Simon Rose's Blog, page 251

Totalitarian Architecture of the Third Reich @ Dark Roasted Blend

Check out my article at Dark Roasted Blend, entitled Totalitarian Architecture of the Third Reich
Fascist and communist governments in the first half of the twentieth century both created monumental architecture, largely to intimidate their people and showcase the regime's strengths. In a totalitarian system such as existed in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, the government attempted to control every aspect of daily life. It used architecture to some degree to achieve this, to firmly...

Appearances at the Off the Shelf Festival

[image error] This week, I will be appearing at public libraries in and around the city of Sheffield as part of the Off the Shelf Festival of Writing and Reading.
October 19 - 10 am Walkley Library, 2 pm, Park Library, Duke Street.
October 20 - 10 am Highfield Library 1.30 pm, Central Children's Library.
October 21 - 10.30 am Ecclesfield Library, 2 pm Southey Library.
Learn more about the 2008 Off the Shelf Festival at http://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/

Online Workshops for Children and Young Adults at simon-rose.com

Give your aspiring young authors the unique opportunity to work with a published author by employing an online writer in residence, right in your own home with my Online Workshops for Children and Young Adults. Many children are interested in writing, but often they need help to channel their ability in a particular direction and give them the encouragement they need to move forward. Having access to professional advice can encourage a child in their creativity, whatever form that may take.
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Virtual Author Visits by Video for Schools, Libraries and Writer's Groups

Children are almost always inspired when they meet a real life author or illustrator, but it may not always possible to have an author visit your school. However, why not put technology to work for you? Now you can arrange a virtual author visit via video using Skype. These can be conducted with large groups in a library or gym or with individual classes. You can get an idea of what a virtual visit looks like by viewing my videos on my website or on YouTube, in which I talk about my books...

Magic in Stories for Children - Magic and Reality

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In stories for children, it is the boy or girl who solves the problem, rather than the adult, which children find it much easier to relate to. Harry Potter is just like his young readers, an ordinary child with admittedly extraordinary powers. Even those of his friends who come from magical families have the same things to deal with such as homework, embarrassing parents or annoying siblings, making it more believable and thus rooted in the real world, despite Harry's enrollment in a school...

Magic in Stories for Children - Magic and Time Travel

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In my own books, I have relied upon magic to effect the time travel sequences, rather than using a mechanical device, and children have found this much more engaging than reading about a machine which has intricate controls, switches and dials. In my school workshops where students invent their own time machines and methods, very often highly sophisticated devices are created, but readers still prefer to read about something that makes them suspend their disbelief.

In The Alchemist's...

An Interview with Kathryn Erskine

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Kathy, can you tell us a little about your books?

QUAKING is a novel about a teenager seeking peace in a community struggling over war. She's also dealing with the bullies of her past and at her new school. When she starts stepping out of her comfort zone, a whole new world opens up for her. IBHUBESI: THE LION, a novel set in apartheid South Africa, is a coming of age story about an American teenager faced with racism and alcoholism, who protects his family and new friends from danger, and...

Courses for writers this fall with Chinook Learning Services in Calgary

[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.
Forming Fictional Characters - November 21Characters 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...

Magic in Stories for Children - The Fantasy Realm

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Magical realms have always had a place in folklore and legends in cultures around the globe for thousands of years and play a major role in fantasy literature. Sometimes these are the author's own wonderfully detailed imagined worlds, complete with a form of government, architecture, currency, natural features, history, myths and legends, flora, fauna and traditions. Middle Earth and Narnia are two of the best known examples, but there are countless others. And even within these enchanted...

Magic in Stories for Children - Mystical Powers

Some stories featuring magic feature a mystical power, which is present in everything in the world, all around us, or is sometimes found in objects such as magical symbols, a mysterious ring, a precious stone or charm that a character can access. Wizards, witches and sorcerers often have the power to manipulate one or more of the natural elements, control mystical energy within the human body and many stories strongly feature the mysterious power of the subconscious mind. While many of these...