Lisa Thompson’s top writing tips
By Genevieve Ferris
Advice from the hit children’s author on how to write that book.
Have you ever wondered what a cross between a witch and a mermaid would be like? Author Sibéal Pounder invited her festival audience to find out.
Sibéal kicked off her talk by sharing her obsession with witches as a child. “I thought witches were hiding down the plug hole below the sink pipes,” said Sibéal. This wild thought was the start of something amazing, her ‘Witch Watch’ book series!
Now Sibéal, who also wrote the ‘Bad Mermaids’ book series, has decided to combine the two in her latest book ‘Bad Mermaids: On Thin Ice.’
After her introduction, it was time for us all to get creative as Sibéal led us on a magical adventure with lots of audience participation. Together Sibéal, the children and the parents created a brand-new witch called ‘Ceeceechub’! Children were invited onto the stage and transformed into sea creatures including an octopus, shell, shark and lobster. Then Sibéal produced more props, including water, rain macs and hats to prepare the children-turned-creatures to go through the shark-infested Hammerhead Heights. What a journey!
Sibéal took lots of time after the adventure to answer questions. She was particularly encouraging to young aspiring writers. Sibéal assured them it’s ok to make mistakes. “Spelling and grammar come with time, that’s mechanics, it’s about ideas,” said Sibéal
Stay tuned for Sibéal’s next book, ‘Bad Mermaids: On Thin Ice’ which launches next month.
