Aspiring writers from local schools in the South West were delighted to attend the most recent instalment of The Literature Centre’s Young Writers Collective. Run by award-winning writer, Ms Julia Lawrinson at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School, her sessions guided students through the many aspects of writing and focused on different ways to overcome writer’s block.

“I learnt about the many activities you can do when you have writer’s block, and how to keep writing when you think you are out of ideas,” said Year 8 student, Ingrid.

The sessions allowed students to express their creativity and receive constructive feedback from both Ms Lawrinson and their peers.

“I really liked the opportunity to listen to other people’s stories and hear different point of views and I loved listening to Ms Lawrinson talk about how she writes books and how long it really takes!” said Year 8 student, Sophia.

Ms Lawrinson has been speaking to students since she first started publishing books in 2001 with the hope to inspire young adults to keep writing and find their own voices.

“I want to broaden their horizons on what is possible and show them what you can do with writing. I hope I leave them feeling more confident as writers themselves and more aware of what the different possibilities are from being a writer,” said Ms Lawrinson.

“I just love having the students go away and create a piece during the session. It is a lot of work in a very short time and so it gives them confidence that they can do it on their own and then they can take those pieces away and work on it later on,” added Ms Lawrinson.