academy

2009-11-28T12:34:00.005Z

Last Monday I visited SMMA in the Liverpool Road to talk about writing and the inspiration for Out of the Blue. I really enjoyed meeting the students so thanks to all of you who came along in your lunch hours and to Emma Wallace in the library for organising my visit.

Walking home I had an idea about the story I'm currently working on. I looked around for a cafe to stop and write in but there wasn't anything nearby so, scared I'd forget it, I phoned myself and left a message. I've not phoned myself before but it suddenly seemed like a good idea; I thought I'd look less conspicuous talking to myself on the phone than muttering into thin air. When I got home I went straight to my desk and started writing - I didn't need to listen to the message.

A couple of days later I was listening to a new message and heard my message from Monday. I didn't recognise my own voice and had a split second of feeling amazed. Who is this person telling me what I should do about Cora's mum? I thought.

Edward Lear and the Eagle Owl

2009-11-10T19:54:00.005Z

Yesterday, I flew an eagle owl. Now, though this might be the correct verb to use it required no flying on my part more's the pity - I just had to hold my arm out and the Owl flew to me - as you can see here.

These birds are native to Europe and were common enough before the Victorians shot them to near extinction in the belief that they'd be better stuffed and displayed in a glass case than living in a forest. Edward Lear - a famous Victorian - did not, as far as I know, shoot an eagle owl - but he did marry one off to a pussycat and have them sail away for a year and a day to the land where the bong tree grows.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Language College

2009-11-10T19:53:00.000Z

Yesterday I met a class of Y9 girls and I had a great time. Thank you for listening so brilliantly and for your questions I was really impressed. And another school with an excellent library - and this one is about to be refurbished so it will soon be even better. I'm ashamed to say that I cannot remember my own school library which is really weird. We must have had one surely? But if we had I would have lived in it.

Thank you EGA - I'm looking forward to coming back to see you soon.

Fortismere today, Waterstones tomorrow

2009-11-06T16:21:00.009Z

Today was the first in a spree of visits to schools to meet YA readers. I'm more used to visiting primary schools so I was hoping it would go well. I went to Fortismere School in North London and talked to students in Y8 about writing in general and Out of the Blue in particular. I was impressed by the students - fantastic listeners who asked great questions and by their library which is superb - friendly, well stocked, great displays and peaceful!
Tomorrow, Sat 7th November I am going to be in the Earle St Branch of Waterstones in Maidstone from 11.30am followed, on Sunday by a very special Remembrance Service in Lenham, Kent.

Awww I've got blog lazy

2009-07-31T18:44:00.003+01:00

I'm being a bit hard on myself calling my time away from blogging laziness. It's more a case of too much happening rather than too little that has kept me from blogging in the last couple of months. I'm not asking for sympathy because much of it has been fun - like visits to France and Italy which were fabulous.

Unfortunately, my writing has suffered too - you can sympathise there if you like though to be honest I'm doing fine feeling sorry for myself. I've had to bite the bullet and begin to re-write my current story when, after a few miserable weeks of trying to make something stand up when it wanted to lie down and sprawl about, I finally resigned myself to the inevitable and have started again.

So, its likely to continue to be quiet on the blog front. I'll post again in September - in the meantime - Have a happy summer.

Carnegie Shortlist continued.

2009-05-29T18:26:00.002+01:00

I have just finished Kate Thompson's Creature of the Night. What a wonderful book - I was totally gripped from start to finish and had no idea what was coming next. I found the characters utterly convincing to the extent that I was worrying about Bobby and really hoping that Dennis wouldn't wet the bed and tip his ma over the edge. Four pages before the end I couldn't see how Kate Thompson could end the story and so it was immensely satisfying to close the book a few minutes later shaking my head and smiling with admiration. Fabulous.

So, difficult to follow you might think and I'd agree with you but I've still got four more to read before I've completed the Carnegie shortlist. I went straight into Eoin Colfer's Airman - and got to somewhere around page 50 last night. It is a fasten-your-safety-belt-check-your-parachute-remember-to-breathe adventure and I am loving it. Passing family members pause to stare at me sprawled on sofa or sitting in the garden and mutter, "Are you still reading?"
Yes I am, thank you very much Carnegie judges for a fine shortlist.

The Carnegie Shortlist

2009-05-25T12:46:00.005+01:00

I am stunned when I look at Jenny's blog Wondrous Reads - great new look btw Jenny - by how many books Jenny gets through.

It is a struggle to find the time to get everything done and I don't mean the chores - I've had to set The Book Thief aside which is frustrating because I had just got beyond the point of finding Death's explanatory notes distracting and Liesel and Rudi were beginning to consume my interest when it occured to me that I had to get on and read the Carnegie shortlist.

