Simon Rose's Blog, page 223

Creative Writing for Homeschool Students at South Fish Creek Recreation Association - January and February 2011

Join me this winter for classes in creative writing especially for home school children at South Fish Creek Recreation Centre in SW Calgary. Classes take place every Tuesday, from January 4 to February 22, 2011. Registration details are available here.



Junior Adventures in Creative Writing Ages - 7 to 9



January 4 to February 22, 2011 - Get the Write Stuff In these classes, children will create their own unique stories, with great beginnings, page turning action and cliffhanger endings. Participants will create crazy characters and learn how to write effective and engaging dialogue, plus lifelike scenarios for their creations. Learn all about inspiration, story creation and more as children give full reign to their imagination as we explore the wonderful worlds of words in an exciting series of fun-filled creative writing exercises. 
Adventures in Creative Writing Ages - Ages 10 to 15






January 4 to February 22, 2011 - Spectacular Story Starters  


What if you discovered a door into another universe at the back of your bedroom closet? Or a flying boy dressed all in green appeared at your bedroom window, inviting you to take a journey to a magical land? Perhaps you followed a rabbit down a hole and ended up in a bizarre underground universe? Learn where ideas come from and how writers turn them into stories. Find out how writers get ideas from pictures and paintings, craft your own sequels to your favorite movies, create alternate endings to familiar stories, and more in these classes guaranteed to provide inspiration, spark imagination, and stimulate invention
All classes commence Tuesday, January 4 and run until February 22, 2011. Registration details are available here.
Contact me directly at sorcerersletterbox@gmail.com or through my website at www.simon-rose.com for details on all my programs for home school children, including online writing workshops for children and young adults.

Classes with Chinook Learning Services in Calgary, Saturday November 20

[image error] The Calgary Board of Education provides adult and continuing education through  Chinook Learning Services . This fall, I am pleased to be offering the following courses.


Writing Children's Books: Intro - 9.30 am to Noon November 20In this workshop you will discover how to balance youthful imagination with adult professionalism, and gain awareness of writing for various age ranges. This workshop explores the do's and don'ts of writing for younger readers, turning ideas into stories, the writing process, the importance of editing and revision, story structure, and the role of research. Come and get a taste of a wonderful craft!
Forming Fictional Characters - 1.00 pm to 3.30 pm November 20Characters are the heart of every story - their actions drive the plot. Their individuality is what readers or audiences most remember. This workshop explores where writers get ideas for characters, and how to use descriptive language to build them. Participants will invent their own unique characters and learn how to write engaging dialogue and lifelike scenarios. Create an unforgettable story with unforgettable characters.
Register now with Chinook Learning Services.

Tips for Teachers: Author Visits Part One - The Benefits of an Author Visit

Many teachers and librarians like to host artists in a variety of disciplines at their schools each year. They know that an author visit can be inspirational, boosting student creativity and encouraging children with their own writing. And for the author, meeting their readers can be one of the most enjoyable elements of a school visit. Younger students especially are almost always thrilled to meet a published author, especially if they have read and enjoyed their books. Examples of comments from children about my own school visits over the years can be found here, while teacher and librarian comments are here. 


School and library visits offer an invaluable opportunity for authors to connect with their readers on a personal level and in some cases they can make a real difference in children's lives, stimulating their imagination or simply getting them more interested in books and reading. Visiting your school allows an author to talk about their own work, their inspiration, any current or future projects, answer questions, sell some autographed copies of books, and even present themselves to an entirely new audience or geographic area. An author visit can also be very beneficial to the school, inspiring the students and may also encourage some of them to explore their own artistic creativity, whether this involves writing, illustration, painting, poetry, sculpture, photography, film or another discipline altogether. There's no question that an author visit is usually one of the main highlights of the school year, for both the staff and the students.

Creative Writing Classes for Home Schoolers @ Cardel Place, Calgary - November 2010 to June 2011

Join me for classes in creative writing especially for home school children from the northern part of the city of Calgary and in the surrounding area at Cardel Place, located at 11950 Country Village Link NE, Calgary, AB T3K 6E3. Classes take place every Thursday, from November 18, 2010 to June 23, 2011. Registration details are available here. 
Thursdays - November 18 to December 23, 2010: People Plotting: Creating Memorable Characters

