NEWS

Movellas : A platform for young writers to share their work

A message to the Writing Squad Members:


 

Hello,

I wanted to let you know about a new website called Movellas.com. As you are already writing in your writing squads, I thought that you may be interested in Movellas as a platform that you can use to share some of your writing, receive feedback from your peers and read the work of other writers and provide feedback to them. Your writing can be on anything you'd like and your audience will be fellow avid readers and writers.

Movellas is already being used by a mainly teenage audience in Denmark, but we really want to raise awareness of the UK site for UK writers and readers, especially teenage writers and readers.

Some themes which have been covered by Movellists in Denmark are dark/paranormal romance stories with vampires, werewolves and fallen angels like in their favourite series: Twilight, Immortals, The Vampire Diaries and Fallen. They also like reading fan-fiction about their idols like Justin Bieber or about characters from their favourite books like , like Harry Potter, Twilight or the Hunger Games. Many like to write about love whereas others prefer to read and write about other aspects of life like, family, school, music, fashion and hobbies, but you can choose to write about anything that interests you.

The current users of the site seem to prefer stories that are published one chapter at a time but they don't want to wait too long for a new chapter. Mid length stories, consisting of about 10 reasonably sized chapters seem to work best. If they like it, they will ask for more! They also favour authors who answer when they comment on the story, so the collaborative aspect of the site is important to them and receiving feedback from their peers is too. This is how many early authors like Charles Dickens used to gain feedback on their work, publishing a chapter at a time.

The word Movellas comes from Novella (shory story) and mobile, as we want to provide a platform that enables budding authors to write at anytime and anywhere and from any device, and the same goes for avid readers.

So if you think you are interested in helping us with some stories please drop me a mail so I can answer any further questions that you might have, or just go straight to the site and start writing your first Movella, and encourage your friends to do the same.Looking forward to reading your work.

Yvonne from Movellas

And Movellas are currently trying to recruit young people: and are looking for talented aspiring teenage authors to create some great content and get more young authors to join the site. All genres and types of fiction are of interest. Click here for more information. 

Just Words: An Online Community for Young Writers

Are you are writer aged 13- 18? Then Just Words, New Writing South's online community for young writers, is the right place for you! Set up a profile, upload your creative writing and get feedback from other writers. With top tips from professional writers, as well as information on competitions, events and opportunities, this really is the place to see your writing flourish. www.justwordsnws.com 

Writing Squads write reviews at Hay Festival

On Friday 3 May, Literature Wales took young writers into the heart of Hay Festival. Children from the Merthyr and Cardiff Squads took part in a day-workshop led by blogger in residence Horatio Clare. Horatio immediately engaged the group with the language of reviews, talking them through the art of writing balanced accounts, vivid descriptions and engaging arguments. Under clear skies the groups observed festival crowds and conversations before heading to watch and review the pick of Hay Fever’s performances, including the celebrated author Jacqueline Wilson.

Ethan, from Merthyr Squad, wrote on the literary festival atmosphere:

“…Maybe I was nosey, maybe I was not but it appeared to me that everyone near was of an open nature, no hushed conversation or feeble whispers between glances. It was almost as if I could stroll across the mellowing grass whilst soaking up the atmosphere and cherry-pick my choice of stories.
That is what Hay is - not the books, neither is it the famous names taking to the stage – but the stories themselves. If one is to depart and to retell these stories, these moments and memories (held fondly or otherwise) then that in itself is the true magic of Hay.”

Following the successful workshop, Horatio Clare commented:

“The joy of Writing Squads from a writer's point of view is that you are suddenly issued with a dozen new sets of eyes and sensibilities, all attached to imaginations younger and and more surprising than your own. Turning the Cardiff and Merthyr squads loose on the Hay crowd with instructions to linger, look and eavesdrop brought wonderful results: some comic, some celebratory, some coolly incisive… In the buzz of the writing biz one sometimes forgets the aim of the whole thing: to see and make the world anew.

Writing Squads are an exchange between Squad and Writer around that exact point. It is a magical business of which teachers, parents and administrators should be extremely proud. The children certainly were."

Literature Wales is dedicated to bringing the best literary names to work with young writers. As well as setting up and funding the Young Writing Squads, Literature Wales supports literary events in schools across Wales. As a new organisation we are looking at setting up a Children’s Poetry Laureate in English and developing many more projects with children and young people.

Click here to view examples of the work produced on the day.

Literature Wales launches new Writing Squads e-newsletter

The Young People's Writing Squads aim to locate gifted young writers - in both English and Welsh - in each authority region and introduce them to some of Wales' leading writers. Following the success of the Writing Squads website, Literature Wales is therefore pleased to launch a new bi-monthly e-newsletter, featuring reports of past workshops, a round up of Squad activity, advice for young writers and exciting opportunities and projects to get involved with.T

The newsletter is aimed at Squad members, co-ordinators, parents, teachers, writers, event organisers keen to promote literature and creativity amongst young people, and indeed anyone else with an interest in the Writing Squads movement. If you know of an opportunity for young writers, be it a workshop or competition, please email details to post@academi.org and we will try to include it in the next newsletter, and on the website.