I am not complaining because so far every book has lit me up. I am going to have to get the new Patrick Ness because I HAVE to find out what happens to Todd and Viola in the same way that I eagerly, verging on desperately, waited for Philip Pullman to give me more about Lyra and Will. But I closed The Knife of Never Letting Go and allowed myself a moment or two then went straight into Keith Gray's Ostrich Boys. Literally. Like falling. Loved it.

So no chores, infrequent blogs and not much writing getting done and now you know why - and I'm not complaining!

The Race for the Lost Keystone - Lorabeth Lampton

2009-05-15T13:45:00.002+01:00

The other day I received an email asking me about Lorabeth Lampton from a reader called Robbie. Lorabeth Lampton is the villain in my heartstone books.

Unfortunately Robbie I've been unable to reply because my email keeps bouncing back. (I think that maybe the adult whose computer you were on has their inbox protected)

So, I hope you find your way here and thank you for writing. Here's my reply:-

Hi Robbie,

Thank you for taking the trouble to write to me. I'm really happy that you're enjoying The Race for the Lost Keystone.

Ah, Lorabeth Lampton - that mean old nasty piece of work - she's so mean and nasty that she was really good fun to write. I don't know how I came up with her exactly, but its funny how a character starts to become real as the story grows. I'll be thinking about the plot and planning what's going to happen next and as I imagine a scene I just know how Lorabeth is going to react and what she will say. She has a lot of power but she's a bit of a loner. She has people who work for her but the clever ones - the scientists - they might start questioning whether she should be doing what she's doing and that makes her mad. So, then she has Bardolph and Frimley who aren't very smart so they aren't going to ask too many questions but they annoy her because they blunder about and get things wrong.

Happy reading and say Hi to your reading group

Best Wishes

Val

Breathing Underwater by Julia Green

2009-05-13T13:34:00.003+01:00

Breathing Underwater by Julia Green

I looked forward to reading her new book because I know Julia and love her writing and couldn't wait to visit a world that she had created. Because that's what reading one of Julia's books is like - everything is so real that you think about the characters and the events afterwards as if you lived through it rather than merely read it.
A beautiful book.

You can read Sasha's review of Breathing Underwater on Chicklish

Young Writers 3 ET by Emil

2009-05-13T13:22:00.003+01:00

Fine work from Emil in his comic series - strong characterisation and good page design well drawn. Only five issues at the moment though hopefully there's more on the way.

Good luck for SATs week to everyone in Year 6!

Young Writers 2: - FIFA Street

2009-05-03T22:38:00.004+01:00

Yet more brilliant invention from Year 6 boys. A football comic called Fifa Street that's funny and beautifully drawn by Stanley from an original idea by Jake and featuring a character based on Theo. (Hope I've got that right.)

Blogging and writing...

2009-05-02T21:06:00.005+01:00

Although I started this blog a year ago with help from Phil of Graham Hall, I've only been at it regularly for about a month now and in a small way at that. I'm hoping to get quicker at it because if I can't post a blog in ten to fifteen minutes then I'll be using precious time blogging when I should be writing. I'm learning as I go along and I'm discovering other blogs that I want to read and follow - all time gobbling stuff but fascinating.
I did have a bit of a breakthrough with the current one last weekend so if the blog goes quiet it will be good news for the writing!

Out of the Blue at Owl Bookshop, Kentish Town

2009-05-02T20:45:00.005+01:00

Thanks to Leslie and Gemma at Owl for their help at the launch of Out of the Blue last Wednesday. I had a great time and it was good to see everyone.
Thanks to Don Church for the photo and last, but not least, I would say a great-big-thank-you-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart thank you to Richard.

The Beautiful Books

2009-04-26T16:57:00.004+01:00

Whatever happens ebooks will not cause books to disappear. A beautiful book cannot be replaced by a virtual book because we will not want to lose the pleasure of holding a beautiful book in our hands. Marion Bataille's ABC3D proves the point perfectly - I can enjoy watching someone else look through this beautiful book but I shall have to buy my own copy.

Inspiration - Where does it come from?

2009-04-23T20:40:00.006+01:00

David Lynch talks about where ideas come from. He likens it to fishing. The intention to write a story is like dangling the bait in the water. Sooner or later a little fish - a tiny idea - comes along and takes a bite. You write down that little idea and it pulls in a bigger idea and so on. I like this analogy. Right now I'm wandering along the riverbank trying to decide on a good place to sling my hook.
Another place where we can find inspiration is in all the stories we've ever heard or read or seen in our lives - like this seven-year old writer creating a new version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf and making something unique and wonderful out of it.