10.45 am to Noon, Ages 8 to 10 * 12.15 pm to 1.30 pm, Ages 11 to 16Without people there is no plot and characters are at the heart of any story. In these workshops, we explore where writers get ideas for the people in their stories, the selection of appropriate names for characters, methods of creating strong characters and how to use descriptive language to build them. Children invent their own unique characters, complete with occupation, career path, friends and family, likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams - in short, anything that makes them come to life and also learn how to write effective and engaging dialogue, plus lifelike scenarios, for their creations.
Thursdays - January 13 to March 3, 2011: Fabulous Fantasy Realms10.45 am to Noon, Ages 8 to 10 * 12.15 pm to 1.30 pm, Ages 11 to 16In these classes, we examine the elements of fantasy and the many creatures and characters that inhabit the fantasy realm. Most children are very familiar with monsters and strange creatures from mythology, books and movies and in these workshops they invent their own unique mythological creature along with its powers, enemies, diet, habitat and the land where it lives. Children will also create their own fantasy kingdom, complete with its system of government, myths and legends, magical objects, currency, major landmarks, natural features such as mountain ranges, rivers and oceans and more.
Thursdays - March 10 to April 28 2011: The Future is Now10.45 am to Noon, Ages 8 to 10 * 12.15 pm to 1.30 pm, Ages 11 to 16These classes examine how the pace of technological change has rapidly accelerated in recent decades, how research could benefit mankind, helping with medical conditions and seemingly incurable diseases and explore what kind of scientific breakthroughs may occur in the coming decades. Participants then imagine future developments that could transform our way of life, before designing a magazine or newspaper advertisement plus the script for a TV commercial for their product. These could be related to transportation, the military, medical, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, habitat or even household appliances.  Children also imagine themselves to be living in this incredible environment and create a journal describing a typical day in the future.
Thursdays - May 5 to June 23, 2011: Spectacular Story Starters10.45 am to Noon, Ages 8 to 10 * 12.15 pm to 1.30 pm, Ages 11 to 16What if you discovered a door into another universe at the back of your bedroom closet? Or a flying boy dressed all in green appeared at your bedroom window, inviting you to take a journey to a magical land? Perhaps you followed a rabbit down a hole and ended up in a bizarre underground universe? Learn where ideas come from and how writers turn them into stories. Find out how writers get ideas from pictures and paintings, craft your own sequels to your favourite movies, create alternate endings to familiar stories and more in these classes guaranteed to provide inspiration, spark imagination and stimulate invention.
Cardel Place is located at 11950 Country Village Link NE, Calgary, AB T3K 6E3. Registration details are available here. You can also check out my online workshops for children and young adults on my website. Contact me directly at sorcerersletterbox@gmail.com or through my website at www.simon-rose.com for details on all my programs for home school children.

What's It All About? The Historical Background of The Doomsday Mask Part Three

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The Pleistocene ExtinctionThe world's paleontologists are largely agreed that a catastrophic event happened 12,000 years ago, or in 10,000 BC, around the same time as the supposed destruction of Atlantis depicted in The Doomsday Mask. Vast numbers of large mammals such as mammoths, mastodons, sabre-toothed tigers and others vanished almost overnight. You can learn more about the Pleistocene Extinction here.Ancient Cities of the AmericasSome of the ancient cities of Central and South America served as an inspiration for parts of the story in The Doomsday Mask. The city of Tenochtitlan was established in 1325 and became the capital of the Aztec Empire, until it was conquered by the Spanish invaders in 1521. Teotihuacan is located thirty miles north of Mexico City and is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico. Chichen Itza was built by the Mayan civilization in Yucatan peninsular in Mexico. The mysterious ruins of Tiahuanaco are located near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. 

The Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference, November 27, 2010

[image error] The Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference featuring local children's authors and illustrators in Calgary and the surrounding area, will be held on Saturday November 27, 2010 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Centre in north west Calgary.



The Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference represents a fabulous opportunity for children to meet local writers, chat with them about their work and obtain an autographed and personally inscribed copy of a favourite book. All participating authors will also be reading from their own work, followed by a short question and answer period, throughout the day. If you are interested in becoming an exhibitor at this year's event, you may find registration information here.
The Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference will also feature the very first Children's Fiction Writing Award. Children in two age categories, eight to twelve and twelve to fifteen, will unleash their own incredible imaginations to create a truly unique story, in the genres of science fiction, fantasy or mystery. The winning entries, to be announced at the Book Fair and Conference on November 27, will then be published in an anthology. Learn more about how to register for the Children's Fiction Writing Award here.
This year's conference will feature a number of highly informative presentations by authors, illustrators, publishers and industry professionals throughout the day. Some of the topics to be covered at this year's event will be character development, science fiction and fantasy writing, the art of illustration, marketing and promotion, methods of research, publishing your novel and more. 
The Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference - Inspiration, imagination and invention, right here in your own backyard.

