Storytelling Weekend

I've just returned from an amazing weekend where I learned all about the fantastic craft of oral storytelling. Here I am pictured with some of the masters of the trade.

I was lucky enough to attend the course, run by Michael Harvey (pictured directly behind me) and organised by Andy Copps (far left back) designed for people who have been practicing the craft for some time and wanted to develop their skills and understanding.

Being a writer, I was coming in from a different angle, but I found I loved being able to tell my stories by physically embracing my characters. It felt natural to me and it was very helpful of many levels. I used the story I am currently writing (Lion) and brought the scenes to life by telling them  to others.The process helped my understanding of what needed to be highlighted and what was not as important. 

The photo on the right is me and Andy, just as I was leaving. Andy has previous links with SCBWI and he will hopefully be cleverly designing a workshop as an Introduction to Oral Storytelling specifically for Children's Writers and Illustrators. 

Let's hope we can find a way to get the magic of oral storytelling into our work. If for nothing else than the laughter - I seriously had  countless bouts of giggling throughout the weekend.

​It's going to be incredibly useful for all my author visits and I've an Action Plan about preparing an individual story from each of my books that I can perform.

I feel very privileged to be welcomed into such a joyful group and I learnt more that I could possibly have hoped for. It was a really wonderful and utterly invaluable experience that I will always treasure.