"The visiting author workshop lead by Danielle Binks on the 25th of July involved 51 students from Cairns State High School. The exploration of Danielle’s relationship with literature and reading was a relevant experience, and one that students identified with as they navigate their schooling years.
Students could identify with how passion towards literature can diminish because of academic demands surrounding the text. The way Danielle reignited her love with literature was a valuable venture to discuss and provided guidance for students to reconnect with reading and writing interests.
The authors and texts selected catered to different interests and offered diverse perspectives. The variety of genres allowed for engagement from all students. Creative writing is a skill constantly honed in English and therefore a valuable concept to students’ learning. Students enjoyed the quick writing activities and sharing their creations with their peers.
Thank you to the Business Liaison Association and our Head of Department, Patrice Honnef, for making this valuable opportunity available to students."
Cairns State High School
Cairns State High School Students
"Author, Danielle Binks, visited Mareeba State High School on Friday 27th. Her visit was highly informative giving us lots of helpful hints about how to write a short story.
In the 1st session she taught us about writing a short story and showed us an extremely helpful and inspiring slide show. She talked about what is important in a story like the 3-act structure, the hero’s journey and the need to know that “somebody wants something badly…. and is having trouble getting it.”
When we came back from our lunch break, we were to draft our own short story remembering the hints Danielle had given us in the 1st session. In the 3rd and final session of the author’s visit, Danielle shared with us her knowledge on how to make our writing more descriptive and how to bring our story to life.
It was such a helpful and enjoyable workshop."
Zahra Boldero
Student
Mareeba State High School