Naomi offers the following workshops for young writers in connection with the From Sadie’s Sketchbook Series. Each workshop can be booked for 45-90 minutes in length, and is appropriate for groups of up to 2 classrooms of students.
What People Are Saying:
“Naomi connected so well with the kids and made publishing their books seem possible! All of my students left with new ideas for how to organize, write and revise their novels. When a published author tells them how important it is to revise their writing and be open to criticism, they listen.” –Tracy Piombo, Librarian, Hillview Middle School
“Thank you so much for taking time in your day to do a Writer’s Workshop for us. You definitely inspired the students!” -April Katherman, 3rd Grade, Valley Christian Elementary
In-School Writing Workshops:
Idea Storm
Sadie’s story began with an idea. But this idea wasn’t created on its own—it came with a whole storm of story ideas! In the Idea Storm workshop participants will dream up a storm of story ideas. Using improvisational theatre games and other playful activities, participants will reflect on their own personal experiences to brainstorm ideas for the genre of their choice. Participants will walk away with a storm of ideas and techniques on developing them into full-fledged stories.
Captivating Characters
Sadie and her friends are so full of personality and heart that they seem real. Develop a cast of unique, quirky characters and use them to tell your own imaginative story. This workshop will use examples of characters from the Sadie’s Sketchbook series to show how to add dimension to characters, as well as show how characters grow in a story.
Sketch-A-Story
In the same way Sadie sketches to plan a picture, you can use sketching to plan a story. Stories are more than just words on paper—stories create pictures in our minds. As you plan your story plot, you can sketch settings, characters and scenes. Then, you can describe the sketches you just created with words.
Assemblies:
What Kind of Creative Are You?
In this hands-on assembly, I use my own writing process as an case study to present four typical creativity personalities. Then, I guide students through the process of determining which of the four fits their style: the architect, who plans everything ahead of time; the gamester, who likes to play with ideas and brainstorm and always look at things through new angles; the hiker, who travels through a project as though they are on a hike, step by step by step; and the dreamer, who follows a creative fancy wherever it leads.
We discuss the typical ways these personalities plan, draft, and also the ways each type generally finds themselves stuck. The goal is that students discover specific strategies for when they do find themselves blocked. Students will leave the assembly brimming with enthusiastic ideas and thoughts about how to unblock themselves in current and future projects.
Additionally, Naomi offers classes for young people through the Society of Young Inklings. Explore the possibilities here. To book Naomi for a Skype visit or in-person workshop, contact speaking@naomikinsman.com.
Society of Young Inklings, founded by Naomi Kinsman, also offers one-on-one mentorships, publishing mentorships and afterschool classes across the country, pairing professional writers and artists with young writers, with the mission of empowering young artists to tell their unique stories. Learn how you can get involved with Society of Young Inklings at www.younginklings.com.
Looking for a workshop for your youth group? Check the offerings out here.
