Fun at the KidSpy Fiction Writer’s Workshop

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the KidSpy Fiction Writer’s Workshop, which was held at the International Spy Museum. The event was put together with author Jennifer Allison discussing how to get started writing a Spy novel and her own process for creating her beloved character Gilda Joyce. She spent about seven months researching at the International Spy Museum for her book, Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop.

The sold-out event consisted of free-writing with the assistance of character, setting and plot outlines and prompts to create a character for their very own spy story. The children were placed into groups and had a team leader to help them with the process. My favorite part was when the kids were given the opportunity to go to three stations where they selected pictures of spy gadgets, pictures of settings their character would fit into and dress up like their character. The program was so involved that the kids even got to go on a spy mission as their characters. I only wish I had the opportunity to do this when I was their age!

Jennifer was incredibly accessible throughout the entire event. Listening and offering advice when asked, signing books and even participating in the mission with one of the teams. If you’re planning to go to the International Spy Museum any time in the near future I would definitely go to Jennifer’s website at www.gildajoyce.com and print out Gilda’s Guide to the International Spy Museum. And while you’re there check out Gilda’s blog for tips for aspiring writers.

The International Spy Museum has great events like this once a month. Make sure to check out their website www.spymuseum.org for more details.