The original idea for a writing club for children first began forming about a year ago. At that time, and even now, I was a member of a local adult writing group called “Writers on the Heath”. the brainchild of Adam Jolly, publisher and writer. It was created as a way to help local writers to develop their writing and form connections.
It had never occurred to us that we were an ‘adult’ writing group of course. We were a group of people working to a shared goal. We had some ethical standards, and some rules, but most subjects were acceptable and there was no need for censorship or content management.
So it was something of a shock when one day a child turned up for a meeting!
The 11 year old arrived with his father and, although there was surprise, he was accepted . He had written a piece, and it was rather good. He was very mature for his age and he behaved impeccably. For a while he was accepted fully by the group, but there were some doubts and fears.
It was clear that with a young person among us there would need to be some form of censorship . Subjects of a more adult nature could be inappropriate. There were practical, maybe even legal concerns too. Yet we all felt that there should be a place for young people in a writers group.
A writing club for children
At the same time I became aware that there is a whole group of young people there who don’t fit into the classic outgoing, sporty model. Many of these children have a love of writing, but for some, the current educational framework has eroded their passion. The approach to creative writing in the curriculum can be counter productive for some of our most passionate and talented young writers.
I’m not here to judge the teaching of writing in schools, and I know that National Curriculum expectations limit what can be done in a school environement. The pressures of testing and the multiple goals of the education system do not serve our young writers well.
That inspired me to think about how I could combine my own writing experience, my skills as an editor and publisher, along with my teaching background, to help children and young people rediscover the joy of creative writing.
I remembered my childhood membership of The Puffin Club -a national Organisation run by Penguin Publishing that had a magazine for children with competitions for young writers. I remember the joy of taking part in these and of seeing my writing in print for the first time.
That was what inspired me and drove me to continue into a professional writing career.
What does a writer want more than anything?
Many will say that they want to be published. To have their writing read and appreciated or to know that others have enjoyed what they have shared.
Over the years, in various roles, I have launched magazines, published books, written blogs, made videos, podcasts and countless other products. I’ve interviewed the great and the good and managed printers, writers, journalists and editors. I’ve also self-published several books on Amazon and beyond.
With my extensive experience and background, I know I can help achieve this for every young writer.
Procrastination is the only thing that has delayed this project. Procrastination is the bugbear of so many writers. I’ve been sitting on this idea for more than a year. So many good ideas never come to fruition, sometimes it’s best to act and ask questions later!
I decided that I owe it to myself and others like me to stop procrastinating once and for all and start my own writing club for children.
And so this group is born …