AAA KNOW HOW TO PARTY!!!!

DID ANYONE SAY PARTY?????!!!!!

Yes, yes we did! We’re at the end of the brilliant 2018 Adopt An Author. Carden, Mile Oak, Benfield and Stanford Juniors have all read, written, illustrated and taken care of their adopted author’s superbly, so it is now time to celebrate all the amazing adoptee’s who have worked so hard throughout the project. And what better way than meeting their authors over a bit of cake?!!!

First up Rose Muddle author Imogen White took Team Carden on a historical journey around Brighton and Hove before a bit of dress-up, performance and a quiz!

FINGERS ON THOSE BUZZERS…..

Team Carden presented Imogen with their very own books they’d worked so hard on creating!

Huge congrats Carden on an amazing project and well done on your superb books, we are all so impressed!

Next up Harold headed to Brighton……

Benfield Primary had spent a fun 10 weeks enjoying the company of the loveable Pigsticks and Harold and it was now time to meet their brilliant author Alex Milway.

With tummies full of yummy Pizza Face pizza, lots of live drawing and many lols – this was a party that would always be remembered!

Huge congrats Benfield on a fantastic Adopt an Author, we have loved seeing all your fantastic email exchanges and all the amazing work – the characters you created were superb!!!

 

Mile Oak had been engrossed in email exchanges with Wild Boy author Rob Lloyd Jones throughout the project and today was the day that they finally got to meet him! And what a wonderful welcome he had!!!

Massive congrats Mile Oak on all your hard work and excellent questions – we love that you enjoyed Wild Boy so much! Rob is delighted too!

Stanford Juniors welcomed Beetle Boy author M. G. Leonard and her very special guests to the Brighton Dome…. (the clue is in the title of her book…)

Stanford have worked so hard throughout the project, have loved the book and even created their very own special beetles! A BIG BETTLE BRAVO!!!!

A massive thank you and HOORAY to all 2018 adopted authors. To all the schools involved; the teachers, teaching assistants and parents. A big, big up to Brighton Festival for another fantastic year – thank you!

BUT the BIGGEST CHEER and ROUND OF APPLAUSE is for all the children who worked so hard and created the most fantastic work – we are all so proud of you – you should be too!

Until 2019!

Team AAA xxx

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Tuptown Tower Tales

It’s Pigsticks and Harold time and Benfield posed some interesting questions to their adopted author Alex Milway!

Dear Geckos and Iguanas!

Hello again! And yes, Hololo is Pigsticks! Well done 🙂

Here are some answers to your questions:

1. When are you making another book and when can we expect it in the shops

I’m currently working on a book called Hotel Flamingo, and it will be out next Spring.

2. Do you draw all of the pictures in Pigsticks and Harold yourself?

Yes! I do all the pictures. Though I think some of you are easily good enough to help me now!

3. Your life sounds so exciting – when and where are you going away next?

HA! it’s not so exciting, although I must admit to never imagining my work would take me around the world. My next trip away is to sunny Brighton to see all of you, I think!

4. Did you always want to be an author when you were growing up?

No! Not at all. I first wanted to be a footballer. Then I wanted to be a musician. Then I wanted to be an artist. Then I wanted to animate and make cartoons. Only then did I realise writing children’s books was the perfect job for me. (And I still want to be all the other things, by the way… I still paint. I still make music, and I still love cartoons and animation.)

And for this week’s task!

I’ve attached a Pigsticks spread, which is illustrated, but lacks words! So here’s what I’d love you to do. Have a look at the picture and write a short description of the scene alongside. You could try writing this as a page of a Pigsticks story, if you’d like, building a story around this picture.

Some things to think consider: why might all the people of Tuptown be standing in a tower next to a tall building? What is Pigsticks saying to them? And why isn’t Harold there – where might he be?

You can be as silly as you like, I know I always try and think of the silliest reasons for things happening in Pigsticks’ world.

Thanks!

Benfield have been busy creating some super stories to accompany Alex’s illustration

 

We love these! Especially Harold eating cake – as we’re all partial to a bit of cake here at Team AAA!

