Children aged 8-14 attended the Write Like an Author workshop at Otago Girls’ High School this week, run by published New Zealand author Maria Gill.
Mrs Gill said the course taught the children a variety of writing skills that were not covered in schools, such as how to develop a character or effectively show a scene.
The workshop also featured a variety of games to break up the work and kept the children interested.
She was ‘‘very impressed’’ with the quality of work produced by the children and their knowledge of books.
Yesterday the class focused on character development and how to portray personality through dialogue.
It was the first time the class had been held in Dunedin.
Luke Payne (11) said he enjoyed how the lessons were interesting work with ‘‘a bit of fun sprinkled in’’.
He was writing a science-fiction horror story about teenagers who were exploring an unknown planet when things went horribly wrong.
He had always liked writing and hoped to be a writer in the future.
The classes introduced a lot of new ideas to do with writing that he had not known before, he said. The workshop began on Monday and will finish today.
The classes took place all around the country, with the help of a variety of authors, and will be held in Christchurch next week.
