Whenever Rich does an Author Appearance, people are always interested in how he goes about writing Jaspa’s Journey and what was involved in getting it published.
So, with the help of elementary school teacher Tyler Schaefer, Rich came up with a project to give school classes and other groups a first-hand idea of what it’s like to write and publish a book.
Based on his own experiences, Rich divided the writing and publishing process into six stages: writing, revision, submission, editing, publication and promotion. The project uses these themes to lead children through the process, beginning with them writing their own spin-off stories based on the ideas of Jaspa’s Journey.
Although originally designed for the classroom, this project could just as easily be done by, for example, cub scout packs or other groups outside school.
Click the links below for downloadable PDF files of the Jaspa’s Journey Writing Project and Rich’s experiences writing and publishing The Great Migration the first time around.
Generally, the project begins with a class read-aloud of one of the Jaspa’s Journey books. Those class members that want to join in the project can then go on to read more of the series on their own. The participants then write their own spin-off stories, set in a real-world location of their choice and starring either their own Ses characters or those from the books.
On a few occasions, Rich has agreed to help with the editing and judging phases. On special occasions I’ve even ‘published’ some of the stories right here on my webpage. Click on photos below to read some of my favourites.
And if you’d like Rich to get involved in your own Jaspa’s Journey Writing Project, send me an e-mail and I’ll pass it on to him!
