New York Times Best Selling Author Visit
On September 13th, NCPA welcomed New York Times Best Selling Author Brendon Mull to campus. Brendon was introduced to the middle school, and grades 9 and 10 during an assembly where he made an impressive speech focused on the power of imagination.
Students showed their appreciation for Brendon with loud applause and a heartfully crafted welcome banner. We are proud that our students appreciate opportunities to learn from professionals from around the world. Maintaining an accepting international perspective is key to developing open-minded students.
Following the assembly, Brendon worked closely with the middle school students where he shared his perspectives on writing as well as experiences as an author. He stressed that the power of the imagination is an incredible tool, especially for young writers. Brendon explained that he considers himself a “big kid” and actively involved students in an imagination game where they explored the nature of creativity while collaboratively creating interesting stories.
During these workshops, Brendon introduced the process he uses to “build a world” within his own writing. He mentioned five key elements that contribute to a complete story: character, relationship, trouble, decision, and consequence. Students were guided to identify the key elements in common stories like Harry Potter. Once they were able to figure out the commonalities, they were better able to understand how to better construct their own written stories. Brendon provided an opportunity for students to ask questions about his writing process. The students were keen to clarify things they had difficulty understanding, and even Brendon was surprised by some of their unique questions!
NCPA students had an amazing experience working with and learning from Brendon. Hopefully they gained experience and confidence in their writing skills in addition to realizing the power of their imagination.
Mr Yeung, the Middle school principal, encourages parents to spend more time creating a comfortable reading area at home where they can explore the world together with their kids.
