Suraya Dewing's blog

Insights gained by jointly writing a serial

Writing Fearlessly
by Suraya Dewing

During the hour-long webinar a major realisation all who attended agreed on  was that the challenges teachers and students face today are global. Almost every teacher  - engaging students with writing is an ongoing battle. Stylefit hosted the webinar and were delighted to receive 40 registrations.

Teachers from across the globe shared their challenges, frustrations. Many were tired of being under pressure and hoped for a better solution for themselves and the students they cared about so deeply.

All too often someone giving feedback feels caught between trying not to dishearten the writer and being honest. If the reader has undertaken to give feedback as a friend, the relationship becomes even more fraught. 

However, if aspiring writers only receive praise without helpful suggestions for improvement those writers will never know what they can do to improve. They won't know what they don't know. 

Ideally a feedback giver will say what he or she liked about the writing, be specific about how it could be improved and then another comment about what appealed.

A reader Avatar
by Suraya Dewing

A reader Avatar
by Suraya Dewing

by Suraya Dewing

The principles of good storytelling in film also apply to storytelling on paper.

The litmus test of a good story is how a main character reacts to challenge. At the start of the story he or she is one kind of person and by the end transformed into another. The protagonist overcomes obstacles along the way and when he or she reaches journey’s end the world and the protagonist are changed. This is referred to as the Hero’s Journey.