I guess we’ve all got different memories and experiences of school. Some probably starting scribbling stories as soon as our fat little fingers could clutch a pencil, some of us preferred putting the pencil up our noses. I love being part of school life, where both of the above are happening daily. That’s why I’ve chosen World Book Day to write my blog. As you read this I’ll be leading a day of wild fun dressed as Super-Punctuation-Woman, covered in commas, exclamation marks and the like, wearing tall boots, lycra and a red cloak (it’s Dad’s Day in school too – what can I say?) and we’ll all be working like mad to bring the reading buzz into the children’s lives, followed closely by the writing buzz. But – and this comes straight from the mouth of my street-wise Year Five and Six book club – the thing that inspires their reading and writing more than anything else is the chance to talk – to share ideas, argue, steal good words from each other, write crazy plans that are messy and full of pictures, and generally relax and enjoy it.
The Romaniacs, to me, is like being back at school, but with a grown-up (well, almost) group of friends who love to talk, even if it 
usually has to be online. We discuss anything and everything, and one of the great things about being with a trusted group is that you can say what you think without rehearsing it to see if it’s ok. This sometimes makes for foot-in-mouth moments but it’s never boring. So my advice to would be writers, whatever age you happen to be, is to join a group and get talking.
What turned you on/off about writing or reading at school?
Do you think talk matters, or is silence golden?