Well done – super work Benfield!

Team AAA
x

The Long Horned Snig Beetle, Rheracross Beetle and all the brilliant beetles!

The Stanford Beetle Brigade’s brilliant adopted author M. G Leonard got in touch with the team this week and shared a photograph of herself with her pets, and yep of course her awesome pets are beetles!

The brigade had lots of brilliant beetle questions  for M.G Leonard and a few of their own Battle of the Beetle theories….!

Dear Maya,

We hope you are doing well? We’ve been enjoying the story very much so far. We just got to the bit where Lucrecia cutter visited the cousins. We have a suspicion that Baxter is Darkus’ dad. We think this because beetles don’t usually like the rain and his dad took an umbrella with him even on non-rainy days. We also have another two theories, one being that Lucrecia cutter turned Darkus’ dad into a beetle. The other theory is that Bartholemew created a mixture\potion that turns you into a beetle.

Jay would like to know what your favourite beetle is between a rhinoceros beetle and a long horn beetle.

Clara wants to know where you got the idea to use a rhinoceros beetle.

Spike wants to know what the best part of the book is in your opinion.

Yours sincerely, Spike Bird and the Stanford beetle brigade.

 

 

 

They also shared some amazing pictures of their very own beetle creations! I wonder if we could keep any as pets…?

M. G. Leonard had some fantastic feedback and answers to class questions, but will she reveal any clues to the their story suspicions?!

Dear Spike Bird and the Stanford Beetle Brigade,

I’m so glad you are enjoying the story. You may like to know that the characters of Humphrey and Pickering were inspired by one of my favourite books of all time, The Twits by Roald Dahl. I think they are very funny and I hope you do too.

 I’m afraid I can’t help you with your suspicions and theories because I don’t want to accidentally give away the ending, but I delight in hearing what you think may be going on.

• My favourite beetle is the Australian Rainbow Stag, because I keep them as pets. And you always love your pet better than any other type of creatures, but between a rhinoceros beetle and a long horn, I would always chose a rhinoceros beetle. They are awesome.
• I chose a rhinoceros beetle because they are the strongest creature on the planet, but even though the look deadly, they can’t really hurt you and they are vegetarians who love bananas and hide during the day. I loved the idea that something that looked scary was actually friendly, which is one of the themes of my books.
• The best part of the book is a battle that happens at the end, and I don’t want to spoil it by giving anything away, but needless to say, it’s beetles versus bad guys. It was great fun to write.

Thank-you so much for the pictures of beetles you have created. They are awesome. I loved the name of the Long Horned Snig Beetle, and Karmen, Flowerroseno is ADORABLE! The Rheracross beetle reminded me of a crazy pokemon, and Ramer the glow wing beetle is so cool he should have a book all to himself. I couldn’t see the name of the brightly coloured beetle but it was fantastic. I’m really impressed by all your hard work.

Until next time Standford Beetle Brigade!

Team AAA
x

 

 

 

Alex Milway: “I stay young by eating all my greens and vegetables!”

Gecko and Iguana classes have really enjoyed drawing Pigsticks – they got in touch with Alex with some comments on their last task.

Dear Alex,

Thank you for your email.

Here are some things we loved about drawing Pigsticks:

C : I love how we could draw our own clothes

S : I loved how simple it was so we could all make it look like him!

We LOVED your drawings of Pigsticks in his own clothes too!

The classes sent Alex some brilliant questions last week and never one to shy away from being quizzed, he responded….

Dear Gecko and Iguana!

Some answers to your questions.

How do you stay looking so young (we have found a picture of you on the internet!)?

HAHA! I stay young by eating all my greens and vegetables. As you all should.

Do you work in an office or somewhere else like in bed? Who cleans up when it gets messy?

I work in an office at the top of my house. I have a nice desk, with my drawing stuff and computer, next to all my musical instruments. I love to play music and make things! And I have to tidy it up, of course, although I’m not necessarily the best at that. I still get told off for being messy.

