WRITING FOR MIDDLE GRADES...

Another weekend..another writing workshop. Yes, how spoilt am I?

This weekend it was the workshop run by Writers Victoria  and my writing group, Lazy River Writers.  It was led by the energetic Archie Fusilo...and had the group focusing on writing for children in the middle grades.



It was a great day...Archie has written widely...from children to young adult... to adult non-fiction...and he was glad to share his experiences and his knowledge.

Mainly though he told us to remember the children we once were. You can't write for children as an adult trying to be a child. That won't work. You have to think back (and for some of us that was quite a long time ago)...and find that child again.


What was I like at 8, 9 and 10? 

What were my interests and hobbies?

Where did I live?  Who was my family? 

Then I began to think....what did I want to do/ not want to do/ favourite colours/ favourite foods/ favourite television shows / music / movie stars / animals / football team.

What was my best holiday? Worst holiday? 

The remembering was an interesting process. Because you then have to find something that can be related back to now.


When I was 8, 9 and 10...it was the early seventies. 

It was a time of mini skirts and knee length socks....a group called ABBA came up with their song Mamma Mia....everyone wanted a Volkswagon Beetle... and Ziggy Stardust burst into life.

A child of today will not be interested in any of this...however if I think back to how I felt...what happened...what made me laugh...made me cry....what caused embarrassment (apart from those white knee high lace up boots)....what made a good friend ( it seems having a horse helped a lot!)....what was I scared of......what did I fear....what did I believe....

These are the things that can be worked on... 


Apart from going back to our childhoods for fodder for our stories, the one thing that Archie was passionate about was drafting.

Going back to the story, over and over again, until it is the best story you can tell. Then, and only then, do you send it out.

Sigh----yes more hard work. But as we all know...writing is not easy.

Vicki 

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