Zombies and dreams

Children let their imagination run riot after Dan Anthony’s spellbinding creative writing class at Cyncoed Library. 

As part of the Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival last month, year 5 pupils from Rhydypenau Primary School visited Cyncoed Library to take part in a creative writing class led by acclaimed children’s author and Cardiff Met lecturer, Dan Anthony.

Dan Anthony, who has also written for TV and radio, talked about how he got into writing, what makes a good story and some tips on how to write it.  He read an extract from his books and the children had to write their version of what happened next.

As you can see from the pictures, the children were engrossed in imagining their tales.  We heard some wonderful follow-up stories which were funny, scary and very entertaining.

Dan reassured them that perfect writing or spelling is not an essential requirement for spinning a good yarn.  In fact, as a child, Dan was terrified of speaking up and sharing his stories because of his terrible handwriting. He got round the problem by learning to type and the rest is history.

One of the teachers, Lisa Brereton, was impressed with Dan and the children’s creativity.  “They had such a great time, as did the adults! .. Many of them were so motivated by Dan that they typed up their stories at home!”

Cardiff Met libraries are seeking to reach out and share resources with the local community to enhance and widen access to learning.  Engaging children to write creatively through reading and storytelling contributes towards good literacy skills.