So I'm back from "le Grand Nord," and feeling very inspired by the stories I heard, the people I met and the beautiful things I saw.
I took a couple of days to settle back in and now I'm back doing what it is I do: writing and working with students. Today, I was at Lake of Two Mountains High School, which is about a half-hour's drive north-west of Montreal. In the pic, you will see something that makes me oh-so-happy: students WRITING!!!
Last year, I did a day of presentations at LTMHS and I was honoured to be invited back -- especially honoured because the invitation came from a student named Jessica who loves to write.(Way to go, Jessica!)
I did four presentations, each of which included a writing component. Today, I decided to experiment with a couple of new writing exercises; I asked students to remember some mistake they'd made, and I asked another group to write from the perspective of someone they despise. Both exercises went really well -- as you can see from today's photographic evidence!!
As usual, I also took notes for future stories. A boy named Michael was wearing a blue mouth guard (it's part of his orthodontic treatment) and when he smiled, it looked as if he had blue teeth. That may be something I can use some time in a story. Also, one of the students' names was Leif -- I like collecting names for future characters. When I asked Leif about how she got her name, she answered, "It's complicated." I told her I thought that was wonderful news since complications make for great story material.
Many thanks to Mr. Rothers at LTMHS for organizing today's visit and to Jessica for the special invite. Tomorrow, I'll be at St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire. Hopefully the students there will be as keen to write as the ones I worked with today.