The story
I’m Alice, a professional writer and creative writing tutor originally from London, now happily settled in my countryside home in Stroud.
As a child, I was an avid reader and scribbler of notes to fairies. I wrote my first novel before the age of 10 (albeit only five pages long), and I once won a poetry competition for a thrilling verse about a ripple in a pond.
After gaining my MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck and working for several years as an art, drama and creative writing facilitator for children across London, I took the leap to begin Jotters as a way to encourage young writers in Gloucestershire to put pen to paper and set their imaginations free - just as I did as a child.
This region has influenced dozens of classic writers, from Laurie Lee to Beatrix Potter, and in this age of screens and exam stress, I know many parents are looking to bring their children back to the old traditions of storytelling, handwriting and curiosity-led learning.
Jotters is here to give children confidence with the written word, to inspire them with fun ideas, to help make penning a story a pleasure, and to connect them with the people and places around them through their wild imaginations.
Some of the best writing I’ve ever read has been by children: stories that are funny, moving, honest, lyrical and brave. And I think we could all use a little more of that in the world.
Let’s nurture the next generation of Jotters.
The mission
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Through enthusiasm, encouragement, fun challenges and thoughtful feedback, Jotters will help your child fall in love with writing and feel excited to share their ideas out loud.
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So many children say they don’t know what to write about. That’s never really true! All they need is a creative prompt and friendly guidance to help them think outside the box. Soon enough, they’ll be a dab hand at coming up with their own unique, original ideas.
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As in any adult creative writing class, sharing work is key to the learning process. In a supportive, pressure-free, playful way, kids at Jotters will be encouraged to offer their work, and give one another helpful, considerate tips. It’s not a competition - everyone in the room is there to listen to one another!
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Whilst the most important thing at Jotters is having fun, in order for your child to get to grips with writing a really good story, we will teach the nuts and bolts of practical writing skills, from story structure and characterisation, to dialogue and setting an exciting scene. The aim is to get a whole, cohesive story written from beginning to end, helping students feel proud of their achievement and for parents to enjoy reading it!
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Through fun games (not boring tests!), kids at Jotters will see their vocabulary flourish and discover a new pleasure in using ‘grown-up’ words, poetic devices and sentence structure.
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If a child falls in love with a story they’re writing, they will want to jot away all the time! Developing this dedication to writing is key to setting them up to one day achieving their goal of becoming a professional writer. Getting into the habit of a regular writing practice means they won’t be daunted by the task of one day writing something epic.
Jotters offers…
After-school clubs
After-school clubs covering an exciting new theme each term, from Medieval Mayhem to Sci-Fi Fantasies.
Weekly workshops
Weekly in-person and online workshops for homeschoolers or extracurricular learners, covering the basics of storytelling through to getting a first draft down.
Private tuition
One-to-one or small group tutoring online or at your home, to help your child grow their creative writing abilities and confidence in the run-up to exams, or simply for pleasure. Tailored to suit their particular needs.
Contact
Interested in booking in for a club or private tuition? Fill out some info and Alice will be in touch shortly.