On Wednesday 21 July, Girls Grammar’s budding writers attended a workshop with Australian Children’s and Young Adult author, Tristan Bancks. Mr Bancks’ published work includes The Fall, Detention and Two Wolves.
In the Libellum Society Writers Workshop, Mr Bancks offered encouraging insights to students, including the fact that even professional writers find it difficult not to give up halfway through a draft, and that his own novels often go through at least five drafts before the publisher sees them.
It was an informative afternoon—over tea and cake—in which Mr Bancks led students through a series of writing exercises, starting with five minutes of scribing down interesting memories. He then gave the girls creative license to raise the stakes and make their memory more dramatic.
The girls had a chance to share their writing with him, and with each other. Students particularly enjoyed a free-writing task where they planned a story based on a piece of music that Tristan played—it was a fascinating exercise that demonstrated the different ways the girls interpreted the same stimulus.
Mr Bancks encouraged the girls to write for at least five minutes a day and use a music soundtrack to help them set the tone for their written work.
Young Adult author Tristan Bancks