How many people are there in your family? Do you ever get ideas for your characters from them?

There are four of us – my wife and two daughters, not to mention a cat and a dog! And they’re enough trouble for anyone. So yes, I get loads of ideas from them. 

How many books have you written in total?

I’m now working on my 12th! It’s a book called Hotel Flamingo, all about a girl who runs an animal hotel. I’ve attached an early version of the cover for you to see!

 

Now, the challenge for this week!

I’ve attached a short comic I made of Pigsticks and Harold, and this week I would like you to make a short funny Pigsticks and Harold comic of your own. I’ve attached a template of panels you can use if you’d like. The key to making comics is to make them simple! Pick a very little story, such as getting to school, or brushing your teeth, or eating lunch, and try to make a funny short comic about it. The sillier the better! You could even base it on a joke, such as a “why did the chicken cross the road?” joke.

Pigsticks and Harold can be very silly, so really go wild.

Use speech bubbles (always write the words first before you draw the bubble!), sound effects, and just make it as bright as possible.

This one might take some time to work out, but I know you can all draw, so you’ll do fine!

I’m off on my own adventure to China this week, so have a great Easter, and we’ll speak soon.

Thanks!

Alex, Pigsticks and Harold

We can’t wait to see what silly scenes the children create!

Happy Easter hols

Team AAA
x

Pictures of Pigsticks

Gecko and Iguana class are really enjoying their Pigsticks and Harold journey so far and this week they posed some interesting questions to their author Alex Milway…

Is it hard work being an author? 

I love being an author, it’s so much fun, but yes it can be hard work. Not only is it writing books, which can be tricky – as I’m sure you all know, writing can be difficult sometimes – but it’s also the marketing of your work, the keeping happy when things don’t always go your way, and of course coming up with new ideas! That’s hard in itself. And that’s not mentioning the drawing side of it! Yikes, illustrating is even harder than writing.

Do you write about other characters or just Pigsticks and Harold? 

I’ve written books about yetis, called the Mythical 9th Division, and I’ve also written the Mousehunter series which is based in a world where there are thousands of different species of mice!

Do you get tired when you write a chapter books?

Sometimes. I plan everything very well, so I tend to leave nothing to chance. Each chapter is plotted beforehand so I can dip into parts of the book I want to write when I’m in the mood. Usually, I pick the harder scenes for when I’m in the mood, and the easier ones when I’m not.

And last but not least, how many times do you read and check your story?

Hundreds, in all likelihood. And even then you always find mistakes, or things you’d like to change once it’s published.

And this week’s challenge!

After all those amazing drawings of Harold you made last week, I’m going to ask you to learn how to draw Pigsticks.  Have fun with him – add clothes, or whatever you fancy to make your character stand out.

And then, once you mastered Pigsticks, you’ll be ready for next week’s challenge.

Thank you so much for those amazing drawings, they were utterly brilliant! Keep up the good work!

Alex

Let’s just say that Benfield Year 3 are a pretty talented bunch – check out their amazing drawings of Pigsticks! And look! – Step aside Prince Harry and Megan Markle – the wedding of the year has to be the Pigsticks wedding!

Pigsticks

Pigsticks

Pigsticks

Pigsticks

Pigsticks

Pigsticks

Pigsticks

Alex was SUPER IMPRESSED…..and cracked on with answering some more of Iguana and Gecko’s brilliant questions!

Dear Iguana and Gecko!

These are AMAZING Pigsticks drawings. Absolutely brilliant!

Some answers to your questions!

Do you giggle to yourself when you write something funny? We laughed so much at the toilet queue part!

YES! I always enjoy the bits when a joke appears or fits into the storyline. One of my best friends is an author/illustrator called Gary Northfield, and we always laugh lots, particularly at silly jokes – and making up silly jokes. We sometimes do events together, and a few years ago we did one where he dressed up as a Zebra in a Gladiator outfit and I was a Warthog. It was so much fun.

Did you try out any other jobs before you decided to be an author?

