Writing Stories for Children

Workshop One: Writing Stories for Children

A Two-part Interactive Course
With Award-winning UK Author Alan Durant

Venue:  Soulistic Expressions, Melville Johannesburg (See www.soulisticexpressions.co.za )

Date: Tuesday 9 October 2018
Time: 10:00 – 15:00
Cost:  R300 SCBWI members, R700 non-members (per workshop)
RSVP: To Jenny at SCBWI.SA.Gauteng@mweb.co.za

About the event: This workshop is the first of two. The second workshop will be held in February 2019 and will give participants the opportunity to discuss work-in-progress. (It is possible to attend one or both workshops.)

 Whether you want to write picture books, middle grade stories or young adult fiction, for yourself, your own children or relatives, or for publication, this workshop with award-winning UK author Alan Durant will explore some of the key techniques and considerations involved. Characterisation, voice, language, style, plot and more will be covered in this fun, practical and informative workshop, suitable for writers of all levels, providing plenty of opportunities for writing and discussion. Book now!

Tutor profile
Alan Durant is an award-winning author of one hundred books for children – from picture books to young adult novels. His titles include Billy Monster’s Daymare, winner of the Royal Mail Scottish Children’s Book Award, Burger Boy, Angus Rides the Goods Train, Always and Forever, Dear Father Christmas, Game Boy and Blood. Alan is an experienced writing tutor, who has run many workshops for children and adults around the world. Find out more on his website, www.alandurant.co.uk More about Alan…
http://www.alandurant.co.uk/discover.html
http://www.alandurant.co.uk/mybooks.html

Bring your writing, illustration to share with participants and for feedback.

This event is for illustrators and writers.

SCBWI Retreat with Alan Durant

If you are thinking about joining SCBWI or have allowed your membership to lapse, go to www.scbwi.org to sign up or activate your membership right away. This retreat is one of the wonderful benefits that membership of SCBWI offers.

Dates for retreat in the Gauteng: 6 - 8 Nov; the Retreat starts at 17:00 on Friday and goes through to 14:00 on Sunday (Option to stay over on Sunday night at extra cost)

Amazing value at R3 000 each.

Retreat Venue: Isilwane Bush Farm, see www.sleeping-out.co.za/md/Isilwane-Bush-Camp/27668 Physical Address: Unit 20, Pride of Africa, Dinokeng, Gauteng, Close to Pretoria and Johannesburg

 

Cost: R3 000 per person. This includes food, accommodation and all fees.

What you must do: Book your spot right away - but no later than 7 October 2015.
Pay a deposit of R1 500 by 15 October and the rest by 30 October (or pay R2 700 by 15 October and save R300)
Book for Gauteng retreat: Jenny at SCBWI.SA.Gauteng@mweb.co.za

 

Critiques/Reviews by ALAN DURANT

IN GAUTENG
Date: 10 November – individual times to be confirmed

Request for a review: to Jenny at SCBWI.SA.Gauteng@mweb.co.za

WHAT THE RETREAT WILL COVER

Note: You can send in the questions you would like answered during the retreat - we will make sure these are included.

The broad thrust will be to give you a sense of what you need to do in order to write a good story and, if you have already written your book, how to improve your manuscript.

The practical application of the presentations in the mornings will be workshopped in the afternoons

 

The presentations / workshops will include:

How to

·         develop your creativity

• find a story
• create a credible setting
• develop and refine a plot
• develop your writing craft
• develop/ shape the characters
• take account of the other elements in a compelling children’s book
• edit and redraft your manuscript to refine your use of language and get your manuscript ready to be submitted

Practical tips

·         the commercial possibilities of your manuscript

• how to approach publishers – submission criteria and etiquette

Evening Group sessions

·         how to brainstorm solutions

·         develop your skills as a creator of children’s books

• stimulate and support your colleagues

Who is Alan Durant?

 

In a nutshell, he is the author of a range of books from picture books such as Burger Boy to top-end teenage thrillers. He also writes prize-winning poetry.

He is married to Jinny, a reception year teacher, and has three children, Amy, Kit and Josie, otherwise known as his ‘guinea pigs’ He has been a National Reading Campaign Reading Champion and is a frequent visitor to schools, libraries and festivals around the UK and abroad where he gives talks and readings and runs writing workshops. He is a member of NAWE and The Society of Authors.

