Every young writer is looking for an outlet. Some will choose to write stories. Others will try poetry. Some will even have a go at fanfiction, short stories, blogging, script writing or something else entirely. But each of them will have their own unique ideas and writing voice that they’re developing; you only need to look at the number of teens that publish their writing in online communities like Wattpad and Archive of Our Own to show that there are countless teenagers out there with overflowing imaginations and the urge to connect with others through the art of storytelling. Of course, online communities have their pitfalls as well as their benefits. So what about writing as a group, sitting together face to face with other like-minded aspiring writers? Trying out new writing styles, building friendships, sharing story ideas – sounds great, right? But what sort of writing activities work best for getting teens to write together in a group? If you know some friends that love writing and you want to try it together with them, here are three ideas to get you started. Thinking on your feet Prompts drawn at random from a hat are a surefire way to generate great ideas for one key reason; they give writers direction. Every writer out there knows the horrible feeling of staring at a blank piece of paper with no idea what to write. Prompts from a hat avoid that problem by providing a rough outline, but simultaneously the freedom to explore it in your own way and tell a story unique to you. Random prompts also encourage writers to adapt quickly and put aside any preconceived notions they have about the topic, with the random selection having the potential to lead into some fantastic discussions with other group members as everyone shares their prompt and their initial ideas. For example, if you were doing a creative writing group session on dystopian stories, you could come up with a series of prompts for everyone to draw that focus on an element of society that the dystopia is centred around (eg one prompt could be something along the lines of, ‘Society becomes obsessed with physical appearance – plastic surgery is seen as not just normal but a necessity to ‘fix’ people, with even the slightest physical blemish or deformity looked down on as being horrifying and disgusting…’ whilst another could be something like, ‘Conformity is so deeply engrained into the social norm that everyone acts almost identical and follows a strict regime – even wearing bright colours is enough to make you an outcast in your community…’). The prompts don’t need to be long – a sentence opener, a title, even a collection of random words will do fine – but whatever writing style or genre you’re focusing on they can plant the seeds perfectly for young writers to flourish. Writing and Gaming – when worlds collide… Ever heard of a concept called ‘gamification’? It sounds complicated, but basically it means applying typical elements of games (eg point scoring and rules of play) to other activities. It’s an idea that fits perfectly with writing activities – rather than just getting everyone in a group to sit quietly and write to the same theme or prompt, get them to engage through roleplaying and similar styles of performance based games. Fantasy is a genre that is perfect for gamification – imagine that everyone in the group was all given the same task of writing about a magical quest, but each had to write about a different path? For instance, say your quest was to collect ingredients for a potion – each person in the group could write about collecting a different ingredient and have a different magical spell or weapon to help them on their quest. It’s like Dungeons and Dragons come to life! Making it silly? Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it… Making a writing task deliberately silly and nonsensical might sound counter-productive, but there’s method to the madness. For a start, it’s a great way to make the writing activity interactive – laughter is a great method to break down those barriers of social awkwardness, shyness, uncertainty and so on to get everyone in the group feeling easygoing and friendly. And it can help with the actual writing too. For example, a horror writing session could focus on having everyone come up with a silly title to a cheesy, low-budget horror movie – inevitably everyone would come up with corny, laugh out loud titles like ‘Curse of the Evil Lawnmower’ or ‘Attack of the Undead Pandas’! When everyone comes up with their title, they would then have to share it with the person next to them, who would be tasked with writing a horror story based on their ridiculous title. But even though the title would be silly, the regular ‘rules’ of horror, such as building suspense and creating frightening scenarios would still be in play – just think of all the creative ways in which lawnmowers or pandas could be written to make them genuinely creepy or threatening! Those are just a handful of ideas on how to make writing in a group both entertaining and inspirational. Got any suggestions of your own? Get in touch to share your ideas. Find out more about Igniting Writing here. Plus, check them out on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
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Author Interview: Alexis Fajardo, author of Kid Beowulf, talks to blogger Mirembe
Mirembe Mubanda, one of our young bloggers, recently got the chance to read Alexis E. Fajardo’s graphic novel Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, and then talk to the author about his inspirations, his process, and writing multiple storylines. Read the interview below! Mirembe Mubanda: As a child, what were some of your favorite stories? Did they play a part in your inspiration to write Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid? Alexis Fajardo: I’ve always loved mythology, in particular the Greek and Norse myths. One of my favorite books growing up was the D’Aulaire’s editions of Greek and Norse mythology; they were wonderfully written and illustrated. As a young reader I was particularly drawn to the Norse myths because they were always a little bloodier than the more refined Greek myths. Those stories were a gateway to epics like Beowulf and El Cid. MM: If you were to host a dinner party where you invited characters from different comics and graphic novels, whom would you invite, and why would you invite them? AF: This is a hard question! Hmm…I suppose first off we would need someone to cook the meal, and I think Phoney Bone (from the graphic novel BONE) is a pretty good cook. Then of course we need some good conversation, so I would invite Delilah Dirk (from the graphic novel series, Delilah Dirk), Tintin, and Asterix to tell me about all their adventures (and we’ll need plenty of food if Obelix and Captain Haddock come along too). Finally, I don’t want to do any dishes so I think we’ll probably need Smiley Bone in the kitchen to help Phoney clean up. MM: What was it like when the idea of writing The Rise of El Cid came to mind? AF: When I started the Kid Beowulf series I knew I wanted Beowulf and Grendel to interact with epic heroes from other countries, Spain was always on the list because of El Cid. I was also looking forward to writing The Rise of El Cid