Creative writing and story games hours for children of all ages and adults
Learn, giggle, create stories with ease!

Primary schools are a joy to work with!
​I love inspiring senior school children with the 'Writing for Happiness' workshop.
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​Now associated with the University of Essex.
​Everyone has a story.

A review of a session I did at the Iceni Academy in Feb 2018 by Poppy and Anna.
"The activity's were hilarious. The first activity was legendary, this workshop was the best thing to do with books and writing ever" by Poppy
(The teachers told me that Poppy had never put her hand up in class before the session but never put it down during the session.  Poppy's mum gave me the biggest smile ever when buying the second book!)
"I really enjoyed when the author came in because the first activity made me laugh. Also one of the reasons I wanted to get his books was because I liked that his daughter said "can you write a book about a bucket with a hole in it!" One of the things I learnt was how to plan a story, which will help me to plan in the future" by Anna
I am well chuffed with that! I could do this everyday of my life.
I still don't know what a 'Frontal adverbial' is and I don't care much because writing stories and writing in general should be about fun and not technical ability (I get on very well with teachers because of that!) And I love an exclamation mark!

I have a variety of workshops available and each one  is based on one simple principle. 
Writing stories is so much easier than you think and from Tragedy to Comedy, romance to thriller always fun to write for children and adults alike!
'Funshops' for children in schools between Brentwood, Clacton and Ipswich and beyond!
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Every workshop is bespoke and I like to find out from you teachers and leaders what kind of workshop works best for you and your kids so I offer a free half hour consultation (who are we kidding? I mean a chat!) to find out how you would like your session to go.  What fits in with your programme?  I want my sessions to be full and top value to your children at the learning stage that they are at.
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Watch the book trailer, the book is way more adventurous than it looks.
​Be careful of Dragons, the Chinese ones are different!

Stories have always been with me!

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I love stories and I have always been drawn to writing, firstly as a confused teenager writing my growing up anxieties down as possibly quite rubbish poetry to writing plays and stories as a more relaxed adult.  I have studied stories and whilst jointly running 'The New Route Theatre Company' I honed and developed my skills in understanding story structure and development.
Then Sarah and Rachel (my daughters) appeared courtesy of my wife Debbie and then I really began to understand stories through my children's eyes.  That in turn opened my eyes to the fun of story writing.

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Testimonial (or better, a thank you letter!)


​January 2016
Dear Jason,
 
Just a quick note to tell you how much the children in Years 5 and 6 enjoyed your visit. They loved the amazing pen trick as an ‘ice breaker’ activity and have been practising it endlessly!
 
They particularly enjoyed listening to the extracts of your book ‘The Bucket’ and are very keen to find out what happens next. Several children have bought the book so they can do just that.
The children were also inspired to write themselves after your activities showing them how you come up with ideas. Having the opportunity to engage with a ‘real’ author has proved an invaluable experience for them.
 
Thank you so much for your time, experience and enthusiasm.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
A Waites
English Subject Leader
​Mersea Island School.

 Three different workshops for children or / and adults

There are a growing number of workshops available but I can create bespoke workshops if you require anything more specific.
Story creation and readings for schoolchildren:-  
These workshops vary slightly according to age but aim to inspire and inform children through story creation on the spot, story structure through games.  Giggling compulsory.
Make a Monologue:-
Easy tricks to create complicated monologues easily.  Giggling optional but very welcome and can be expanded into a narration!
Descriptive writing:-
Exploring descriptive writing through newspaper 'Headlines' Laughing out loud compulsory.

The Bucket.

My first story for 8 - 12 year olds has been published by Pegasus and illustrated by May Li.   It is available in Audio and has rave reviews I am thrilled to say!
​It had been shortlisted for 'The People's Book prize 2015 / 2016' and received a 'Five Star' review from Readers Favorites. 
The sequel The Bag has received more five star reviews and is also available through independent bookshops  (also available from Amazon and Waterstones leave a review if you like it eh?)
The third is called The Box (Careful, the journey becomes scarier still!)

May Li's fabulous artwork for 'The Bucket'