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· "I Young Writers Club Promotes Writing for Life A t all stages of life, from infancy to old age, we are surrounded by story. It's at the heart of the simplest lullaby, it sings through early readers and epicnovels, it's the spark in an attentiongrabbing commercial and the silver thread snaking through cinema blockbusters. C h i l d r e n , of course, k n o w that we are creatures of the imagination. They lap up bedtime stories and happily create their o w n fantasy narratives featuring fierce battles, orphaned waifs and busy shopkeepers. They generate comic strips, pour out their feelings into journals, dash off neighbourhood newsletters, w r i t e action-adventure stories and create thoughtful poems. But somewhere along the way, we forget that we are born storytellers. We forget that we were born with the desire to spin a yarn just for the joy of it. We start to think of ' w r i t i n g ' as a paid occupation that only a select few have the talent to pursue. T h o u g h we may still keep up some of our c h i l d h o o d hobbies, whether by k i c k i n g around a soccer ball or sitting d o w n to the piano, our pleasure in writing is too often left behind with the abandoned Barbie dolls and w o r n - o u t hockey sticks. T h e Young Writers' C l u b ( Y W C ) was formed with the goal of providing an encouraging home for kids w h o are still actively creating their o w n stories. In the Y W C , members w o r k to make their writing better, not necessarily so that they can one day get paid for it, but to increase the likelihood that they w i continue to enjoy being 'writers' whatever other career paths they may follow. ' F u n ' is a priority at the Y W C . The club leaders had themselves fidgeted through enough unengaging ' t o p - d o w n ' author lectures to k n o w there had to be a better way to educate kids in the writing process. A c c o r d i n g l y , the monthly workshops are designed to be interactive and to get the kids e x p l o r i n g their literary side through games, timed w r i t i n g challenges, role playing and discussion around various aspects of the craft. The club 'hang-out' is the M o l l i e N y e heritage home o n L y n n Valley R o a d . M e m b e r s are encouraged to improve their w r i t i n g skills through practice, practice, practice, and those w h o manage to squeeze 10 writing days into their month get a treat. T h e club also offers contests, w r i t i n g prompts and other regular inducements to put pen to paper. T h i s practice time has paid off for members like D i a n a , w h o says her w r i t i n g has ' t o t a l l y ' improved. " I ' m getting to write more than ever," she says. D i a n a , a Vancouver student in Grade 6, is w o r k i n g on a book and has had some of her poems published in the club newsletter. The club is launching an anthology of their w o r k s at M o l l i e N y e House. Young Writers Club before workshop at Moll WHAT: Young Writers Club and launch of their Anthology WHEN: June 14 WHERE: Mollie Nye Heritage Home INFO: Call Laura Hoffman a604 986.8547 or visit www.youngwritersclub 1