Nikki Sheehan - Writing

Nikki Sheehan

AIM High Writing

Summary

Age range KS2
Books For Age 8 -18
DBS Checked Yes

Booking
Contact
+44 (0)1535 656015
aimhigh@caboodlebooks.co.uk

Nikki Sheehan is an author, journalist, story mentor, and mother of three older children. Nikki studied linguistics at university before becoming a subtitler on the Simpsons, and then retraining and working as a journalist.

About Nikki

Nikki has had five fiction books published, and one non-fiction; a biography of Stephen Hawking. She is also now writing for adults and for the screen.

Nikki is an extremely experienced workshop leader, and is qualified as an Arts Award Adviser for the Arts Council. She is used to facilitating original stories, poems and scripts in a very fun and inspiring way, using the students’ own imaginary creations, human-animal hybrids, or science-inspired stories a starting point. She also loves working with more advanced writers to extend their work, encouraging them to break a few rules to see what happens.

She is, according to a former workshop attendee, “a very nice person who made us see the world in a different way.”

Nikki lives in Brighton and is available for Aim High Writing Days within a reasonable distance.

Nikki’s Aim High Writing Days

Nikki’s AIM High Days are adapted to suit the needs and interests of the participants, and will aim to take the students from an embryonic idea to a plotted-out and ready to go manuscript.

Session 1

After an introduction, including short readings from a few of Nikki’s books, a group discussion on the students’ own favourite books will be followed by Nikki’s challenge; can the students write the book they’ve always wanted to read? Ideas around what a book needs in terms of characters/action/genre/theme ensue to allow ideas to begin to form without the pressure of pen to paper.

Session 2

In the second session Nikki will talk about how many stories there are in the world (seven! Well, seven basic plots anyway), and what they all have in common. This moves onto a simple plotting exercise where the group, together, creates a character with a need/want and then, democratically, plots their story on a white board. With the process demystified, a few ideas for characters and starting points will be volunteered, before the students will finally be asked to write an opening to the story of their character.

Session 3

With the ideas for their stories taking shape the students are reminded about the concept of an inciting incident (from the plotting session) and ideas for what sparks a change in their own stories elicited. This is followed by a chance to write and then share what has happened to their character to change the course of their stories. With the catalyst under their belts the talk will turn to what a climax of a story looks like, followed by the invitation to write the most exciting part of their story, where their character’s problem is faced head on.

Session 4

This final session is where the students can give their story a resolution; a happy, sad, gruesome, hilarious, or thoughtful ever after. Not everyone will be at the same stage; some will have jumped ahead and if so, they can begin to fill in missing plot points. But everyone will be totally absorbed and desperate to continue writing. Sadly, though, they have to stop at some point, because this is really the moment the day has been building up to. A time for Nikki and the young authors to hear the work that has been created; the 30 or so new stories that their young writers had always wanted to read.

A Selection of Nikki’s Books

Life isn’t easy for Johnny. He is trying to help his mum, he is looking after his little brother and he is going to a new school. Then Liam Clarke starts to bully him and it all begins to get a lot worse. But when Johnny gets some very surprising help from an unexpected source his life takes a dramatic turn.

A magical story about finding your place and having the courage to fly.

Nikki explores the life of the inspirational scientist Stephen Hawking.

The kennel has been JC’s home ever since his new adoptive father locked him inside. For hours on end, JC sits and tells his dog Boy how he came to this country: his family, the orphanage and the Haitian earthquake that swept everything away.

When his adoptive mother Melanie rescues him, life starts to feel normal again. Until JC does something bad, something that upset his new father so much that he and Boy are banished to the kennel. But as his new father gets sicker, JC realizes they have to find a way out. And so begins a stunning story of a boy, a dog and their journey to freedom.

Bookings
To book Nikki Sheehan please contact aimhigh@caboodlebooks.co.uk

Nikki also visits schools and other settings, click here for more info.