Recently, our school welcomed a visiting author who shared an exciting behind-the-scenes look at the creative process behind writing a novel. As part of her visit, she invited students to become active participants in the development of her upcoming book by reading the first 6,000 words of the manuscript—before it is published.

Students had the unique opportunity to be the very first audience for the opening of the novel. After reading the beginning, they provided thoughtful feedback on elements such as the opening hook, characters, pacing, and overall impressions. This experience allowed students to see how authors revise and refine their work based on reader responses, highlighting the importance of collaboration and critical thinking in the writing process.

The visit was both engaging and inspiring, giving students a rare glimpse into the real-world journey of an author and showing them that their voices and opinions as readers truly matter. It was an enriching experience that encouraged creativity, confidence, and a deeper appreciation for storytelling.

Mrs L Williams - Librarian

'What a unique privilege it was for me to have the time and attention of such a sharp and perceptive group of year 9/10 students to read the start of my next novel, 'Nimue'! All of them had pre-read the first six thousand words of my murder-mystery verse novel; during our session, 'Team Nimue' gave me a wealth of suggestions and feedback which I will be acting on to improve the story, especially at its very start. All the girls will be acknowledged at the end of the book and I look forward to returning to the school to show them 'Nimue' in its finished form once it's published.

My sincere thanks to all the girls and to Ms Williams and Ms Di Lullo for all their effort in enabling this opportunity.'

Jennifer Burkinshaw - Author

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, 10 students from Year 9 and 10 students from Year 10 were selected to read a 6000-word manuscript of the book 'Nimue', which was written by the talented author, Jennifer Burkinshaw. Her aim was to get feedback from 20 students from the Sacred Heart about ways to improve and make the book even more intriguing. As students, we recommended many ideas which we believed would make the book more fascinating to read. In my opinion, the manuscript which shows the first half of the book is very interesting and grasps my attention due to the mystery being ongoing. She had also given us tips on writing verse books and how we should format it to match the vibe of the book itself. As well as giving feedback on the book, we also got the chance to learn about the inspirations that gave Jennifer Burkinshaw the idea to write this verse book. 

Overall, this meeting was significant to me as it taught me the critical yet strong mindset a writer should have when receiving feedback and making sure to work on it. I would like to thank Mrs L Williams for giving us this wonderful opportunity to talk to a rising author. I would also like to thank Jennifer Burkinshaw for visiting our school and being willing to find out the strengths of her book from the perspectives of teenagers. I would like to wish her good luck on her next step to publishing this book. My peers and I enjoyed this experience very much.

Aravee Year 10

The experience of talking to the author was such an amazing experience! It was extremely useful to learn about the process of writing a novel, publishing, and editing and provided an incredible opportunity to discuss such a beautifully written novel, as well as it being very exciting to contribute our ideas to the project. Throughout the experience, we reviewed excerpts from the novel and exchanged views on it, and it was a truly unique experience, unlike anything that the school has done before, and I can confidently say that we all are very excited to see what happens next, when the book is officially published! 

Inna Year 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, a group of students and  I had the chance to read an extract from a novel and share our opinions directly with the author, Jennifer Burkinshaw. The session was organised by Ms Williams and Ms Di Lullo, and it gave us a unique insight into the writing process. The extract was a young adult, murder mystery, verse novel. I thought that it was remarkably interesting, it allowed me to think more during the text, and I suggested that the author could make things clearer and simpler. Hearing other students’ ideas made the discussion more interesting and showed how differently people can interpret the same text. Meeting the author was exciting and made me realise how important feedback is in shaping a story. Overall, it was a memorable experience that helped me feel more confident in analysing and expressing my views on literature.

Emms Year 9 

I thought the workshop was a wonderful experience. It was amazing to be able to hear everyone express their thoughts and opinions.  It felt great to be part of a group and to be able to share my thoughts and opinions as well.  Overall, it was a one of a kind experience that I really enjoyed.

Isabela Year 9