 

Alan’s first book, the young adult novel Hamlet, Bananas and all that Jazz, was published in 1991. Since then, he has written more than 80 stories. He writes for children of all ages – from pre-school to teenage – and in a variety of styles. He has written picture books, first readers, and series such as Creepe Hall, Leggs United and Bad Boyz and thrillers for older readers.

His work was featured in the BBC series English Express, which won a Children's Bafta Award, as did Bookaboo (Series 2) in which his picture book Burger Boy was broadcast. That episode also won a British Animation Award. He appeared too in two programmes in the award-winning Let's Write A Story series.

 

Alan’s Books: www.alandurant.co.uk

 

Awards:

2007: Portsmouth Children's Picture Book Award for Burger Boy, Stockport Children's Book Award for Football Fever
2008: The Royal Mail Award for Scottish Children's Books for Billy Monster's Daymare
2009: Portsmouth Children's Book Award for Billy Monster’s Daymare

BAFTA and British Animation Award.
Kate Greenaway Medal for Always and forever
Nottingham Children’s Book Award (Gameboy)
Shortlisted for Red House Children’s Book Award (Dear Tooth Fairy)
Kingston Borough/Waterstone's Poetry Prize on two occasions.

“Writing for children can be very rewarding but it certainly isn't easy – and getting published is harder still. Having the opportunity to talk with other writers and get the advice of experienced published authors is always helpful – it certainly helped me when I began my career as a children's book author twenty years ago.

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/english-association/sigs/childrens-literature/authors/durant https://www.newwritingsouth.com/?location_id=237

Storybook projects

Venue: Randpark Ridge (address to be sent to respondents)

Date: Wednesday 11 February 2015

Time: 10:00

Cost: R50 SCBWI members, R100 non-members

RSVP: To Jenny at SCBWI.SA.Gauteng@mweb.co.za

Programme

10:00 Welcome

10:15 NLT Media - Kgosi Kgosi

12:00 Lunch and time to network with illustrators and writers of children’s books

13:00 Creatrix - Lynn Joffe

NLT Media

NLT Media is a digital publisher interested in producing interactive and multimedia children's books. For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/nltmedia

CREATRIX

Creatrix is a collaboration of radio, edutainment and music production specialists, committed to fulfilling the multicultural communication needs of South Africa’s diverse target markets. The presentation will be on storytelling through music. For more information, see www.creatrix.co.za

All welcome - members and non-members. This event is for illustrators and writers.

Writing for the child and adolescent markets

A one-day romp through the basics of character, setting, description, plot, theme and genre – from idea generation to development and shaping. Suitable for beginners and experienced writers of child and adolescent literature as well as illustrators who would like to write text as well or who would just like more insight into the writer’s process.

Donna Wyckoff-Wheeler will facilitate the workshop.

Venue: Randburg Ridge (address will be sent to respondents)

Date: Friday 9 May 2014

Time: 9:30 for 10:00 (finishing by 15:00)

Cost: R100 SCBWI members, R200 non-members

RSVP: By 5 May to Jenny at SCBWI.SA.Gauteng@mweb.co.za

Dr Donna Wyckoff-Wheeler, who offers courses in writing, is an alumnus of the Ohio State University, where she specialised in Applied English, folklore and narrative studies.

SCBWI SA turns 10

Join in the celebrations from 1 -5 November 2013. These will be held in the Cape Town area. For more information, visit: http://scbwi-sa-10-years.blogspot.com/

Golden Baobab 2012 - Call for Submissions

 

It is a pleasure to announce the ongoing Golden Baobab Prize, a literary award that annually invites entries of unpublished African-inspired stories written for an audience of ages 8-11 years or 12-15 years.  The mission of the Golden Baobab Prize is to identify the African literary giants of the next generation and produce excellent stories that will be appreciated for years to come.

This year the prize will award $1,000 to the best story in the junior category as well as the senior category and $800 to the most promising young writer (18 years and below). Beyond that, the Golden Baobab Prize offers to connect outstanding stories with African and international publishers. The Prize is open to African citizens of all ages. Deadline for submission is June 24, 2012.

