Pupils Inspired in Visit from Acclaimed Author, Chris Vick

On Thursday, the Lower Fourth were treated to both a writing workshop and talk with Chris Vick. Chris is the author of the Carnegie shortlisted Girl. Boy. Sea. (their current English text), The Last Whale, an exhilarating and visionary eco-thriller, and Shadow Creatures – a beautifully told story of the Norwegian Resistance in WWII.

In the workshop, Chris encouraged the pupils to think of themselves as ‘storytellers’, reassuring them that there is not much difference between telling and writing a story. In all cultures, most stories adhere to a timeless structure in which a hero/heroine with a ‘want’ receives a call to adventure, before experiencing conflict and challenge in the form of obstacles, adversaries or inner demons; these are overcome with the help of allies and a mentor, leading to resolution. The art of storytelling is to follow this structure, but to do something different with it.  Writers need to add exciting elements to the basis of a story -– something extraordinary but believable; readers need to care about the story and want to know what happens next.

The pupils were tasked to imagine a character, time and setting. What does the character want or need? What is stopping them? How do they overcome the problem, and how does it end? Several children confidently took the opportunity to read aloud their outlines.

In the talk, for which we were joined by Y6 children in King’s St Alban’s, Chris talked about his journey to becoming a writer, and why stories matter.  For him it is ‘What if…?’ that drives a story, for example ‘what if the whales disappeared’? You can also blend fact with fiction. In the case of Shadow Creatures, his own family’s story was too good not to use.

He advised the children to keep writing short and simple and to write about what they know and love. Discovering your own ‘voice’ comes from doing reading widely, and plenty of writing, (perhaps copying other authors to start with), re-writing, and sharing your work with others.

But to become a professional writer, the main advice was ‘don’t quit’!

With so many pupils having questions for Chris, the talk ended in a very lively question and answer session before a delightful book signing session.

Pupils found the afternoon inspiring and interesting and Chris thoroughly enjoyed his time with them.