Sarah Armstrong
Sarah’s first novel for readers aged 9+, ‘Big Magic’, is a 2023 CBCA Notable Book and its sequel, ‘Magic Awry’ came out late last year In a previous life, she was an award-winning ABC Radio journalist before moving to northern NSW where she initially wrote novels for grown-ups – including the Miles Franklin shortlisted ‘Salt Rain’.
She has found her home in writing for children and is currently working on her next middle-grade novel (which will be out in 2025). She teaches writing to kids and adults -- at schools, for writers’ festivals, and at university - and with her middle-grade critique group, she puts out the popular writing-craft podcast for young (and not so young!) writers: ‘Five Writers, Five Minutes’.
Talk and Workshop details
Talk: Writing Magic (Yrs 5-7)
Using her magical middle-grade duology, ‘Big Magic’ and ‘Magic Awry’, Sarah shares her inspiration for the books and takes students behind the scenes of building the magical world of the series, creating the magical characters and the research involved. Along the way, she discusses the writer’s life, shares practical writing tips (first drafts are usually very wonky, and rewriting is crucial!) and talks about the magic that happens when we read. She describes her journey from ABC journalist to novelist for adults before she found a home writing for kids. And, because ‘Big Magic’ and ‘Magic Awry’ are set in the circus, there will be a little bit of circus magic!
Thurs 22 Feb : 11am - 11.45am
Fri 23 Feb : 12.30pm - 1.15pm
Talk: The Writers’s toolkit (Yrs 5-7)
Sarah brings her years of experience as a writing teacher to this very practical presentation which gives students a set of creative writing tools to take away. She starts by talking about idea generation, then discusses narrative tension, story stakes and how to flesh out a story with description. In this interactive presentation, she invites the students to brainstorm ideas with her. This can also be run as a writing workshop for smaller groups. * Ideas and how to find them* How to give your story narrative tension* How to increase the stakes in your story* How to slow your story down at the dramatic moments* Why rewriting is so important.
Thurs 22 Feb : 12.30pm - 1.15pm
Fri 23 Feb : 9.30am - 10.15am
Workshop: Discovering great story ideas (Yrs 5-7)
Story ideas are all around us and our own lives offer rich sources of story inspiration. Sarah explains how she draws on her own life in her writing and guides young writers in finding story ideas from their own lives – whether they tell an event as it happened or use it as a jumping off point. She leads the writers through getting started on their story, discusses how to write a story with narrative tension and evocative detail, and explains the vital importance of rewriting. In a small group, there will be chance for some individual writers to receive constructive feedback from Sarah. Best for students passionate about writing and a smaller group
Thurs 22 Feb : 9.30am - 10.30am
Fri 23 Feb : 11am - 12pm