Assignment #16 - Eric Walters Response

Eric Walters writes books about teenagers discovering who they are and dealing with some pretty serious issues. His books appeal to teenagers because the characters are realistic. In fact, some are so real because they are actually based on real people. In the grade 8 presentation, he talked about how he would turn Noah and Tara into characters in one of his novels. He also presented in an engaging and entertaining way that brought all his stories to life. If he took those same words and put them on paper, he would have the start of a wonderful written story. I hope you were inspired by Mr. Walters.

It was so wonderful to have Eric Walters as our lunch guest this Monday. He told us about a lot of his new ideas, and I, for one, was astounded that he's written 73 books in the past 16 years. On average, that's more than 4 books per year! He described to Prof. Scott, Tara and I at least five new ideas that he's working on right now. Amazing!

In response to Mr. Walters' visit, I'd like you to write a creative text featuring a realistic teenage character (based on yourself) and an issue you think is important.

Before you get started, think about some of the books you've read by Mr. Walters, ones that you've heard about, or research some of his books online. Each of his books has a message and a purpose and he writes about real issues for teens living in Canada and around the world.

For the first part of your assignment, I want you to select three Eric Walters books and write, in one sentence, what you think the main idea or message of each of those books is. Post this on your blog.

For the second part of the assignment, I want you to select an issue, a message or a main idea that is important to you. I want you to bring that issue to life in your writing through a character that is based on you. This character can have your name, some of your experience and emotions, and or some physical characteristics that you have. It will be easy to make this character come to life, because you're already alive! A great writer writes about things he or she knows, and what do you know better than yourself?

Create a short story about your character (either a stand alone story or a chapter of a larger novel) in which he or she is dealing with the issue of your choice.

You may write this in your free write book or on your computer, and when you are happy with it, post a copy on your blog.

This assignment will be due after the winter break.