Young Writers 1: - Tristan's comics

2009-04-18T00:39:00.003+01:00

A couple of months ago I discovered that Tristan writes and draws a comic series called Matrix.
I had just finished taking the register and the class were reading quietly, when I noticed Tristan and Sam shuffling through what I took to be piles of paper. I went over to see if I could suggest a good book and realised that I was interrupting an editorial meeting.

"Did you write these?"
"Yep"
"And draw them?"
"Yep"
"All of them?!"

One of the hard things about being a writer is making the commitment to do it. You can have a good idea and you can make a start and that is interesting and sometimes even exciting, but to keep at it and develop it takes effort. And Tristan has put an amazing amount of effort into his comics. They are brilliant.

The Last Day of the Holiday

2009-04-17T18:33:00.000+01:00

Another day of rain and I went to the British Museum this afternoon.
Margaret came with me and took this photo for me. I was feeling weary and the museum was stuffy and crowded so when I saw the giant Lewis chess piece I thought I know how you feel matey!

Great Missenden in the Rain...

2009-04-16T19:12:00.000+01:00

...is a fine thing because you can duck into the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre!
I had a wonderful time today. It was good to see old friends and to meet some new ones too. So, Hello to Sarah Mooney the current Storyteller in Residence and Hello to the young writers and story lovers who came to my workshops - Tia and Indiana, Samuel, Tom and Amy, Louis and all the rest of you - thanks for coming and for sharing your ideas and your brilliant imaginations.

I told Tia that I would give a link to the website where you can print off some more of Fabio Sirna's lovely paper bookmarks. So, here it is Bookmarks

Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

2009-04-15T19:43:00.000+01:00

I am off to Buckinghamshire tomorrow, to the village of Great Missenden home of The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. I am going to do a couple of workshops for budding writers so if you are planning a visit it will be good to see you.
I have not been for ages and I'm really looking forward to it. I was writer in residence at the museum when it first opened and I had a brilliant time there. Yes, those are two giant chocolate doors that I am standing next to and they smell delicious!

*Top Tips for budding writers
Thursday 16 April
1.30pm to 2.30pm and 3pm to 4pm
For 8+ year olds: Val Rutt, author of The Mystery of the Darkstone, shares extracts from her current work in progress about squabbling siblings Ed and Marie. Grab the chance to ask a published author anything you ever wanted to know about being a writer. Look out for Val's new book Out of the Blue, a story set in World War II for 13+ year olds, out in April.
£3 per person. (plus admission price)

Out of the Blue - book launch

2009-04-09T11:18:00.000+01:00

It will be good to see you if you would like to come.

(click on image to enlarge and make legible!)

Please RSVP to reserve a place.

becky.cole@virgin.net

Thanks,

Val

Out of the Blue

2009-04-08T07:08:00.000+01:00

I began writing this story when I was Writer in Residence at the wonderful Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. In the mornings and evenings I used to walk in the woods around Great Missenden and daydream and ponder the plot. In the museum I watched the film sequence about Roald Dahl's World War Two RAF flying experiences. As it is shown on a giant screen, seeing the Spitfire in flight was particularly evocative and thrilling.
Out of the Blue will be in the shops on 24th April it's about an English girl and an American pilot who meet and fall in love during World War Two. I hope that you like it.

My, how you've grown!

2009-04-02T20:35:00.000+01:00

I've been teaching for a while, so the Year 6 pupils from my first classes are now adults in their twenties. A person's appearance can change a lot in the ten years between being 11 and being 21 and when I run into past pupils, as I sometimes do, I don't always recognize them at first. Sometimes I don't really recognize them at all - I just have this vague I'm sure I know you feeling for a person who I can't put a name to. Then, if I do recognize them all of a sudden, I'm embarrassed to say that what comes out of my mouth is the same old nonsense that older people used to say to me when I was growing up. All that 'goodness - just look at you' kind of stuff. So I'm writing this now to apologize to anyone who has experienced this kind of thing. But, you should know that it just can't be helped - it just pops out of the mouth before the brain recovers from the happy shock of connecting that four-foot freckly boy with a grin to the six-foot bearded guy with a grin.
It's always good to see you.

Describing an elephant...

2009-03-30T19:57:00.000+01:00

...you know, like you do. Some Year 6 pupils and I had a go at describing a pachyderm today. The KS2 SATs will require them to do some writing and we had been discussing the problem of not knowing anything about the subject that you're asked to write about. That's not a problem, I said, because you can always make it up. So we shut our eyes for a while and pretended that we were in a room with an elephant.
Everybody did a good job but I was especially impressed with Kane's description of the elephant's colour being as grey as the sky when it's about to rain and Harry's description of the elephant moving from side to side like an old man in a rocking chair gently throwing his weight about.

