• I had a great day at Cefn Primary School today. I’m there as part of the RAISE project, improving writing skills though oracy. I’m staying the whole week here visiting a different school each day. In all, I’m visiting 17 schools in Rhondda, Cynon, Taf.

    Where am I? I’m staying just outside Aberdere, which is in the Cynon Valley in South Wales. There’s a pretty view of the lights at night at the cottage I’m staying in. It’s lovely and warm, I’ve got tv and internet so I’m happy. There’s a mountain right above me, so I’ll probably have a walk up it tomorrow.

    I’ve been reading my stories and explaining where the ideas come from. Then I ask the children for their own ideas for the characters. I’m amazed how every group comes up with completely different ideas. I do a lot of pulling and pushing, once a direction appears, in the hope of coming up with a basic plot that the children can then work on themselves.

    The project is helping me too, actually. Talking about the ideas from a writing point of view clarifies my ideas about the stories and characters. Talking about them, I’ve come up with a few ideas myself, and have to try and remember them and get them written down after school, before I forget.

  • Last time I visited Hamworthy Library it was squatting in the old school gym. and having to move the bookcases every night for the Judo Club, while the new one was being built.

    Yesterday was the official opening of the new library and I’d been asked to come and read some stories. When I arrived, the place was crammed and buzzing. I’m sure the organisers were thrilled with the response. Wallace and Grommit were keeping everybody happy.

    It was very noisy! I was between the facepainting and the bookmark making stands. Being lunchtime. my audience kept wandering off but quite a few returned too! We did some lovely Ricky Rocket drawings, and then I was interviewed by Maree Perkins, a journalism student who was filming and taking note of everything. She seemed very passionate about Journalism and we had a short chat about where it’s all going online. She’s very keen on preserving free online access to newspapers but, sadly, like everyone else, she had no idea how she was supposed to be paid for it! You can read her blog post about the day here.

    Thanks everyone for an amazing opening day and good luck for the future.

  • I woke up feeling quite exhausted this morning. I tried to to some writing, but didn’t seem to get anywhere. I’m staying at my Father-in-law’s in Poole, as I’m doing sessions at the new Hamworthy Library opening tomorrow. He’s off on holiday, so I’m here all on my own with Jaffa the very old ginger cat. Jaffa sleeps most of the day, but when he wakes up he wanders around the house meowing his head off, looking for someone to make a fuss of him. It’s quite endearing, but not at three in the morning!

    I decided to walk the beach this afternoon. It was glorious – almost warm. Well, not cold. I found one or two shells that I liked. The razor shell had a pattern on one end which I thought made it look a bit like a Viking carving. I also found a complete oyster shell, which is really rather beautiful. There were lots of lumpy shells on the waterline. They seemed to be lots of shells stuck together. I found one I really liked. I was about to put it in my pocket, when one of the shells moved. Most of them were still alive! From one angle they looked like a paw or a fist. I’ve got a pocket full of other stuff. I was going to photograph them, but I was distracted by a cup of tea and a slice of cake!

    If you are near Poole, come along for a story tomorrow lunchtime at the fabulous new Hamworthy Library.