Mbaasem Foundation and Golden Baobab jointly held a Master Class on writing children\u2019s stories and young adult literature.<\/p>\n
The class, which took place on the premises of the African Women\u2019s Development Fund (AWDF) was taught by award-winning writer Mamle Wolo.<\/p>\n
Among the participants were past entrants of the pan-African Golden Baobab Prizes for African children\u2019s literature and members of Mbaasem\u2019s Women Writers Forum.<\/p>\n
The Master Class began with the viewing of a short, creative music video.<\/p>\n
Mamle Wolo used this video to demonstrate some of the characteristics that children\u2019s books should have; humour, whimsy and quirky elements.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cchildren have shorter attention spans than adults so you have to grab their attention very early on in a book and keep them interested in the story. Incorporating some of these elements will help you to achieve this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wolo then led the class through \u201cthe keepers and the throw-aways.\u201d session in which participants shared the best and worst books from their childhood reading.<\/p>\n
Wolo\u2019s sessions were interspersed with comments from past Golden Baobab Prizes\u2019 judges as well as interviews she had conducted with children who were avid readers.<\/p>\n
Writers were advised to decide on which subject they wished to focus on and write accordingly; \u201cBefore starting any story, question your motives for writing, avoid writing stories that are preachy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Participants were also urged to improve their language proficiency and their ability to manipulate sentence structures. Wolo stressed that writers have to read widely and make use of resources like dictionaries and thesauruses in order to develop their craft.<\/p>\n
\u201cConduct a market research before you decide on what you want to write about. Read commentaries about books. Spend time with children and let them speak freely. Children like magic, scatology and I believe J.K Rowling had everything kids liked in her series, Harry Potter, that\u2019s why those books were so successful!\u201d Wolo told participants.<\/p>\n
Participants were taken through how to employ style, techniques, and literary devices and the process of constructing plots. Wolo advised: \u201cYour stories should have a pace. Think about them like a rhythm of a song. Also remember to keep the plots simple and direct so you don\u2019t confuse the reader. Children love humour and the whimsical. Their definitions of that include the unexpected, the silly, the scatological and the grotesque.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the Master Class, some participants shared some valuable information they had learnt from spending their day with Mamle Wolo.<\/p>\n
\u201cStyle is not what you write, it\u2019s how you write. Dialogue is the sound byte, it makes the story semi-real.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor my writing to be as engaging as I want it to be, I need to research on the age group I seek to write on to ensure my works are successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because you are writing for children doesn\u2019t mean you should patronize them, they know and feel and think more than adults give them credit for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have learned that children\u2019s books should appeal to childlike humour and also I need not be afraid to develop my own style\u201d<\/p>\n
This Master Class on writing children\u2019s stories was supported by the African Women Development Fund and The Royal Bank.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit : Mbaasem Foundation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mbaasem Foundation and Golden Baobab jointly held a Master Class on writing children\u2019s stories and young adult literature. The class, which took place on the premises of the African Women\u2019s Development Fund (AWDF) was taught by award-winning writer Mamle Wolo. Among the participants were past entrants of the pan-African Golden Baobab Prizes for African children\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":26070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[38,16],"yoast_head":"\n