Creative Writing Programs for Home School Students at Southwood United Church - November and December 2010

Join me this fall for classes in creative writing especially for home school children at Southwood United Church in SW Calgary. Classes take place every Monday from November 1 to December 13, 2010. The cost is $99 per student for seven classes and registration details are available by e mailing me at sorcerersletterbox@gmail.com.

Ages 7 to 10 - Inspiration, Imagination and Invention: Story Creation 
In this series of interactive, fun and lively creative writing sessions, turn your own ideas into incredible stories, find out where writers get their inspiration, learn about descriptive words, use story starters to get your imagination moving, create brilliant beginnings, marvelous middles, exciting endings and more. 

November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, December 6, 13 - 1.00 pm to 2.15 pm 
$99 plus GST per student

Ages 11 to 15 - Inspiration, Imagination and Invention: Amazing Artifacts 
In these creative writing classes, craft your own adventure story featuring a unique mysterious artifact with wondrous powers, a curse or a deadly secret. Perhaps it's a coin or medallion from an ancient civilization? Or a ceremonial mask discovered in a ruined temple? Perhaps a gemstone unearthed in a long lost tomb? Create an exciting, fast-paced tale featuring adventurers, explorers, scientists, secret societies, perhaps even a race against time to save the world.

November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, December 6, 13 - 2.15 pm to 3.30 pm 
$99 plus GST per student
All classes take place at Southwood United Church, 10690 Elbow Drive SW Calgary AB T2W 1G4. Contact me directly at sorcerersletterbox@gmail.com or through my website at www.simon-rose.com for details on registration and on all my programs for home school children, including online writing workshops, which you can also check out on my website at http://www.simon-rose.com/online_wkshp_yngadults.htm

What's it All About? The Historical Background of The Doomsday Mask Part Two

The Legend of Atlantis
The Mask of Kulkaan featured in the The Doomsday Mask is a priceless ancient artifact and a remnant of Atlantis. The Mask was inspired by the legends of the mysterious crystal skulls discovered in Central America and in other parts of the world. You can learn more about crystal skulls here. There are countless stories about the lost city of Atlantis, plus many theories as to the possible location of the legendary civilization. These include the Mediterranean, the mid Atlantic, the Caribbean and even Antarctica. 


[image error] You can learn more about the suggested locations of Atlantis here and here.The theory that Atlantis was in Antarctica when it was largely free of ice is dealt with on this site. Explore the possibility of the civilization being situated in the Mediterranean and Black Sea here. 


These sites deal with a selection of some other legendary lost continents and cities elsewhere in the world, such as Zealandia, Lemuria and the Kerguelen Plateau. You can learn about the scientific hypothesis of polar shifts and earth crust displacement, which are featured in some theories and works of fiction about the fate of Atlantis, here.

The Importance of Editing and Revision - This month's teleclass at the Children's Writers' Coaching Club, Wednesday, October 27

[image error] Join me on October 27 at 7 pm, Mountain Standard Time,
at the Children's Writers' Coaching Club at the National Writing for Children Center. 
In this month's class, entitled The Importance of Editing and Revision, we examine why revising and editing your work is an essential part of the writing process, how even long established writers still spend a considerable amount of time revising their work, how important planning and outlines are when writing your novel and ways to stay on track with your writing. 
Registration is available here for this class and you can also obtain copies of archived teleclasses. Check out the Children's Writers' Coaching Club today.

What's It All About? The Historical Background of The Doomsday Mask Part One

[image error]Part of the story in The Doomsday Mask takes place in the chaos of the city of Berlin at the end of the Second World War. Large parts of the city were destroyed and the army recruited anyone strong enough to hold a weapon in the waning days of the war, including children. 
Art treasures and other valuables were looted by the Nazis from across Europe during the course of the war and as the Allies closed in, some of these were buried, but also hidden in mine shafts, tunnels and even at the bottom of lakes, both for safekeeping and to retrieve once the fighting was over. One treasure horde discovered by US troops in a mine contained thousands of bags of gold, silver, and valuable coins worth over $500 million, along with jewelry and priceless works of art.
These sites examine the many sites where treasure, gold and valuables worth millions were hidden in the last days of the conflict -  http://www.xs4all.nl/~odu/kaart.html and  http://www.theoutlaws.com/gold4.htm.  Some of these were located in the alpine regions of southern Germany where the Allies feared the Nazis might make a final stand lasting for years. You can learn more about the so-called National Redoubt here.