Young Writers Collective Inspires Emerging Authors

On 13 and 14 May, students from Years 7–10 attended the Young Writers Collective, hosted by The Literature Centre.

Our Year 7 and 8 students travelled to Bunbury Catholic College on Wednesday, while the Year 9 and 10 students attended workshops at Bunbury Senior High School the following day alongside students from a number of local schools.

Fremantle-based author Mark Greenwood presented across both days, sharing his experience as an award-winning writer of historical fiction, mysteries and cold-case stories. Students particularly enjoyed hearing the stories behind books such as Jandamarra, Simpson and His Donkey and the History Mysteries series.

Mark spoke about the research that inspires his writing, including a memorable trip to the Pilbara with illustrator Terry Denton, and entertained students with the reminder that, “Everything I write is true… except for the bits that aren’t!”

Throughout the sessions, students were introduced to writing techniques, storytelling strategies and publishing insights. They also took part in writing activities, had the opportunity to ask questions and were able to have books signed by the author. A special book prize was awarded to the student who recorded the most writing tips in their notes.

Year 8 student Molly said the experience was especially valuable for aspiring writers.

“As a person who’s deeply interested in writing books and publishing books, I think this is the best thing to do if you're just as interested as I am. It’s a wonderful start to a career as an unpublished writer. You get all sorts of tips and tricks for making your writing sound more interesting to readers. Mark Greenwood (and possibly more authors!) explained all the “behind-the-scenes” of his stories that grabbed all our attention. At the Young Writers Collective, you can discover all sorts of new genres, writing tips and techniques you might enjoy."

Kiara (Year 8) described the day as “entertaining and fun” and said students learnt many useful tips to improve their writing while listening to fascinating stories, including tales about the Gold River and the Hope Diamond.

Hannah (Year 8) said the workshop was “entertaining and exciting” and enjoyed meeting other young writers who share a passion for storytelling.

“Young Writers Collective is a great way to start a career in storytelling and writing. It teaches young writers how to get books published and meet new people hoping to become authors in the future. I think it was a great opportunity and would 100% do it again.”

The Young Writers Collective gave students the chance to learn new writing techniques, hear firsthand about the publishing process and meet other students who share an interest in storytelling and creative writing.