It's the teacher that makes the difference, not the classroom.
From Michael Morpurgo
Always write your ideas down however silly or trivial they might seem. Keep a notebook with you at all times.
Write because you love it and not because it is something that you think you should do. Always write about something or somebody you know about - something that you feel deeply and passionately about. Never try and force it.
Wherever my story takes me, however dark and difficult the theme, there is always some hope and redemption, not because readers like happy endings, but because I am an optimist at heart. I know the sun will rise in the morning, that there is a light at the end of every tunnel.
Children have to be motivated to want to learn to read. Reading must not be taught simply as a school exercise.
Only the best books are special. Why? Because they open our eyes, touch us, excite us, extend us.
By the time I sit down and face the blank page I am raring to go. I tell it as if I'm talking to my best friend or one of my grandchildren.
Read a lot - poems, prose, stories, newspapers, anything. Read books and poems that you think you will like and some that you think might not be for you. You might be surprised.
Encouraging young people to believe in themselves and find their own voice whether it's through writing, drama or art is so important in giving young people a sense of self-worth.
Don't worry about writing a book or getting famous or making money. Just lead an interesting life.
6 perspectives
5 perspectives
4 perspectives
1 perspectives