because part of my family is from Spain, so to weave in some of that history was important to me. One of my favorite parts of creating new stories is doing all the research. I love reading the source material (in this case, the epic poem El Cid) as well as histories and other stories related to the topic. The research is fun because it means all ideas are on the table. Eventually, the hard part of writing begins when I have to whittle away at the story until the story takes shape. I knew for the Rise of El Cid, I wanted to tell the story of how a Rodrigo Díaz becomes the great knight known as “El Cid” but must stay true to himself to achieve that title. MM: While creating Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, did you have a favorite character? If so, who and why? AF: There are a lot of fun characters in this book but one of my favorites is Rodrigo’s friend Pedro the mute. He is small, feisty, but never says a word! He has a slate board that he communicates with by drawing pictures on it; it was fun to come up with the different things he would have to say. I am also fond of Rodrigo’s horse, Babieca and especially enjoyed creating the part of the story where the two first meet. Horses are very hard to draw though so Babieca was a challenge. MM: On a scale of one through ten, how much is Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid based on the poem El Cid? Why is it this number? AF: In the book there is a Prologue in which I retell the original epic poem and that is a solid “10.” The rest of the book is inspired by events in the epic poem, other stories about El Cid, as well as the history of the time. My story is intended to be a prequel to the events depicted in the epic poem. The research is pretty detailed and thorough and the history is mostly accurate, at the same time it’s an original story, especially the parts involving Beowulf and Grendel! MM: Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid is the third graphic novel in the Kid Beowulf series. Which comic book did you enjoy writing the most? AF: Even though they are all part of the same series and we follow Beowulf and Grendel from one book to the next, each book is very different from the other. Book one is very much a fantasy that has elements of magic in it. Book two is a swashbuckling adventure story with some comedy thrown in. And book three is a more serious adventure with some romance and political intrigue. Each one has its own challenges and when I’m creating them I am fully invested in that adventure; it’s only after I’m finished when I can begin to judge them. That said, book two, The Song of Roland has some of my favorite characters and sequences in it and I always like coming back to that setting. MM: In Kid Beowulf:The Rise of El Cid there are three different story lines. Did you ever think of making only one? AF: Ha! There are multiple storylines in all my books! I think that’s because I try to create three-dimensional characters who have a lives and stories of their own…which can sometimes complicate plots. Ideally all the different storylines come together by the end of the big story; so in the case of El Cid, we have the story of Rodrigo Díaz which is very separate from what Beowulf and Grendel are doing however by the climax of the book all their storylines intersect and (hopefully) pay off. MM: Were any of the characters personalities based on yours or someone you know well? If so which characters and people? AF: I have a few friends who sometimes become the
Guest Post: No Boundaries in Art
by Sarah Lynn “No Boundaries” is exploding with color, something I particularly love in artworks. The blues, purples, and greens of the piece are relaxing and seem to flow in and around the image, while the peaches, yellows, and reds of the picture break up the scene in a way that only enhances its beauty. This beauty itself does not take one form—the piece is abstract. It can visually represent any number of things. I, for example, see a garden or a village celebrating some special event. Another person may see a lake or an underwater scene. What makes this piece unique is that the interpretation of the piece is different for each viewer. I also love that this piece has no rhyme or reason in the direction the paint travels. It needs no explanation for its being. The artist, Christian Goh, calls his work “messy art.” Goh, who is on the Autism Spectrum with dysgraphia and dyspraxia, says he likes this type of art “because there is no right or wrong, no confusing rules to follow, and I do not need words to express Me.” His art is a form of escape from the rules that society imposes on everyday life. This, I think, is the reason art was created. When creating art allows the artist a moment to breathe away from the pressures of normative society, it has achieved its purpose. Just by looking at the image, you can tell the artist was letting his paintbrush move, not dictating where it went, but instead letting it tell him where to go. I personally relate to this method of producing art. When I have too many things on my plate and just need a mental reset, I draw. Knowing I can take time to produce something created only for me to see and engage with is comforting. Drawing allows me to mentally step back, go on autopilot, and just zone out until the things cluttering my brain have left and I am able to refocus. Just like Goh, when I create art, I feel free to ignore the binary of right and wrong, ignore the rules society poses, and create without words. “No Boundaries” speaks to this need to distance yourself from societal standards. The painting is also a visual reflection of empowerment for Goh. Self-empowerment in today’s society is so important. You can’t let anyone else tell you what to do, who to be, or how to act, or else your life is being dictated by another person. One of the boldest things you can do in life is stand your ground and insist on doing things your own way, as Goh has done in his “No Boundaries.” He combined colors and shapes in ways that he saw fit, to reflect his decisions as an artist without needing permission from society. While Goh’s art appears similar to other historical types of painting, like impressionism or abstract impressionism, the fundamental beliefs behind his “messy art” are different from artists belonging to those movements. Both art forms were borne from artists’ dissatisfaction with society at the time of the art’s creation as well as dissatisfaction with past art forms. However, Goh’s “messy art” is borne from a much more personal need: to express himself in a way in which he feels comfortable. It is a prime example of self-empowerment: Goh is able to make his own decisions and create something which he enjoys and takes pride in. I encourage you to learn from Goh’s work. Today, go create a piece of art that frees you up inside. Create something just for you that you think is a reflection of yourself. It should be up to you to decide what object, icon, or shape(s) represent you. Discover what drives your art like Goh has in “No Boundaries.” About the Author: Sarah Lynn is a student at UC Santa Cruz studying art and art history. She has made art all her life and encourages Stone Soup readers to always follow their creative passions in life.
