Students from Narooma High School have been busy entering local writing competitions including the Eurobodalla Mayor's Writing Competition and Black Parrot Poetry Awards.
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Two months before the Mayor's writing competition closed, 12 students from Years 9-11 attended a workshop that honed their skills and engaged their inspiration.
Students were warmly welcomed by Kathryn McCarthy, a professional writer, to a beautiful tutorial-style setup at Narooma Library where they were supplied with a writing pack and stationery.
After a brief introduction of each student and what they love about writing (think: freedom, limitlessness, expression, creating other worlds), the group was taken through a presentation of writing skills.
Then it was time for the writing to begin.
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Ms McCarthy guided the students through a game of snowball storytelling, where a short story is made up of three parts, each written by a new author.
The 'snowball' element comes from the idea that students scrunch their paper up after each addition and throw it to another participant who then adds to the narrative.
It was a real treat hearing some of the stories that were shared.
Students were taken through a few more activities that they could funnel into their own submissions for the competition.
It was a really supportive experience with access to a professional writer, and learning skills that supported their journeys toward the competition and beyond to senior English courses.
Each person got something out of the workshop - and not just a free lunch.
Award-winning poetry
Year 9 student Myles Fisse also submitted a poem for the Black Parrot Poetry Award.
Approximately eight schools participated in the competition that was founded and funded by author and illustrator Toni Cary-Starr.
Myles had written the poem some time ago and was not expecting anything to come of it.
"The poem is a bit dark as I was going through a sad time," he said.
Myles won the competition for the Years 9-10 category.
"There was an afternoon tea at Moruya Library where we got to read out our poems and get prizes," he said.
Myles said that Ms Cary-Starr and her husband Clinton Starr were very supportive of the students getting into writing and that Ms Cary-Starr makes a book from the poems.
He has been writing poetry outside of school-related work since Year 7.
Myles won $200 which went towards buying a Nintendo console.
"It was nice to say I had bought something with money that I had earned," he said.
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