I went to art school – I wanted to be either in a band, or an artist – but I ended up getting a job working on a magazine. I was a sub-editor, which is the person who checks all the words, and layouts for mistakes. While there I wrote my first book, which was the Mousehunter. I loved working on a magazine, but there’s nothing better than being self employed and being in charge of your own work – and time – no matter how difficult it can be at times.

Who is your favourite – Pigsticks or Harold and why? Jasmine: My favourite is Pigsticks because he is super brave!

They are both my favourite! I say this because I think I am equal parts Pigsticks and Harold. Some days I’m full of beans and want to climb the nearest mountain, other days I just want to sit and read a book!

In your story Pigsticks and Harold travel to the jungle. Have you ever traveled anywhere before.

And I’ve travelled a bit – though nowhere quite as exciting as a jungle. I’ve been to Japan and Australia, and I’ve been to China a few times. One of the most amazing landscapes I’ve seen was in the USA, when I spent a week in the Rocky Mountains. That was amazing. One day, I would love to travel north and see the Northern Lights.

We love the sound of the Zebra in a Gladiator outfit – great inspiration for the next fancy dress party!

Great work Iguana and Gecko class! See you next week!

Team AAA
x

Potion Devotion

This week Goldstone’s Year 3 have brewed the most potent of tonics in Guy’s potion project….

Hm, seems like all this superb sideshow silliness has given me an appetite – and nothing satisfies my hunger like a tasty bowl of challenge soup…

By now, you’re all so immersed in the world of Castle Grotteskew you might as well be mad professors. Or perhaps you already are.

So, your not-quite-but-nearly final challenge is to create your own powerfully potent potion! Here are some things to consider:

 

– Is it a monster-making or creation-curing concoction? Is it something Professor Erasmus might create in his lab or would you more likely find it in Stitch Head’s dungeon?

– What is the potion‘s desired effect?

– What exactly is your potion made from? It should have at least five (but no more than five hundred) incredible ingredients.

– What’s the name of your potion?

 

Don’t forget to include a picture of the bottle, complete with label!

Good luck!

Cheers,

Guy

P.S. Have yourselves a DINGLE DANGLE!

Should author / illustrator not take the fancy of some of Year 3’s we think that a prosperous career in the world of pharmaceuticals or mad professors might just work out…their potion’s are positively perfect!

Pupil’s Josh and Ben shared some designs….

We’ve dingled and we’ve dangled till we’re feeling rather dizzy.

We created and mixed, squashed, squished and splatted until the potions are complete.

We’ve got the epilogue to read so we are really hoping that Stitch Head is remembered. Arabella is hopefully a friend to Stitch Head. We really enjoyed the way she speaks and we often call her Angrybella which makes us laugh. Another name for Angrybella is Arolella.

We have enjoyed the book a lot. I, (Ben) think this is my favourite book yet. The monster is the funniest character in the book (Josh).

See you soon. Have yourself a Dingle Dangle back!

Josh and Ben

We love Arthur’s explosive spray – the hand-grenade bottle is inspired! Top marks to the name Smell and Yell (lol!) and Ewan your potion that turns nice monsters into ferocious monsters – ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING!!!! They are all brilliant and terrifying and gruesome and I hope never to find such a potion in my bathroom cabinet!

Well done Goldstone Year 3 – super work!

Team AAA x

Roll up, roll up! All the fear of the Carnival!

We left Goldstone last week with the promise of an excellent next task and Year 3 certainly did not disappoint! Shall we see what they have been up to??? Guy set them a creepy carnival challenge…

So, as you know, Fulbert Freakfinder is desperate to recruit Stitch Head as the star of his Carnival of Unnatural Wonders. He goes to great lengths to convince Stitch Head he could be a star, including creating a poster, featuring Stitch Head as the main attraction.

I want you to create your own poster for Fulbert Freakfinder’s Carnival of Unnatural Wonders. It can feature Stitch Head and / or Doctor Contortion, Madame Moustache and the Topsy Turvy Twins OR your very own uniquely freakish attraction / character / star of the show, to pull in hordes of punters! Your job is to make the carnival look as exciting as possible, so that Freakfinder gets loads of visitors and doesn’t go out of business…

Good luck! Can’t wait to see your posters.

