Check out this video footage, captured live during my recent creative writing via Skype classes for Holmesdale Technology College…

I’ve just got back from a hectic three-day trip to London where I dashed around from one part of the city to the next, cramming in as many meetings as I could.  I spoke at a Web 2.0 seminar on how to motivate young readers by getting them to create video book trailers, discussed marketing plans for the coming books in the Scream Street series with my publishers, talked about my next series of books (details of which must remain secret for the moment), enjoyed a conference call regarding something very exciting (which must also be kept secret!), and I still managed a couple of hours in which to do this…

This is me recording the audio book version of Zombie!, my first title for utterly brilliant publishers, Barrington Stoke.  When I heard there was going to be an audio version, I made a sample recording and sent it to the producer hoping I’d be in with the chance to read the book myself – and it paid off.  Of course, that did mean I sat in a tiny booth making gurgling zombie noises and screams for an afternoon!

Big thanks to Douglas, the recording engineer, for making everything as enjoyable and easy as possible (and for taking the picture!)  I’ve arranged to feature an excerpt from the recording on my website – so watch out for that soon.

Tommy

I’m at the end of a tiring, but brilliantly enjoyable week visiting schools in Preston, Poulton and Lancaster, then dashing down to speak at a Renaissance Learning seminar in Leicester (where I was thrilled to meet the author of the incredible Mokee Joe books, Peter J Murray and his wife, Kath).

Thanks to everyone for arranging the events, and for making me feel so welcome.  I’ll have the weekend to get my breath back (and also finish the first draft of Wolf, my third book for Barrington Stoke), then it’s off to London for what promises to be three manic days of meetings, conference calls and more!

Who said this writing lark was easy?!

Caroline Roche, the brilliant, tech savvy school librarian behind last week’s Skype sessions with Holmesdale Technology College has been blogging about the experience here: http://uulibrarian.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/skyping-with-tommy/

You can also see how the link-up looked from the other end (although this picture was taken on a different day to mine, hence the change of t-shirt!)

The future is here!  Forget your flying cars and robot secretaries – this week, I’ve been teaching in a school 270 miles away, via computer!

Instead of driving from my home in Lancashire to Kent and back to run my creative writing classes, I’ve been linking up with year 8 pupils at Holmesdale Technology College over the Internet each day.

Using Skype (a free Internet telephony and video conference program), I’ve been teaching pupils at the opposite end of the country how to come up with unique story ideas, develop three-dimensional characters and plan a three-act plot.  And I haven’t had to charge a penny in travel expenses!

As you can see in the image below, grabbed from screen during today’s session, I get to see the class in front of me and – at their end – I’m projected on a screen on the wall (very Big Brother!)  This is the view I get – the pupils filling the window and me in a box in the corner.  They, of course, see the opposite.

The whole thing is still a learning process and, as with any new endeavour, there are pros and cons:

On the plus side…

• I get to work from home, so I can get some writing done instead of driving to and from the school

• The school only pays for my time and not travel and/or accommodation expenses

• I’m working on ways to show screen elements, such as graphs, illustrations and writing examples

On the minus side…

• There are occasional technical glitches – but nothing, so far, that’s stopped us from linking up

• I can’t point to individual members of the class to ask questions

• I have to make my own cups of tea!

It is, however, HUGELY EXCITING, and I intend to set up many more of these sessions.  If any other schools are interested in linking up with me in this way – from wherever you are in the world – please drop me a line.

There’s no end to where we could go with this kind of event – in fact, the Skype’s the limit!

Tommy

I enjoyed a wonderful visit to St. Peter’s Primary School in Ashton-Under-Lyne yesterday – my first school event of 2010!

Thank you to everyone there for being so welcoming and enthusiastic although I suspect they enjoyed the day just as much as I did.  Here’s what the assistant head had to say:

What a fangtastic day!

Tommy arrived at our school and spent the morning in class doing writing workshops. It was great for the children to see the actual process a ‘real author’ goes through when planning a story – an area the children struggle with.

One child sat near me kept asking, ‘Are we going to write the story Miss?’  They were all eager to be able to continue and finish the story they had planned. The workshop gave them a good basis to plan from and how to organise their ideas.

Myself and the children are really excited about the next writing process and can’t wait to get started tomorrow!

In the afternoon year 4, 5, 6 and visitors from another school arrived to take part in a gameshow style quiz – Vampires ‘V’ werewolves. My class were amazed that Tommy actually had the six relics that Luke has to find in the Scream Street series. It was brilliant that they could ask questions relating to the characters and that they could even win the chance to become a character in one of Tommy’s books.

I have never laughed so much and everyone was involved. Each challenge related to reading and promoted the importance of it in a fun and exciting way.

Previously in our class writing sessions we have been analyzing the first chapter of ‘Fang of the Vampire’. It has all the ingredients needed to teach better sentence construction: short sentences for effect, starting with an adverb, and use of powerful verbs. It can be difficult finding texts that have the elements that you want the children to learn. Scream Street is definitely the book for this. Perfect!

After today’s visit the children are not only excited about reading but also about writing…..what more can I say.

I would highly recommend inviting Tommy Donbavand into your school. He is well organised and the sessions are perfectly timed. I have enjoyed reading all of the Scream Street series so far and have even pre-ordered the next book. Fantastic books and a fabulous day was had by all.

Eileen Anderson
Assistant Headteacher
St Peter’s Primary School
Ashton-Under-Lyne

Are you thinking of booking me for an author visit in 2010?  Download my new Author Events eBook, which tells you everything you need to know – from organising the day to how to get my books for your pupils on sale or return, with free delivery!

Click here to download your copy!

Tommy

I had a fantastic day yesterday back at my old primary school – St. Anne’s in Leyland, Lancashire.  I ran a couple of creative writing workshops in the morning then – after lunch in the hall with the rest of the kids – we all enjoyed the Vampires vs Werewolves Game Show.

Everything was (rather obviously after 31 years) different – yet somehow eerily the same…

Thanks to Mr Barrett and all the staff and pupils for the warm welcome back!

Tommy

I was privileged and honoured today to visit Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough, where I ran several workshops on reading and writing – and then opened the school’s new library.  They had a brass plaque and everything…

Thanks to everyone who made the day so special – and to those who worked tirelessly to provide UCA’s pupils with such a valuable resource.

Tommy

I’ve just spent two wonderful days running events at the Northern Children’s Book Festival – first in Stockton, and then in Thorntree.  Thanks to everyone involved (especially Karen and Michelle) for ensuring I had just a wonderful a time as the kids!

Here’s to more fun at NCBF next year…

Tommy