Martin Stewart

I have been a full-time writer for four years, producing funny, scary and lyrical books for readers aged 10+. Prior to publication I was a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Strathclyde and, latterly, an English teacher for six years.

Drawing on my classroom experience, I have delivered events at schools all over the UK, and have undertaken writer in residence roles for several institutions. My aim is to:

• promote reading for pleasure
• increase engagement in reading and writing
• develop literacy
• raise attainment in writing (with particular emphasis on independence in the senior phase)

My presentation features an energetic, funny talk about my unusual path to publication, where the ideas come from and what life is like as a writer. For the senior phase, I place my experience in the context of pupils' own writing, and discuss how best to maximise folio pieces using my manuscripts as exemplar material. My workshops focus on developing writing skills with particular emphasis on the need for independent, self-generated reflection and editing to maximise impact. For upper primary/BGE, this centres on creative work; for the senior phase, the focus is on the assessment objectives in the portfolio component.