Thursday 9 October saw the latest instalment of our ‘Meet the Author’ series, where writers are invited into school to give a talk to a selected year groups. This time, it was the turn of Year 9, along with selected Year 7 and 8 boys. The school had the privilege of welcoming Andrew Lane. Andrew is the writer of the immensely popular ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ series, as well as some ‘Doctor Who’ audio dramas and novels.
Andrew began his talk by urging the students to chase their dreams and make them a reality – just like he did. Andrew had wanted to tell stories from a very early age, and so he presented the aspirational message that students should grab their dreams. During the talk, Andrew discussed why he had chosen the Sherlock Holmes character, drawn as he was to the character’s rich history and fascinating legacy. The students were entranced as Andrew talked about his writing process, specifically in relation to his new series, ‘Lost Worlds’.
This series centres on the idea of ‘lost animals’, such as the Loch Ness monster and yetis. Andrew told the students, “Your imagination is more powerful than any special effects”, a powerful message which helps to express why Andrew continues to use this particular medium to tell his stories. He presented a very in-depth chart of his entire process, which involves the connection of disparate ideas to construct the building blocks of the narrative.
Following this talk – which lasted about forty-five minutes – students were invited to take part in a question and answer session. They asked some fantastic questions, including how long it takes Andrew to write one book (four to five months). Students then took part in a book signing with the very gracious Andrew.
Students were very enthusiastic about the whole experience. John Alvaran (8E) said: “My views on reading and writing have changed since the talk, as it showed that if you work hard in school you can thrive and succeed in fulfilling your dreams.” Many thanks to Andrew Lane for giving up his time to talk to the students, and to Ms Squires for her organisation of the event.
Tags: 2014-15, Andrew Lane, English, Library, Meet the Author, Year 9
