NEWS 18 The <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>July</strong> <strong>29</strong>, <strong>2021</strong> Helping young writers find avoice By DAVID HILL AKaiapoibased writer has found apassion for working with the next generation. Originally from the United States, Claire Wright moved to Kaiapoi in January 2018 to be with her fiancee and began working with young writers. ‘‘When Ifirst came here I taught English to Korean and Chinese children online. I found Ihad no friends because Iwas working at night,’’ Claire recalls. She signed up for a creative writing course at Kaiapoi Library, run by Christchurchbased Write On School for Young Writers director Heather McQuillan. ‘‘I was the only nonretiree in the class, so it was amazing as there were so many wonderful stories.’’ When Heather found out Claire had adegree in creative writing she invited her to come to classes held at Hagley College on Saturdays during school terms. ‘‘I volunteered for afew weeks and then Idid some relief teaching, and by term three Ihad my own class. I really enjoy it and miss it during the school holidays,’’ Claire says. After starting with the youngest age group and working with teenagers, Claire has aclass of years 8to 10 students and works with Express yourself ... Claire Wright encourages young people to experiment with their writing. PHOTO:DAVID HILL correspondence students. ‘‘The biggest thing with this age group is they have this need for perfection, but the point of childhood is to fail. The kids will often say ‘it’s no good’, so Itell them it’s OK to fail because you can rewrite and improve it. ‘‘I find that the year 8s to 10s are more likely to experiment and try different things, and they’re also abit more confident to try different things. And they don’t have the pressure of exams. ‘‘I always give them a lesson, but it’s up to them whether they follow it, as long as they’re writing.’’ One student is working on a novel, while another preferred drawing ‘‘and that’s fine because it’s still creative, but he wrote some pretty cool stories anyway’’. She is helping another student who is into Fan Fiction. ‘‘Fan Fiction often gets a bad rap, but Ithink if your children want to do it don’t discourage them because it’s agreat way to develop your skills and find your voice within the confines of other people’s characters. ‘‘A lot of famous writers started out writing Fan Fiction.’’ When it comes to her own work, Claire is on her fifth draft of ayoung adult romance novel, which her US publisher has invited her to ‘‘revise and resubmit’’. She is also working on abig project on Greek mythology which she hopes will be published next year and has written ahorror mystery podcast series Fracture, which can be downloaded through Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Being an American, Claire says she has no qualms about working with US publishers, but she feels for local writers. ‘‘It can be disheartening for New Zealand writers. There’s only asmall number of New Zealand books which get published each year and it depends on what they’re looking for.’’ Despite the challenges, there are many ways for today’s writers to express themselves and writing books is just the beginning. There is also film, television, video, podcasts, video games, blogging and social media. Taskforce ensures Blair is work ready Blair Milne is on track to aworkready future at ECycle, Amberley, thanks to the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs programme. ECycle is aNew Zealandowned company recycling electronic waste. Blair was placed at ECycle amonth ago and is already reaping the benefits of life in the workforce. ‘‘The programme helped me to get out and land this job. Having aroutine and purpose has really improved my mental health,’’ he says. ‘‘Working makes having free time and doing things for fun more enjoyable because Iknow Ihave earned it.’’ After ashort time working with Blair, ECycle supervisor Aaron Miller has also noticed positive changes. ‘‘Blair is reliable, and we can always count on him to show up and do the job. You can see the structure and skills he is gaining from working, which is great.” The Governmentfunded programme connects local businesses with those displaced by Covid19, creating opportunities for both parties. Hurunui District Council business recovery adviser Chris King says the partnership with ECycle aligns with the programme’s vision for youth. ‘‘It’s great having businesses like ECycle who provide apathway for sustainable work. ECycle is big on giving youth achance and that foot in door that they need for their futures in the workforce.” If you are alocal business or know a young person who would be interested in joining the venture, contact Joni or Chris at the council on (03) 3148816 or email tfj@hurunui.govt.nz. Southern Alps escape It’s right here in Selwyn! Selwyn is hometosix of the best <strong>Canterbury</strong>ski fields, all within two hours of Christchurch.Craigieburn, Porters Alpine Resort, Cheeseman, Mt Olympus, Temple Basin and Broken River offer amix of family-friendly runs and challenging off-piste skiing. Plan your SouthernAlps getaway.Stay on the mountain and roll out of bed and hitthe skifields early, catching the first of the morning snow. Plenty of parking –noqueues –awesome fun! Share your Southern Alps photos and tag us selwyn.nz Visit selwyn.nz
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