This week I visited Tameside College for my latest author workshop.

I’m pretty happy with the themes I work with, having used them in the last two schools I’ve been in, with just some minor tweaks needed (plus I can read a rude one-liner in colleges!)

I took two sessions on the day, each lasting ninety minutes (I had sore legs when I got home, I tell you).

The structure of my author workshop

The sessions had a mixture of older and younger students sitting GCSEs. They have to produce a piece of creative writing as part of their coursework, and that’s where I come in. My session included:

• How to find inspiration for stories
• Brainstorming stories from a picture prompt
• Writing first line hooks
• How to build tension within a story, and
• Making characters three-dimensional

The students got stuck in and asked lots of questions, and a few even had a little debate with me over aspects of writing, which was excellent to be part of.

Tameside College were great hosts who said the following about my visit:

“Matthew gave a great workshop and has helped the students develop their skills ready for their exams. Visits from authors and industry experts are a key part of learning at the college and you can visibly see the benefits it has.”
Nicola Welland, Assistant Principal for Maths and English

I enjoyed the workshop as it was very different from my earlier ones. It was more like teaching a lesson (which I have no experience of) than a talk, which I’ve done before. It was a nice twist to the norm. My author workshop changes all the time, and with each, I learn a little more and gain a new experience. author workshop

Tameside College has written a piece about my visit on their official website, so make sure you check it out!

Official Tameside College Website