Famed Author Visits BES
Submitted by Rachel Turetsky
“Every time I start writing a new book, I invite my characters to tea.” said Ellen Potter, Berlin Elementary School’s guest author on May 10.
The Berlin Elementary Shared Decision Making Team researches and hosts an author at BES each year. This year’s guest author Ellen Potter, has written 15 young-adult books, which includes four series.
Potter’s day at BES started with a school-wide assembly, when she talked to the students about her writing. The author explained that she likes to imagine her characters coming for tea.
“Then I ask them what they want more than anything in the world, and I figure out how to make it very hard for them to get it.”
The author told how she crafts a story and what tools she uses to keep the story alive. She brought her “writer’s toolbox” to share with the students. In there was a bag called “Ellen’s Brain,” filled with objects to help with descriptive words. There were also “story starters” that brought up memories, and a big red pencil for making revisions.
The assembly was followed by the first of two writer’s workshops with the 4th and 5th graders. Potter is also co-author of Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook.
During the workshops the students watched a short video of a story starter to help with the question “What if….” The author discussed how important this question is, and how it helps the imagination to take over.
The 4th and 5th grade students had time to write and get one-on-one advice from the author. Some students volunteered to read their writing aloud and were given feedback from Potter and their peers.
Between the workshops was a read-aloud for Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Potter read from her new book, The Squatchicorns, in the Big Foot and Little Foot series. A book signing in the library concluded the guest author’s visit.
Potter left the students with the advice that if you read a lot and write a lot you can build a great foundation for your own story writing.“The great thing about being an author is that you don’t have to wait to grow up to become one, you can start right now,” she said.