It's almost Halloween. To build the spooky atmosphere -- and also to encourage creative writing -- I'm offering these nine read-alouds, spooky stories written by students aged 11-17, all featured on my Cabin Tales podcast last October. They range from silly fun to gory terror, ideal for this time of year. First is the shortest… Continue reading Halloween Student Stories
The final fall episode of Cabin Tales is about the final stage of creative writing: revision. You’ll hear 26 Canadian authors talk about their revision process, and their recommendations to young writers who want to improve their first draft. 45 minutes. All ages. Check out the Episode 8 webpage for audio, show notes, and author… Continue reading The Never-ending Story (Episode 8: Revision)
Featuring guest authors Cary Fagan, Philippa Dowding, Raquel Rivera, Ishta Mercurio, and Kari-Lynn Winters, talking about plotting—how and when they plot, how they feel about tormenting characters with obstacles, and what they recommend to those who want to improve their own plotting. Check out the Episode 4.5 webpage for audio, show notes, and author bios.… Continue reading Author Interviews about Plotting (Episode 4.5)
An episode about plotting stories, with guest authors Robin Stevenson, Wendy McLeod MacKnight, and Amelinda Bérubé. Featuring an original story, “The Critter Cam.” With excerpts from Harold and the Purple Crayon; “The Band-Aid;” and Holes. 45 minutes. PG-13. Check out the Episode 4 webpage for audio, show notes, and author bios.
Welcome to Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers. This is Episode Two: Nasty People meet Nasty Ends. It's a long one at 50 minutes. I’m Catherine Austen. And my guests today are great Canadian writers Karen Krossing, Monique Polak, and Tim Wynne-Jones. Today we’ll be talking all about characters. Check out the Episode 2… Continue reading Nasty People Meet Nasty Ends (Episode 2: Characters)
Catherine Austen 