Speak soon, and, as if I need to say it, Have yourselves a DiNGLE DANGLE…

Guy

What monstrous, unnatural beings might Year 3 have created? They explored the depths of their imaginations and set about creating some grotesque creatures – the stuff of nightmares!!! Dare we have a look…….

 

Hi Guy,

I’m Emily and I’m very pleased to be writing to you.

I really liked your challenge and I think it was very competitive. I thought about Fulbert and how horrible he was, so I drew him with a duck body. I renamed him Duckbert. Thinking about it makes me laugh.

I have found the story very funny and when we’ve acted it out, I have played the part of the Creature. Mr Lessel’s thought my performance was very funny because of the voice that I used. I was madder than Professor Erasmus.

Hope Chapter 14 is even better.

Emily

DUCKBERT! We love it! That’s seriously funny Emily, we’re in STITCHES!

 

Guy was suitably impressed and a little FREAKED OUT!

Emily … Creations of Year 3 … brave souls of Chuggers Nubbin – Roll up, roll up!

Thanks for your incredible posters – I had a whale of a time inspecting them in all their gruesomely grotesque glory. I loved how much variety there was in terms of composition and content – especially the new characters you threw in there. Some of my freakish favourites were:

THE GYMNASTIC KITTENS!

MR MOHAWK! (He will mess your trousers until they come off)

THE HIDEOUS MR BONE! (He could bite your guts out)

THE SPLITTING SKULL! (It will mess you up for life)

THE TERRIFYING THREE ARMED CREATURE THAT IS THE SIZE OF A BEAR!

And, possibly most nonsensically nightmarish of them all…

FOOT BODY!

(On a side note, Stitch Head began almost-life as an idea called An Arm and a Leg. One of the two main characters, Leg, had a foot for a body! More on that later…)

Sounds to me like the greatest show on Earth! So, “Roll up! Roll up! We’ll make you crack up!” “Come to Brighton for a trouser messing show!” “You’ll never forget your panic!” “Just one penny a peek!”

After all, as Cousin Bob puts it, it’s “Really really really really really really really really really really really really COOL!”

…

Hm, seems like all this superb sideshow silliness has given me an appetite – and nothing satisfies my hunger like a tasty bowl of challenge soup…

By now, you’re all so immersed in the world of Castle Grotteskew you might as well be mad professors. Or perhaps you already are.

So, your not-quite-but-nearly final challenge is to create your own powerfully potent potion! Here are some things to consider:

– Is it a monster-making or creation-curing concoction? Is it something Professor Erasmus might create in his lab or would you more likely find it in Stitch Head’s dungeon?

– What is the potion’s desired effect?

– What exactly is your potion made from? It should have at least five (but no more than five hundred) incredible ingredients.

– What’s the name of your potion?

Don’t forget to include a picture of the bottle, complete with label!

Good luck!

Cheers,

Guy

P.S. Have yourselves a DINGLE DANGLE!

We can’t wait to see what Year 3 concoct! Until next time!

Team AAA x

6L’s Superb Storyboarding

We’ve caught up with the wonderful work that 6L have been producing for their adoptive author Ross Montgomery! A few weeks ago he explained the importance of planning each chapter of your book and asked the class to create some storyboards…

You’ve each designed an alien and started describing it. Eventually you’ll be putting your alien in a short bit of writing – but for now, we’re going to plan it. Planning is essential if you want to be a writer – often it helps you realise that the idea in your head won’t work as you thought! I normally plan my story out by typing out what happens in each chapter, but seeing as you’re all such excellent artists you’re going to be making a storyboard instead.