The Golden Baobab seeks to ensure that in the next ten years every young African will have access to excellent quality literature that they can relate to. 
See website:  www.goldenbaobab.org

MML Annual Literature Awards Competition

Maskew Miller Longman calls for drama entries for its annual literature awards competition

Leading South African educational publisher, Maskew Miller Longman, is calling for entries for its 2012 Literature Awards, which will be for youth dramas.

Each year Maskew Miller Longman runs an award for writing in all South Africa’s official languages. The award aims to Now in its fifth year, the annual awards have

Playwriting opportunity

Junkets Publisher: The Collected Series

Short, Sharp and Snappy: S.A. plays for high schools

Junkets Publisher is a small independent publisher in South Africa. It was founded in 2005 by Robin Malan, and in 2009 it was the winner of the Arts & Culture Trust Excellence Award for Literature. It specialises in publishing The Playscript Series, new Southern African plays. It is now moving into a new venture, The Collected Series, consisting of anthologies of new Southern  African plays.

Junkets Publisher is looking for short plays to include in a collection of plays for high school use,

Blue Elephant Storyshaping

I am delighted to announce the launch of my new venture, Blue Elephant Storyshaping, an editing, mentoring and coaching service for children's book authors and illustrators. I will also be offering editorial support and creative brainstorming services to publishers and agents, as well as running workshops.

M-Net/Via Afrika Literary Award Winners - 2010

The M.E.R. Prize was established in 1983 and is awarded annually by M-Net and Via Afrika in two distinct categories. A prize is awarded to the best illustrated children’s book and another to the best youth novel published during the previous year. The only condition is that the books must be aimed at younger readers and that the authors and illustrators must be South African citizens. The award is named after MER (Mimie E. Rothmann 1875-1975), for her groundbreaking work in the field of children’s literature. No distinction is made between English and Afrikaans books.

2010 M-Net/Via Afrika Literary Award Winners – MER Prizes

A letter from Hans Wilhelm (Writer of children's books)

Dear fellow writer and illustrator: When I started to write and illustrate children’s books some 30 years ago I knew very little about it. I had just arrived to America and had not heard about SCBWI. However, I was fortunate to have met some wonderful successful children’s book authors and illustrators who guided and helped me through my first struggling years. I am deeply grateful to these incredible artists for having shared their knowledge and time with me. Today it is my great pleasure to pass my own experiences and observations on to others in lectures and workshops around the world.

Next really BIG event

Exhibition by Illustrators and Writers of Children’s Books University of Pretoria

Writing for child and adolescent markets

Dr Donna Wyckoff-Wheeler will offer a 7-week module on WRITING FOR CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MARKETS.

On-line writing course by Janie Oosthuysen at Skryfgeheime.co.za

Skryfgeheime - van idee tot publikasie - for more information see www.skryfgeheime.co.za

Workshop: Illustrate and write a Children's book for the Trade Market facilitated by Joan Rankin

Dates: Beginning Wednesday 27 May and continuing with three more workshops on dates to be agreed on by participants

Draft Programme for Exhibition in November 2009

Exhibition by Illustrators and Writers of Children’s Books The same exhibition will move from the University of Pretoria to Alliance Francaise in Pretoria. The focus of the exhibition is on how illustrators illustrate and writers write for children.

Writers' Critique Group

To join a Writers' Critique Group, send an email to SCBWI.Gauteng@MWeb.co.za. Indicate your level of experience as well as the suburb in which you live.

Maskew Miller Longman Children's Literature Awards; competition

Maskew Miller Longman has announced its annual competition. They are inviting writers to submit unpublished and original children's stories and illustrations. R7500 will be awarded to the story winner in each language and to the illustration winner. There will also be a runners-up prize of R3500. Click on the title above to get more details.

Writers and illustrators required

Writers and illustrators are required by MasterSkill, an American publisher. Click on the title above to read more.

SCBWI Retreat

For coverage of the SCBWI Retreat, click on the title above. It'll take you to brief reports on: From story board to published book: How to find your own way in the world of publishing - a talk by international literary agent Susanne Koppe. Blank page to under a child's pillow: the creative process - a talk by Editorial Director, Picture/Gift Books, Macmillan Children's Books, UK, Suzanne Carnell International children's magazine market: What material they need, how to submit work, how children's magazine copyright and payment works - a talk by Christine Clark Panel Discussions Stories by Sindiwe Magona Workshops Discussions