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SCMP Reporter

Well-known children's author Linda Newbery encourages those who are scared to put pen to paper to start writing about their experiences.

Newbery  will conduct a fun, interactive workshop on March 12, which is free for Young Post readers.

A former secondary school English teacher,  Newbery has written more than 20 novels for children and young people.

She has been nominated  for numerous awards, including the Carnegie Award, the Writer's Guild and the Birmingham TSB Award.

During the  workshop, students will be divided into small groups to discuss the theme 'What Scares You'.

'The reason why I picked this topic is that everybody has fears and can relate to them,' said Newbery.

'I am going to ask the participants to write a  story. They can write about their own experiences. It doesn't have to be sensational. It can be autobiographical. Sometimes students get held up by sensational plots and thus find it difficult to write. I am going to show them that writing can be easy and fun.'

Newbery said she would be discussing with participants how she came up with ideas  for her books, as well as share some good pieces by other writers. As a child, Newbery's dream was to become  an author. She used to look  at the shelves in bookshops and libraries, and imagine her own books  there.

'I used to write secretly in my bedroom. I was forever starting stories and leaving them because I didn't know how to get past Chapter Three,' she laughed.

Her first  novel for teenagers, Run With The Hare, was published in 1988 while she was still a teacher. It was based partly on her experiences with an animal rights group.

Since then, she has written for younger children but keeps returning to young adult fiction.

'I have written books for younger children but I like writing for young adults and teenagers,' she said. 'There are relatively fewer restrictions. You have to be careful about what you write for children and you need a more complex plot and write longer for adults.

'I like the scope offered by a teenage novel and I like immersing myself in the  moral and personal dilemmas of adolescence.'

Newbery's works range from young adult titles such as Sisterland and The Shell House to children's books like What's Cool About School? and Mr Darwin and the Ape Boy.

She encourages those who want to improve their writing to read more.

'Reading is very important as you can absorb a lot while reading,' she added. 'But I don't like the idea of telling young people what they should read. I am sure they can tell what they like.'

The March 12 workshop will start at 10am at 3/F British Council, 3 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty. If you missed the registration form which appeared in Monday's Young Post, look out for it next Monday on page 5.



Free workshop