writing workshop – Page 3 – June Paisa Perkins

Sneak Peek of the Teacher Notes: Magic Fish Dreaming

This is a brief update on the Magic Fish Dreaming Project.

Just letting you know the teacher/parent notes are nearly complete. You can view a sample over at the project blog.

Some brilliant supporters are sharing the blog and facebook links, or are planning to share the kickstarter link far and wide when we have lift off, including some lovely people from the area where the poetry is set.

Come and join us on the blog or at the facebook space so you can cheer us on when the campaign begins.
Magic Fish Dreaming FACEBOOK
Magic Fish Dreaming BLOG

For the Kickstarter I am editing the video trailer script today and drafting the rewards and details page to see what other information I need to complete it. I’m reading notes from Mira and Jed my kickstarter mentors.

And on another note today is very cold for Brisbane, so I am all rugged up remembering warmer days in the tropics hoping they might help keep me warm.

Magic Fish Dreaming

Green Tree Frog – one of the many creatures mentioned in Magic Fish Dreaming

DRAFT SAMPLE

Suggested Activities

Magic Fish Dreaming enhances the study of the natural world, encourages the exploration of poetry techniques, inspires movement and acting and interests its readers in specific animals and habitat including, the beach, lagoons, rainforests and farms of North Queensland and Australia.

Its poems encourage readers to, explore concepts of size and discuss ecology and the theme of belonging to and caring for the land, community and friends. Most of all it’s full of poetry to inspire the imagination, creative thinking and the building of a relationship with the natural world.

Hunting for a Poem

This poem is about looking for things to inspire poems.

Ask children:
1. Have you read or had poems read you?
2. What is a poem?
3. How could you hunt for one?

1.Natural Sciences and Language Activity

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CYA Conference – 10 Year Anniversary

CYA was; brilliant, entertaining, informative and educational. I enjoyed catching up with talented artists and writers such as award winning Katrin Dreiling and Helene Magisson and listening to the amazing Morris Gleitzman.

I did my first ever in person pitches to editors and agents. They were friendly, constructive, and helpful. I’m going to be busy working with their advice now and a couple are keen to see some more work, when I am ready. Thank you! Thank you!

The session I loved the most was definitely the Morris Gleitzman master class. We had a total of three hours to learn from him. He entertained us with stories, showing, and not telling, about his own writing journey as well as guiding us through some of his books. These were so memorable (and often very funny) that I related one in the car on the way to an engagement party after the conference. He gave us insights into how he structures and builds a story, blends in exposition, and extensively drafts outlines of his novels before he begins to write – the technique is drawn from his television writing background. We even had a chance to ask a few questions at the end, and yes I jumped at the chance to ask one!

My daughter, who is fifteen, thought this was the most brilliant public speech she had been too, and was absolutely riveted. She went to art character development sessions with Sarah Davis, which she absolutely loved and enjoyed spending the day with artist/illustrators.

Another inspiring session was the success stories from previous participants in the conference – I just loved these. They were encouraging to all aspiring authors and illustrators to follow their dreams – and to have an international outlook with their work. I was so delighted to see Helene Magisson up there sharing her story. She mentioned our upcoming project, Magic Fish Dreaming! with some excitement amongst her ongoing journey and I was so happy that such a brilliant illustrator is looking forward to our collaboration.

Jennifer Loake’s story was particularly inspiring, as she went from having her picture book story placed very lowly at the competition, to persevering with it, and editing it until it has been published. And the idea behind her story was just something she always believed in and wouldn’t give up on! If you are thinking about a career in writing for children and young adults I highly reccomend attending this event, and entering their competitions. You receive feedback on your story and how to improve it.

I have begun sending a story I entered in it last year (and have been editing for 12 months) to publishers just a a few weeks ago – perhaps now I will find a publisher for it.

A big congratulations to Tina Clarke and the wonderful team of volunteers who were so warm, welcoming and helpful. A special mention to my writing buddy Dimity Powell who I met in person for the first time. After attending the conference for years she decided to be a volunteer this year and add to everyone else’s experience, including things like giving me a pep talk before I went into do my publisher pitches – thanks Dimity! Oh no I forgot to get a photograph of us together – another time maybe!

