Wordtaming and the Funfair of Ideas

This paper focuses on the development of an interactive creative writing website, developed after identifying the position of creative writing in mainstream education and exploring a spectrum of learning needs at primary and secondary school levels. The concept and website were developed by an author of children's fiction and uses interactive activities supported by a ‘virtual author’. It is designed to enhance creative writing skills for both pupils and teachers, thereby offering cross-curricular opportunities through the marrying of Literacy with Information Communication Technology (ICT). The paper further examines the place of authors in schools and their potential for impact on the emerging position of creative writing as an assessed subject.