Splash! Introduction / Steve Voake
MA Creative Writing at Bath Spa University
To most writers, the sight of a blank piece of paper (or perhaps, these days, a blank screen) is both an exciting and daunting prospect. Exciting, because it is the moment before creation when anything is possible. Daunting, for precisely the same reason. Every writer knows that, although the end result might be something rather wonderful, it might also turn out to be something they want to crumple into a ball and drop-kick into the nearest bin. My guess is that there was probably a good deal of the latter going on in the early stages of writing. There usually is. But what has finally emerged is a collection of fresh, vibrant stories and poems that are as varied as they are original.
Although writing is often – by its very nature – a solitary activity, these pieces are the culmination of a year spent in the company of other writers. Over weeks and months, the students on the MA Writing for Young People course spent their time not only reading and discussing a range of children’s books, but also trying their hand at writing everything from preschool picture books to teenage fiction. They experimented with style and structure, practised writing for a variety of audiences and shared their work with one another, learning to give and accept constructive criticism in an effort to make their finished work the best it could possibly be.
The truth is, as we grow older and further away from childhood, it is easy for us to forget the things that shaped us when we were young: the newness of the world, the intensity of our friendships and the endless possibilities of an imagination brought to life by the stories and poems that we read. But the authors of this book have not forgotten. So, just for a while, take some time to sit back, relax and dip into the pages of this wonderful collection. And when you do, be prepared to experience some of the magic of what it means to be a child once more…