1. Start by diving your sheet of paper up into 9 boxes – three lines of three. You could always do more/less, but 9 is a good place to start! If Miss Liddle prefers, she could give you a printed sheet with 9 panels on it already.
2. Your story is going to be about a child who finds an alien near where they live. It could be they find it in their house, or on the way home from school, or when they go exploring in a forest. The choice is yours!
3. In the first three panels, set up your story – why is your character doing before they stumble upon their alien? Add bits of dialogue if you want, but this is a storyboard so it doesn’t need much.
4. In the next three panels, your character is going to discover their alien. This will be an important part of your story, so make sure it’s a surprising or magical moment! How would your character react – terrified? Entranced? Delighted? Disgusted? Remember the alien you designed – if they’re scary then your character will probably be petrified!
5. In the last three panels, you’re going to show what happens next – we don’t have to finish the storythough! Does you main character become friends with the alien and try to hide him/her? Does the alien ask your main character for help? Is your story a horror story and the alien chases your main character away? The choice is yours – but remember, this is only the beginning of a longer story. It could always be a single chapter later on!

It’s safe to say 6L created some amazing storyboards, I think there’s a few budding graphic novelists in our midst! We’ve picked a few of our favourites…

Amelia

Caitlin

Ellie

Freya S

Jack

Lauren

William

Dear 6L,

Thank you so much for sending on your storyboards! I loved looking through these – there’s was such a variety of different ideas and story directions. I’m also busy writing at the moment – I’ve been given two books back by my publishers (TWO!) and need to have them completely finished by Wednesday, so I’m working like a maniac. Perhaps I might even be able to read some of them to you when I see you!

• Amelia: I LOVED the Amazon joke in this! Properly made me laugh. Can’t wait to read more of your funny story!
• Caitlin: I can tell you’re a fan of comic books – your drawings are lovely and you’ve chosen to “frame” each scene really well.
• Ellie: …And the same goes for Ellie! This looked exactly like a real comic to me instead of just a storyboard. I’m intrigued by your mysterious alien!
• Freya: This alien is adorable! I love how you set the scene with snow outside as well – this will work really nicely when you write your story.
• Jack: What a story! It’s got a sad beginning and tons of destruction – just my kind of thing! However I DO want to find out more – about how Kia sadly dies, and how Peritron is killed – make sure you leave room for those details!
• Lauren: I’m fascinated by your strange and wonderful alien! I also love how many different languages you know as a class – my girlfriend is currently learning Greek so we have lots of post-it notes with Greek words stuck up all over the flat, so it was lovely to see them used here…
• William: …and then I see a story filled with kanjis too! You may well find this becomes useful for the last chapter of PERIJEE & ME (I’m also intrigued by frame 7 of your story – what’ stopping him going back in the house?!

For your next task, we’re going to combine the two different bits of work you’ve done so far – the descriptions of your aliens and your storyboard.

 

Oooooh we’re intrigued for the next challenge – can’t wait to see them! Until next time Ross & 6L!

Team AAA x

 

Goldstone’s Great Cover Art!

Last week Goldstone’s adopted author Guy Bass received a lovely email from Faiza sharing what she thought of his book Stitch Head and some of their brilliant book covers below!

Hi Guy,

My name is Faiza. We have read up to chapter 8 in your book and the whole of Year 3,including me, LOVE IT! We have all finished drawing and colouring our covers so we are sending a few of them to you to see what you think about them.

My favourite part of the story so far is when Fulbert Freakfinder came back into the story. I like how you get to the point of the story at the right time.

I also find it really funny how the creature talks and his character. I wonder if Professor Erasmus will remember Stitch Head at a point of the story and be best friends with him again…

We hope you have a nice weekend,

From me, Year 3 and

Claire Winter

Year 3 teacher and Year Group Leader

 

 

So many fantastic Stitch Head book covers! Team AAA think there’s a few budding book designers amongst Year 3! Here are Guy’s thoughts…

Hi Faiza (and all the creations of Year 3),

Hope you’re had a cracking weekend, and this week is turning out to be the best ever.

So, I LOVE your covers. They’re fantastic! Lots of variety in composition and colouring, and it was great to see some of the other characters (as well as a few new ones) thrown in there. I love the fact that Creature, Arabella and Fulbert Freakfinder make a few appearances, and all the new monsters are fabulously foul.