It’s easy to subscribe: on the bottom left hand side of this page, put your email address into the box ‘Subscribe to the Young Writing Squads Newsletter’ and click ‘Subscribe’.

Cardiff Writing Squad explore Haiku Poetry

Cardiff Writing Squad recently took part in a poetry workshop, led by Clare Potter at Literature Wales' Glyn Jones Centre. The 12 children then performed their poems on the Angorfa Stage as part of the Wales Millennium Centre's Open Weekend.

Clare introduced them to haiku poetry and encouraged them to write poetry to make people think. The following example displays a poem which sets the scene in the first two lines, ending with the unexpected.

Moving House
Dad closes the gate,
The lorry is loaded with boxes,
There is graffiti under the stairs.

Clare gave the children a few warm-up exercises to work up to writing their finished pieces for performance in the Angorfa. However, participants wrote such interesting work for their warm-up that Clare decided it should be used in the performance. The children gained such a lot from the whole experience and their satisfaction was obvious on stage.

The writing focused on the given themes of autumn and the moon.

Click here to view examples of work from the workshop

 

Four hour Creative Challenge for Powys Squad at Hay Festival

A film can take days and months of hard work to make and finish, but 21 members of the Powys Writing Squad gained a day's insight into digital poetry, in an intensive workshop at the Hay Literature Festival on 3 June 2010.  They undertook the challenge to produce ‘poem films’ in just four hours, with the expert guidance and support of Tom Barrance and Francesca Kay.

The children worked in groups to write, produce and showcase their films. Francesca chose ‘Festival’ as the theme for the workshop, and then, having found out about film making from Tom, the children went off in groups with a camcorder to explore the grounds of the festival and film interesting sights and scenes. They then returned to write poems inspired by their images.

Having edited, performed and recorded their poems they edited their visuals to the poems and screened them to a captivated audience.

To view pictures from the workshop, please click here
Click here to watch the films made by the Powys Squad.

Tom Barrance is Director of Media Education Wales, a nonprofit organisation which supports media and moving image education around Wales and beyond.

Francesca Kay has over 20 years experience in writing poetry for and with children. She works in schools, libraries, museums, even outdoors! Click here to visit Francesca's website.

This workshop was funded by Literature Wales .
 

Poets' Letter Magazine

Poets' Letter is a monthly online magazine of poetry, stories, novel excerpts, book reviews, children's poetry, children's stories, literature for and by young people, interviews, articles on literature, works in Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Politics and Political Economy, Arts and Music and therefore, offers opportunities for a great range of poets, writers and authors as well as for readers who want to enjoy the beauty of words.

Fore more information click here.

Young Writers Celebrate the Senedd's 10th Birthday
 

In September 2009, 58 members of the Young People’s Writing Squads from across South Wales came together in the National Assembly’s Senedd and Tŷ Hywel buildings in Cardiff Bay to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the National Assembly for Wales and to work with some of Wales’ leading writers to create poems about the Senedd.12 different Writing Squads from 8 local authorities took part in the event, including Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthen, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Blaenau Gwent and Swansea.

The event formed part of Literature Wales' activities to develop and enhance the Young People’s Writing Squads with its additional funding from an Arts Council of Wales’ Beacon Company Award. The Young People’s Writing Squads have been developed over the past decade by Literature Wales in association with the local authorities in Wales. The squads aim to locate gifted writers in each authority region and introduce them to some of Wales’ leading writers and teachers of writing. Young People’s Writing Squads welcome children whose creative writing shows particular ability and promise.

Literature Wales’ Chief Executive Peter Finch says: “Literatue Wales’ Young People’s Writing Squads have caught the imagination of new writers right across the country.  Facilitated with an Arts Council Beacons Award, Squads have now been exposed to the workings of government and have proved more than able to make a creative response. The literary future of Wales is in good hands.”

During the event, the young writers were given guided tours of the Senedd and Tŷ Hywel buildings by the Assembly’s Education Officers, took part in a debate in the former debating chamber Siambr Hywel and all the young people had the chance to meet some of their local Assembly Members, including AM Peter Black and AM Nerys Evans.In the afternoon, the children worked with some of Wales’ leading writers. One group worked with Ceri Wyn Jones through the medium of Welsh, while two groups worked in English, one with Robert Minhinnick and one with National Poet Gillian Clarke. In total, the children produced over fifty poems of on the day and Literature Wales will soon publish a selection of the works in a brochure to commemorate the day.

Here is a taste of the work the young writers have created:

 My day at the Senedd

Its grand wooden roof an accurate replica of the calm Cardiff waves.
Its huge glass windows displaying the amazing beauty the Bay provides.
Its heavy slate floor creating an unfamiliar texture beneath my feet.
The mighty glass panels surrounding the debating chamber
Which hold the keys to the Welsh future, light up the room.

The most amazing piece of art work at the heart of the huge buildings.
Its grand beauty bringing thousands of people from across the world
To the country we are all proud to call our own.
The sound of patriotic visitors praising its uniqueness.

I can feel the warmth the great glass windows draw from the sunlight,
The smell of the nearby docks creeping up my nose.

As I leave the magnificent building, I walk through the huge glass doors.
I look over my shoulder and am taken in by its beauty all over again.

Laura Caughlin, 12
Blaenau Gwent Writing Squad