Book Signing! Children’s author Ruth Eastham signs copies of her books for eager Ashville College pupils
Book Signing! Children’s author Ruth Eastham signs copies of her books for eager Ashville College pupils

Children’s author coaches Ashville College students in art of writing a best-selling short story

7 March 2017

A well-known children’s author and blogger has been coaching pupils from a Harrogate school in the art of penning a best-selling short story.

Ruth Eastham, whose fifth book is to be published later this year, spent the day at Ashville College leading writing workshops for Year 7 and 8 students, as part of the school’s annual Book Week.

During the lunch break, Ms Eastham signed copies of her previous four books – which she describes as “edgy fiction where the past meets the present” – for a host of young fans.

The Lancashire-born former teacher, best-known for her novel The Memory Cage, gave the Year 8 pupils a masterclass in “micro” or “flash” fiction, where a complete story is told in between 250 and 400 words.

For her session with the Year 7s, the writer got her young protégées to think of a “memory” as the starting point for fiction and non-fiction writing.

And, with a memory in mind – be it a place, a person or an object – she got the budding authors to write the opening paragraphs of their own novel.

Ashville College’s Librarian Laura Herring said: Ruth’s workshops were really inspirational and the Year 7s and 8s thoroughly enjoyed working with her.

Being a former teacher, Ruth knew exactly how to get the best from the students, and her enthusiasm for books, reading and writing was contagious.

Book Week is a popular and important feature on our calendar, and one that pupils of all ages thoroughly enjoy and always benefit from.

 

 

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