Schoolboy writer to be published
Once upon a time there was a young boy who loved to write stories and his creativity has seen him picked for publication.
Matthew Hall, 10, of Blenheim, has been chosen from thousands of other hopefuls across New Zealand to have his modern-day fairytale chosen for print.
The Whitney Street School pupil says his contemporary take on the children’s classic The Three Little Pigs took him just half an hour to write.
His story about a big bad hacker and three little children will be published in Toitoi magazine, a quarterly publication for promising writers and artists.
The year 6 pupil says while he has no memory of beginning to write, he has always enjoyed it.
‘‘I can’t remember that far back but Mum and Dad have said that as soon I started to write, I wrote everywhere.
‘‘I am proud but I was particularly surprised.
‘‘It’s just something I do, and I’ve written other stories, too,’’ he says.
‘‘My favourite one was called the Disease Dilemma and I came up with two new characters, Dodo Shrimp and Squirrel Beavers.
‘‘I’m a big reader too, especially action and adventure and mysteries,’’ he says.
Toitoi publish material with an original and authentic for young people created by their peers.it aims to reflect the cultures and experiences of life in New Zealand.
The school will get two copies of the book as will Bohally Intermediate School library and Marlborough District Libraries.
The Room 2 pupil, who also plays piano, say he usually writes his first draft by hand using a pen and then transfers it to computer, editing as he goes.
‘‘I see things as I write that I want to change. We do a lot of different writing at school and I’ve done poems, an instructional video script and also writing a piece of advice,’’ he says.
Matthew says he hopes to be a writer when he has finished his education.
‘‘It would be cool to be an author; my favourite part of school is writing and I think I’m a good writer,’’ he says.