An early-morning estuary shrouded in cloud, a glassy ocean rolling into sun-baked rocks, and a brilliant starry night sky.

There was inspiration aplenty for the budding writers on this year’s Writing Retreat. Twenty four Year 9 students enjoyed two days writing in the beautiful surroundings at the Hatherly Lodge, Warrington. 

There were numerous writing activities which encouraged students to engage with the outdoors, and settle into some quality extended writing time. Workshop activities included descriptive writing, experimenting with poetic forms such as haiku and free-verse, challenging themselves to write pieces on topical issues and personal experiences, and looking at what makes an engaging short story. We also looked at editing tips on how to sharpen our initial drafts. We enjoyed writing games such as roll-the-dice poetry and found poetry. 

Highlights included etching our haiku into the sand, sharing our work with our fellow writers and playing spotlight under the jewelled sky with the ocean roaring in the background. 

The following are some pieces of writing from the students... 

Haiku

Frothing white tunnels

smash frequently against rocks

     -Sonnet of the Sea

Petra Gray

No-one’s yet to know

how ocean waves hypnotise -

setting me so free

Adelphi Allan

A mirror of sea

Golden sand concealed from view,

Stretching across shore.

Imogen Page Danso

The bashing waves crashed,

furious hunger brought close -

as mist hung over sea.

Heidi Brook

Moeraki

Moeraki was as it’s always been:

a never-ending ocean view, bunches of cottages,

a playground, a camping ground,

and even a fish and chip shop we’d always go to.

My siblings, cousins and I did what family do -

searched for shells in the golden sand,

squabbled and complained about the heat,

hunted for seals like pirates searching for treasure,

played hide and seek until late afternoon,

walked the lighthouse track,

ate fish and chips as we watched

the colour of the sea collide with the sky,

doing nothing important.

Maia Scott

Salt & Pepper

Racism is like salt and pepper:

most prefer salt,

less prefer pepper.

Not many differences -

same size, same shape,

just different colours

Ella Sutton

St Clair Beach

The beach was as it always was:

children laughing, couples strolling,

waves crashing and seagulls calling.

My friends and I did what friends do -

ran along the sandy shore,

splashed around like seals in the ocean,

dodged the salt-soaked dogs,

and watched the bright yellow sun set behind the horizon

…. doing nothing important.

Zaakirah Hassen

The Farm

The farm was as it always was:

a pond , a paddock, a shed , a house,

and there was even an old cheese factory.

My friends and I did a lot -

built ramps for the goats,

ran to the top of the hill,

swam in our homemade pool,

raced cars down the driveway,

found as many pinecones as we could

and rode motorbikes around the paddock till our hands gave up

doing nothing important.

Violet Campbell