1st Edition

Tricks of the Writer's Trade And how to teach them to children aged 8-14

By Rick Vanes Copyright 2012
    160 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    154 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    What links Cinderella to Harry Potter? What can The Simpsons teach us about character creation? What is the False Horizon moment? What are the two classic openings and five effective endings of a newspaper story? Aimed at primary and early secondary school teachers, Tricks of the Writer’s Trade uses a simple, straightforward and highly-entertaining method to reveal a myriad of writing approaches, from basic story structure through to advanced scriptwriting, and the techniques used by professional writers and journalists.

    Covering fiction and non-fiction writing, chapters include guidance on:

    • Story structure
    • Creating characters
    • Persuasive writing
    • Informative writing
    • Scriptwriting
    • Writing techniques

    By following its step-by-step approach and using the resources and materials provided, teachers can engage their pupils, improve their writing skills dramatically – and have fun while they’re doing it. Writing lessons will never be the same again!

    Tricks of the Writer’s Trade is an invaluable resource for all Primary Teachers, Key Stage Three English teachers and literacy coordinators as well as PGCE students.

    Introduction: Good writing – the common threads between fiction and non-fiction; How to use the modules and materials.  Fiction:  1. Basic Story Structure  2. Basic Back Story + First Exercise in Writing  3. How to Get Ideas for Stories  4. Creating Believable Characters  5. Writing a Story  6. Rewriting.  Non-Fiction:  7. Non-fiction writing – an overview  8. Writing to Inform / Journalism  9. Persuasive writing I – the Poster  10. Persuasive writing II – the Essay.  Fiction - Advanced:  11. Advanced Character Creation  12. Advanced Structure  13. Scriptwriting  14. Advanced Scriptwriting.  Non-Fiction - Advanced:  15. Advanced Non-Fiction Techniques.

    Biography

    Rick Vanes is a writer, journalist and educational consultant in the UK. Having been a professional writer for more than 40 years, he has written scripts for over 2000 television programmes; six children’s books; hundreds of press stories for local and national newspapers; and training and information material for major businesses and organisations.