(c) June Perkins

Leaping Forward – Kickstarting Dreams

This year I did one of the Children’s Book Academy Courses -‘ how to run a successful kickstarter campaign,’ with Mira Riseberg and Jed Alexander.

It was brilliant for helping me focus on why I write and in ‘kickstarting’ and skilling me to pick a children’s book that would be suitable for launching with a kickstarter or other crowdfunding campaign.

The Academy have many other courses available and have educated, mentored, and skilled people up to achieve their dreams to publish children’s books. Mira draws upon her many industry networks to bring in guest faciltators to teach portions of the course on offer, or teaches collaboratively.

By next year I want to have a children’s book ready to share with the world. I am determined to achieve this goal, and have confidence and some new skills to move forward with my project after completing a course with Mira and Jed. It has been invaluable to draw upon Jed and Mira’s knowledge and experience and to feel I really can do this.

To find out more about the latest upcoming course just head to this link CHILDREN’S BOOK ACADEMY.

Keep a look out for my book campaign – it’s on the way and I am so excited about it.

We Found Love

I love listening to music when writing.

My daughter’s a huge fan of anything Lindsey Stirling (awesome violinist and video storyteller) and introduced me to the world of Lindsey in youtube videos.

I spent a lot of this afternoon listening and sometimes watching many of Lindsey’s videos.

I love how she collaborates with people from many cultures and media. She’s a creative free spirit who embraces many styles and genres of music and many cultures.

I love her rapid fire sponsorship thankyous to the people who help her out with her videos. They are fast, enthusiastic and sweet.

Today the above song is my favourite!

Small secret, I used to learn the violin; my grandfather played the viola.

In our school orchestra we only had three violinists. Yolanda, me and someone else whose name escapes me. It was hard to bluff it in our competition pieces as there were not enough other violins to hide amongst – so I had to do reasonably well or the audience could hear the mistakes well and truly. Embarrassing.

Violin never really was my soul match, but I love listening to others play it well and appreciate just how difficult it is to play after three years of learning it in group lessons of 30 minutes per week at school.

The instrument I loved more at that time was the guitar. I took private lessons for this and ended up doing four grades. Our family ran out of finances to pay for lessons and I discontinued. There weren’t the number of online places to learn back then as there are now.

Maybe I should pick it up and work on it once more. I’m a bit spoiled though, as my son plays it beautifully and I just have to make requests and he usually knows how to play the piece I’m thinking of.

I don’t think I’ll ever be in his league, no matter how hard I try, but some people are just gifted and soul matched to certain instruments, just like Lindsey and the violin. But that’s not to say I don’t pick up my guitar and use it to help me compose songs and poetry.

Strangely enough my eldest son, who plays the guitar, had a year on the cello and a few years on French horn, before finding his perfect match in the guitar.

The other aspect of this video I love is that Lindsey is just so full of joy – this comes across in pretty much everything she does.

So there you go, now you’ve found Lindsey!

Reminder Notes and the Beads of Time.

Some of the work over at my Memoir Space. I’m exploring the metaphor of beading. You’ll need to click over THERE to read the draft passage that begins this journey into a short story and some poems.

Following the Crow Song

Sophie’s Beads – These are my friend’s Beads .. they are very precious to her. This image makes me think of her, proud Kalkadoon woman.

Forever making notes; writing down lists of things to do, remembering the phrase ‘the inbox is never empty.’ So much to learn; so much to do; so much to remember. What to do but begin?

Today I think of the first time I did a self portrait. I was in an art studio with my classmates and must have been eight or nine. I stood in front of a mirror with my multicoloured jumper that might have come from my grandmother. She was a grandmother I didn’t know very well.

She was later to surprise me, and she and grandfather, gave me a red typewriter.

The multicolour jumper became my focus. I wasn’t so interested in my face, and my curly hair but I did…

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