Good luck to anyone doing their SATs in May - just remember to try and make it real when you write.

I've not posted for a while because I've been teaching more and writing less but that will change after Easter when I plan to start a new book. I've already started it in my head - in fact I've been thinking about it for ages.

Hand-made Books and a New Year's Resolution

2009-01-03T06:46:00.000Z

It's been a while since I made a book from scratch and my resolution is to make one. I'm going to write it, marble the end papers, stitch it up and give it a hardcover. When it's done I will post a video of it here.

Happy New Year.

Cold, colder coldest.

2008-11-22T12:34:00.000Z

There is discussion in our house about whether or not it is cold. For teenagers who do not need to wear a coat to school and those who grew up in Cumbria, it is not cold. The dog is growing a winter shagginess and doesn't seem too bothered. I, however, am frozen. It is hard to write when your fingers and toes feel like they're being nipped at and it makes it tricky to play the Ukulele.
I have a few chords now and am speeding up moving between them. The mouse has yet to inspire a story but I think he will. I'm pretty sure he will.

Return of the Mouse

2008-10-03T14:25:00.000+01:00

I am very pleased to have the little wooden mouse with the leather tail and ears back on my desk. So where has it been all this time? Earlier this year my daughter packed a rucksack and went to Thailand and Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, Fiji and America. It seems that mouse went too.
The return of the mouse has coincided with the arrival of my ukulele. I wrote about The Double Bass Mouse so perhaps I'll get an idea for a story about a Ukulele Mouse. I hope I can learn to play it - I'd like to be able to strum a tune while I sit at my computer thinking about what to write next.

I can, canoe?

2008-09-04T14:39:00.000+01:00

I have been in the Ardeche region of France this summer - famous for its chestnuts, apricots and Rhone-Valley wine. One day my family, our friends and I canoed the Ardeche river (well, 32kms of it) along with hordes and hordes of other tourists and our dog.
It is called a descent because you paddle along with the flow of the river and every so often descend via a cascade of water between a tumble of rocks.
Skilled canoeists manage to make the descent inside their canoes, deftly manoeuvring themselves between the rocks and over the rapids. I, on the other hand, invariably hit the rocks, bounced out of the canoe and ripped downstream like some old pooh-stick only to bob to the surface with my swimsuit in disarray and my hair plastered across my face. No husband, no dog and no canoe in sight yet miraculously I still had my fist tightly gripped around my paddle. Happy Days.

The Lost Mouse

2008-07-28T21:55:00.000+01:00

I don't know how long it has been missing but today I discovered that I no longer have a small, painted wooden mouse with a thin leather tail. I used to have two of these mice but I gave one to Vicky. The other one used to sit on the mantlepiece in my bedroom but when I thought to look for it today it wasn't there. Phil at Graham Hall happened to ask me if I had a mouse and that was when I went to look and found it gone. I have a large collection of small things and it is difficult to keep track of it all but I am certain that the small wooden mouse was around quite recently. I use these little things for story-writing workshops so perhaps I took the small mouse somewhere and left it behind. Or perhaps it's just off foraging for crumbs or making tiny holes in the skirting board behind the sofa. With a bit of luck it'll turn up - I'll let you know.

Swifts and a Tern

2008-06-27T07:42:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I watched the Swifts feeding on Hampstead Heath. They were flying low over the meadow so that I could really feel how fast they were going. I say feel rather than see because it wasn't possible to track them with my eyes - they were too fast. A couple of times one came right by my head and I heard the throb of its wings. I tried to focus on the insects that were 'swimming' in the air above the grass and every so often a swift whizzed briefly into view. I was looking at a butterfly when the blur of a swift streaked past and the butterfly vanished.
Afterwards I stopped and watched an Arctic Tern flying over the boating pond. It was such beautiful flying - so graceful and seemingly effortless. And I love the way the Tern's head is pitched forward at an angle so that it can peer down into the water. I saw it dive and though it missed what it was going for I thought that, a targeted fish, just like the butterfly, wouldn't have a clue what had happened to it.

The Heartstone Books

2008-05-26T17:09:00.000+01:00

In answer to the kind emails I have received asking me if there is another Heartstone book coming out - I'm afraid the answer is no, not at the moment. I have been sidetracked by a story set during World War Two. But,I haven't forgotten the Reynolds family and many aspects of the plot for the third book are in place. I'll let you know when I get stuck in!