Over two sessions, our Lower School pupils, joined by other schools in the local area, were treated to a visit from award-winning children’s author Phil Earle.
Finding inspiration for one’s writing is challenging for any author, so after introducing himself, Phil made the pupils think by asking them where they would or could get inspiration for their writing.
Phil accentuated the value of looking up and even listening to other people’s conversations when out. He explained that even passing comments he has heard have sparked ideas that have shaped some of the books he has written.
The pupils looked shocked when Phil highlighted that authors should always be taking inspiration from other people’s writing.
Although he didn’t advocate for copying people’s work exactly, Phil explained that there was a wealth of ideas that can come from reading other people’s stories and incorporating them into your own writing. He explained that it is commonly said that there are 7 different types of plot, however, there is an infinite number of ways to tell these stories.
As highlighted by Phil as an opportunity to discover new inspiration for one’s stories, he explains that reading should be for enjoyment; it doesn’t matter what genre, style or length of text you read.
Comic books were the beginning of Phil’s reading journey and he made a point of explaining how he still enjoys reading them today and that enjoyment was the most important part of reading. Along with comic books, Holes, written by Louis Sachar, was a book he mentioned describing it as “as near perfect as a book can get in my eyes”.
He spoke about Holes and the fact that it is not the longest book or the most mature. Nor does it contain the most emotive or extravagant language, but in his opinion it is the closest to perfect as a book can get.
All pupils, from Oakham School and visitors, came away from the morning with a some new ideas and a clearer understanding of how to produce their own stories.
