YAP update

Our Young Authors Experience By Lucy and Clem

This year ten students from Dana Street Primary School were chosen to be part of the Ballarat Young Authors Program. The program was created to help kids who love writing learn from real authors and meet other students from different schools who enjoy writing too.

Our first workshop was at the Ballarat Library where we met Anthony Kearle. He talked to us about what makes a good hero and how to build characters that stand out in our stories.

At our second workshop we met Michael Henry, a screenwriter. He showed us how much work goes into making even two seconds of a movie. We also met Mark Muldoon, who is a songwriter. He helped us write our own version of a song and taught us how to match the number of syllables to the tune.

Our third workshop was at the Australian Catholic University. We got to look around the campus and see how students learn there. The coolest part was visiting the nursing and doctor training area where there were fake patients that moved and breathed like real people.

Our final day was the celebration day. We started at the MADE Centre where we listened to author Judith Rossell talk about her books. Then we went to the Ballarat Mechanics Institute and got to read old books and write poems about artefacts and games from the past. Before heading back to school, we stopped at Collins Bookstore and spent a $25 voucher on a book of our choice.

Being part of the Young Authors Program was such a fun and inspiring experience. We met amazing authors, learned new writing skills, and found out that writing isn’t just about making other people happy, it’s about sharing your own ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

We’re really thankful we got to take part this year and hope next year’s Young Authors have as much fun as we did.