Hello again from St. John's Newfoundland, dear blog readers!

Get ready for a longer than usual blog entry because I had a busy day over here. This morning I did a writing workshop called "How Thinking Like a Reporter Can Help You Write a Book for Kids" for adults at Memorial University's SPARKS Literary Festival, and this afternoon, I was at the A.C. Hunter Library doing a workshop for tweens!

I'm sure what you really want to know about is the delightful dog in this first photo. That's Stella, St. John's most famous support dog. (In fact, you'll read later that two of today's tweens had met Stella at their schools!)

Stella and her person, Krista, took part in this morning's workshop! It turns out they are a popular pair in St. John's -- known for providing support to all kinds of people who need it. And as you can imagine, it's time for Krista to start writing Stella stories -- we think there may be a trilogy in the works!

The time FLEW (why does that always happen, especially when we're having FUN?), but I tried my best to teach the group everything I know about the connection between doing research for a newspaper story and writing kids' books. For me, these connections include: the importance of caring (thanks Maurice Sendak, for your perfect little book Pierre, which helped me impart that lesson); the need for curiosity to fuel our questions; the power of observation and even the magical effect of plying your interview subject with a warm beverage!

I pointed out we all have our own areas of expertise -- and that sometimes these areas are so much a part of us we fail to notice them. We went around the table and everyone got to say what they are an expert in -- and what they'd like to learn more about. Interestingly, blueberry picking turned up more than once (though as someone pointed out, Newfoundlanders do a lot of blueberry-picking!!) It feels to me like there could be at least one and possibly two blueberry-inspired kids' books born from today's discussion.

I also loved Lucy's area of expertise. "I am," she told us, "good at finding books in libraries." That's quite a talent, don't you agree? It would also make a fine, fun, important story!

I had met some of this morning's workshop participants in advance. For instance, I met Anne in the parking lot at Memorial University, when I was wet, lost and rather forlorn. At just that moment, her husband rolled down the car window, and then Ann asked, "Are you Monique?" Talk about a happy ending to what could have been a possibly sad story! I was delivered, warm and dry and pleased at having met Anne, her husband and their son, who by the way, has a very interesting and unusual area of expertise of his own that either he or his mum should use in a book!

Also part of this morning's group were several other writers I met at a little get-together last night: Dave Paddon, a pilot turned author; Otoniya Okot Bitek, a poet and fiction author who teaches at Queen's University; and celebrated Newfoundland author Lisa Moore, who apart from having written bestselling novels including Alligator and February, is, according to many people I chatted with at last night's event, the reason THEY became authors -- Lisa teaches creative writing at Memorial.

When we did a little writing exercise designed to help find the old fun in writing, Lisa came up with an excellent word that starts with the letter D: dipsydoodle. I already liked Lisa a lot, but well, that word choice made me like her even more!!

Another participant at this morning's workshop, Jan, told us her goal in coming today was "to muck about." I hope that worked out for you, Jan -- and as I said, I also think Mucking About would be an excellent book title -- and an excellent research subject!!

I was able to catch the start of Dana Puddicombe's workshop on using improv techniques in writing. I didn't want to leave, but alas, the tweens at A.C.Hunter Library were expecting me. 

Because I didn't know if the kids had permission to be in a photo, you'll have to settle for the following pic:

In my 35 years of experience as a college teacher, I'd say it was usually difficult getting my students to write. Well that certainly wasn't the case with this gang of eleven kids! In fact, I couldn't get them to stop writing!

Here are a few of my favourite moments.

When I asked if any of them had been dragged to my workshop by their parents, a student named Haneen, looked down at the ground! Ah ha! Haneen's brother Abdurrahman was there too (I'm assuming there was further parental persuasion involved) and he told us one of his areas of expertise is cooking: "I know how to cook scrambled eggs and also how to bake butterscotch cookies." 

When Olinka told me she's in Grade 6 at Macdonald Drive Elementary, I thought she said Macdonald Drive Lemon Tree. This led us to a very fun idea about a school called Lemon Tree. And at the end of our afternoon together, Olinka mentioned a karate tournament, and I thought she'd said a Crying Torunament. We decided a story about a crying tournament could be super interesting! So see how sometimes even misunderstandings (or mishearings) can lead to new ideas!

I asked the kids to describe the book they'd most like to read (and then I suggested they should write it!!). Celina, an expert in kiwi birds, wrote about a book in which "rescue dogs help at a kiwi hospital." Very cool! Oh, speaking of dogs, both Celina and Roeya had met Stella!!). Olinka wrote about a girl named Mia who "was forced to live with her horrible good-for-nothing aunt." Nice way with words, Olinka! Julian wrote about "The day Billy got back from school and his home wasn't there." Julian added that his story would make reference to "fat beavers and a talking sausage." Thanks, Julian, for making us all laugh! And Roeya wrote a church basement that was both "old and scary," but also "colourful and full of laughter." That contrast, Roeya, will make for a wonderful story setting. 

As Celina called out when she heard those story ideas, "I want to read all of those books when they are published!"

ME TOO!

Newfoundland is known for many things, including its wonderful authors. I wouldn't be surprised at all if some of those 11 tweens I met this afternoon go on to contribute to the literature of this province.

As for me, I feel lucky my path has crossed with every single person I met today. Thanks to Nancy Pedri and her team at SPARKS/Memorial for helping to make my visit possible; to everyone at the CCBC, and to Emily and Jan for organizing this afternoon's library visit -- and to all my students -- I can't really call any of you students -- to all my FELLOW WRITERS. Thanks for being amazing. Now go write!