Ever thought writing was just about words on a page?
Well, this morning’s session reminded us that stories can be told in so many different ways. Sometimes, writing looks like comics. Sometimes, it looks like drawings. And sometimes, it looks like a weird alien named Georgina living in Slippery Kansas!
The day began with Aidia introducing our young writers to the world of graphic novels and comics. Aidia walked them through the basics of comic storytelling and some of the features that make comics such an exciting form of writing. To get started, our young writers created mini comic scripts using character prompts such as: What would your character jokingly say to a friend? What is something they want to say but can’t? What would they yell in excitement? What is their catchphrase? What is something they overheard that they definitely were not supposed to hear?
Next came a set of drawing prompts: draw something mundane, something scary, something abstract, something cute, something you saw in a dream, and something funny. Before long, pencils were flying across pages, ideas were bouncing around the room, and there was so much laughter as wonderfully strange and hilarious characters began to surface.
After completing both prompts, the young writers combined images and words, traded drawings and ideas, and slowly began building comic worlds of their own.
Thereafter, our visiting writer for the day, graphic novelist Cedar Van Tassel, arrived! He jumped right into storytelling by reading pages from his comics and acting out the characters using different voices. Needless to say, our young writers loved it. Cedar shared excerpts from Appleguy and Beefwood, his comic set in a post-human America populated entirely by plants and animals. Through his four-panel comic strips, he showed how much story can fit into just a few frames.
He also spent time talking with the young writers about the kinds of books and comics they enjoy reading. Horror, comics, Garfield, and plenty of other favorites made the list.
Then came one of the most entertaining parts of the day: character creation.
With suggestions coming from all corners of the room, Cedar worked with the young writers to create a brand-new character. Together, they invented a wonderfully odd alien named Georgina. The fun didn’t stop there. They immediately found a place for Georgina in the world they had built during Monday’s Untold Game. According to our young writers, Georgina lives in Slippery Kansas and is best friends with the fish who summoned aliens to make humans shorter. If that sounds strange, you clearly missed Monday!
Afterwards, it was the young writers’ turn to create their own characters. They played a collaborative drawing game where each person drew only one part of a character before folding the paper and passing it on. One writer drew the head, another added the torso and arms, and another finished the legs.
When the papers were finally unfolded, the room erupted with laughter.
Some characters looked like they had been assembled by pure chaos. Others somehow came together perfectly. Many landed somewhere in between. Each writer then gave their character a name, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and a current location. As they introduced their creations to the group, we met a collection of characters that were ridiculous, creative, unexpected, and absolutely unforgettable.
With their characters in hand, the young writers moved on to creating four-panel comics. Cedar added one important requirement: somewhere in the story, a cat had to give their character a magic hat.
That single prompt led to some truly hilarious comics.
By the end of the activity, our young writers proudly shared their creations with the group before heading to lunch from Panera with Cedar.
The afternoon shifted from comic storytelling to spoken storytelling led by Mira as the young writers explored the art of public speaking. They began with a breathing exercise and learned techniques for managing nerves, speaking with confidence, and engaging an audience.
Through demonstrations and discussions, they explored how reading aloud is much more than simply saying words on a page. They learned how pace, tone, volume, pauses, facial expressions, and body language can completely change the way a piece is read and received. They discovered that slowing down can make an important moment land, speeding up can build excitement, and sometimes silence can be just as powerful as words.
After practicing these techniques, they selected pieces they hope to share during tomorrow’s reading and practiced with partners, receiving feedback and encouragement along the way.
The final instructional session of the day focused on workshop practice and was facilitated by Maranda. To help prepare the young writers for giving and receiving feedback, our instructors first modeled both ineffective and effective workshop behaviors.
Afterwards, each writer selected a piece they wanted feedback on and exchanged it with a partner. Using workshop prompts, they reflected on what stood out to them, what interested them most, what touched them emotionally, their favorite aspects of the piece, and areas they thought could be revised.
After revising their work, the group wrapped up the day with a game of Pass the Story. Each writer contributed one line before passing the story to the next person, who could only see the line immediately before theirs. The resulting stories were delightfully chaotic, surprising, and often very funny.
To top it all off, one of our young writers, Caity, introduced her own version of Mafia by adding a mysterious doctor character, putting a fresh spin on the game.
The day ended with one final drawing challenge as the young writers illustrated something their character loves.
And just like that, Day 4 was over.
It’s hard to believe our workshop is almost coming to an end. It feels like we were sharing our first update just yesterday.
Tomorrow, our young writers will celebrate their graduation and share some of the incredible work they have created throughout the week. We cannot wait to celebrate them and share the highlights from our final day with all of you! Be our guest! Join us at 1 p.m. at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art. Here’s the link to the calendar event: <https://events.k-state.edu/event/young-writers-workshop-reading-1568>
– Ruth Okon, Program Assistant
K-State Young Writers' Workshop 