One cover in particular impressed me though. After the first Stitch Head book came out, I talked to the publishers about subsequent covers might look, and one idea I had was an extreme close-up of Stitch Head’s face, blending into shadow. Basically it looked exactly like this in my head:

So well done to whoever read my mind….! Nice one.

Oh and to add to the excitement, and the Stitch Head illustrator, Pete Williamson popped over today, so I showed him your work – he was very impressed! He especially loved the blood dripping eyeballs and the hanging spiders, so well done to whoever did those.

Well done everyone!

Team AAA x

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

That quote is by American writer Toni Morrison – great words!

This is a fitting quote for Stanford Juniors’ next task set by their adopted author, Ross Montgomery …

By now you’ve invented an alien, and used similes and evocative language to describe different parts of it. 

 

Read either pp. 29-32 (Perijee turning into a person) or pp. 68-70 (Perijee appearing in front of Caitlin’s parents) – depending on how far you’ve got in the book! In these short extracts, we see Perijee changing and the effect it has on people. Try and spot some examples of similes and descriptive language I’ve used.

 

YOUR next step is to pretend you’ve written a whole book about your alien. You’re going to write the scene where your alien first appears!

 

RULES

 

1. You don’t need to write a whole story – just one short scene. A few paragraphs should be enough. You don’t need to come up with a whole backstory, or an explanation where this alien has come from.

 

2. In the scene, your narrator is going to discover your alien. You can write it in first person – e.g. “I gasped in shock” – or third person if you prefer – e.g “Daisy gasped in shock”. The choice is yours!

 

3. Start by imagining a good place for your alien to be discovered – it should depend on how you want the scene to “feel”. If you want the scene to be scary, a good place would be a barren forest in the middle of the night – perhaps your narrator is trying to find his/her way home through the fog with a flashlight when they stumble across the alien. If you want the scene to be awe-inspiring, maybe the narrator could go exploring an old abandoned cave and find it there. 

The options are endless: it could be in a foul stinking sewer, the narrator’s bedroom, a dusty old shed at the bottom of a garden… think about what works for your alien, and what you would enjoy writing!

 

4. First of all, take a sentence or two to describe the setting. This is a good way to build up a sense of how the reader should feel when they’re reading – scared, amazed, confused…

EXAMPLE 1: I crept through the dark, dismal corridor, my heart pounding with terror in my chest.

EXAMPLE 2: Jeremy walked mesmerised through the sunlit trees, towards the glade where the haunting music was playing…

 

5. When your narrator sees the alien, take a few sentences to describe the alien. This bit should be easy – you’ve already done the hard work! Look at the sentences you came up for your alien and choose the ones you think are most effective. You don’t need all of them – three or four should be enough. 

Make sure you choose a good mix so we get a “picture” in our head – it would be a pity if all three descriptions were about your alien’s feet, for example!

Feel free to alter or improve your descriptions if you think they could be better – you may have come up with some new ideas over the last few weeks!

 

6. Last of all, make it clear how the narrator feels after seeing the alien. Are they terrified? Amazed? Disgusted? Delighted? Does the alien know it’s been seen – do they talk to each other? The choice is yours!

 

I look forward to seeing your ideas! Remember, these passages don’t need to be long – it’s better to write something short and punchy than something long and boring!

 

Have fun and speak soon,

 

Ross

x

Well as we know, Stanford Juniors are a very creative lot and have approached Ross’ idea from a different angle – before they begin writing their first scene, the class have created a storyboard to help them plan their first draft. How organised!

Ross seemed impressed by this initiative and responded:

Hello Year 6s,

I loved your work this week! I wasn’t expecting to see comic strip storyboards, but it really helped show off and structure your ideas (and drawing skills!) When I write, I usually have to plan out every chapter in detail before I get started – it can be really tough but is vital if you want to make sure your writing’s going to be the best it can be. I particularly liked Suzi-Anne’s terrifying alien getting annoyed at being called ugly, and Ruby’s duplicating aliens being shoved in the wardrobe!

Speak soon,

Ross