Writer In Residence – Writing Workshop

Year 10 were treated to the fabulous opportunity to hear from Sarah Ayoub – author, journalist and academic. This was a Writer In Residence writing workshop to assist students when engaging in creative writing tasks, supporting their senior studies in English. Sarah is the well renowned Australian author of several Young Adult novels including, ‘Hate is Such A Strong Word,’ ‘The Yearbook Committee,’ and more recently, ‘The Cult Of Romance.’ 

Sarah spoke to students about ‘writing what you know’ – combining your experiences, whilst adding an imaginative twist. Students learnt about the basics of fiction writing; characters, setting, dialogue, as well as ‘showing not telling’. Sarah provided a range of pertinent and relevant tips for writing including how to create well rounded characters and create tension within a story, always asking, ‘What If?’ and thinking about what a character’s ‘inside voice’ might be. Students were also encouraged to observe people and situations in their everyday life, the reactions and conversations around them.

The chance to hear from such a seasoned author talk about her craft is an invaluable and inspiring chance for our Year 10 students, one which I am sure they will never forget!

Mrs Nicole Harada, Teacher Librarian

Shauna, Y10

“The Writer in Residence workshop with Sarah Ayoub was an enlightening experience for Year 10 . Sarah shared helpful advice on constructing stories, developing characters, and creating realistic dialogue, which gave us a deeper understanding of storytelling. She guided us in improving our writing by offering various strategies, for example telling us how to turn everyday experiences into a story by asking ‘what if’. Sarah was a lot of fun and approachable, making the workshop enjoyable whilst providing us with useful techniques to apply to our future writing.”