I also do a 1 hour or 90 minute Drama in Writing workshop that explores the connections between acting, directing and writing. This workshop is very much an on your feet experience that combines my experience of acting and writing. (Ideally we would need a hall space for this workshop but it could work for all year groups and could be done in groups up to about 50) The kids would not pick up a piece of paper in this workshop. Instead they would explore the creation of character and emotions on the page by acting and demonstrating those emotions. One of the most common notes given to new writers is, ‘Show, don’t tell.’ This is also one of the most common notes given by directors to new actors. We explore, through drama exercises, how to show emotion through action and how to convey intent through dialogue. We also touch on the concept of muscular memory, which is a technique that actors use to recreate certain moments again and again on stage. We show how this is useful in plotting and planning the actions of your characters, when you are, in effect, directing them in a scene. Lastly, we look at the concept of ‘hot-seating’ your characters to get to know them as an actor would when they approach a role. This is incredibly useful in making characters seem three dimensional in your book. This workshop works incredibly well with 11, 12, 13 and 14 yr olds. I can do a shorter version for 9 and 10 yr olds as well.