Qwerty at school: my first official meeting with kids

Last week I got invited to give a short talk at a primary school. It was the first time I received an invite like that, being recognised as an author. I was asked to speak about reading and writing, encouraging kids to do both. As I can talk about the above until you run away screaming, I agreed without hesitation (luckily, they limited me to 30-40 minutes, so there was no running and no screaming, and also no hair pulling). 

Title page of my presentation

I prepared some slides and got a lift to the educational institution. I don't work with children (even though I write a lot for them, surprisingly, having abandoned the horror genre), so I had no idea what kind of reaction I would get. I half-expected to be booed off the stage...

That, however, didn't happen. I ordered a short game called "What if" - it consists of writing a question on a piece of paper and then hiding it, swapping papers with your neighbour. Then one person writes his or her answer under the other's question. Here's an example:

Let's say one person poses the question: 

"What if elephants could fly?"

and the other: 

"What if there was no school?" 

After swapping papers the questions and answers look like this: 

"What if elephants could fly?"

"I wouldn't have to learn anything!"

"What if there was no school?" 

"We could see elephants above our heads." 

After that exercise and several minutes of laughter, I told the children (ages 11-13, by the way), that everything they'd just read, no matter how silly or improbable, is possible in books. And then we hit it off.

They told me why reading is good for them, but I told them why writing is cool. I introduced them to Qwerty Seymore and the gang, and said they're like my good friends, and this is the reason why I love writing about them. And I asked everyone if they had their own idea for a story. Unexpectedly, perhaps, they did. One boy said he'd write about a warrior from 1960s. I'm looking forward to that one...

I finished along with the school bell ringing loudly and... I was surrounded by a thick wall of students, asking me to give them... autographs. Now, that I was not prepared for. Me? Autographs? What a funny idea! But then I had no other choice, after being presented with a flower and a commemorative brochure on the school's history, dedicated to me. All routes of escape were cut off, I was cornered, and my way out could only be teleporting. And that, unfortunately, I haven't yet mastered, contrary to my main character.

Surrounded...

So I signed whatever pieces of paper I was given, asking each pupil the name, and hoping I was spelling them correctly...

It was certainly an experience. But the best news is that the kids seemed to believe me that reading and writing books is almost as cool as PlayStation. They said they'd give it all a go. And if at least few of them reach for a new novel or write their own tales, my job is done.