Today’s Quickwrite is inspired by the writing and artwork of Mari Andrew (featured in the image shown) and invites you to write to yourself using words you would use with a close friend. There is only one rule: Be kind with your words because you are a human being too, like anyone else! Enjoy!

What is your hidden talent or something that you can do better than anyone you know? It doesn’t have to be world-changing, just something that you do well, large or small! Once you have a hidden talent in mind, describe a moment where you displayed it.

Today’s QuickWrite is inspired by Linda Sue Park’s beautifully illustrated The One Thing You’d Save, which poetically explores a range of different different answers to the following question: ‘What’s one object you’d save from your house in the event of an emergency?’  Drawing on this as inspiration, if you could choose, what’s one object YOU would save from YOUR house in the event of an emergency? Assume that all your loved ones and pets are safe and sound in this scenario, and feel free to express your response in any way you like!

This week’s QuickWrite invites you to become a noticer— to take a close-up photograph of something and to use this as inspiration to write!

In honour of International Literacy Day, today’s Quickwrite is connected to the act of reading. Think about this:

If you could visit one place which captured your imagination through reading, where would it be, and why?

This week’s Quickwrite draws inspiration from Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem ‘Gate A-4’ which explores the idea of ‘breaking bread’. ‘Breaking bread’ literally means to share a meal together. but this saying is about so much more than eating with others! It’s really about forging a meaningful connection with another person or group of people, to see past differences and to find common ground. Draw on this idea and use it as inspiration to write. Who do you ‘break bread’ with? What rituals can you write about that bring people together?

The simple pleasures in life make us pause in gratitude, lift our mood and make our days feel that little bit brighter. These things --like the smell of freshly baked bread, listening to the pitter-patter of rain and feeling a cool breeze on a hot day —can sometimes make us feel like royalty! With this in mind —what makes YOU feel like royalty?

In today's QuickWrite we want you to imagine your life as a museum. Think about what artefacts or objects that represent you and your life would be on display as visitors walk through your ‘Museum of Me.’

Today’s QuickWrite draws inspiration from this quote by Rainbow Rowell: “I like science fiction, I like fantasy, I like time travel, so I had this idea: What if you had a phone the could call into the past?” Like Rainbow Rowell, today’s Quickwrite asks you to ask your own questions about time travel and use them to inspire your writing.

Today’s QuickWrite explores the familiar phrase ‘life is like a roller coaster.’

Today’s Quickwrite is inspired by the poem ‘Meteor Shower’ by Clint Smith. What parts of ‘where you are from’ do you carry with you?

All around us is evidence of the changing season; the autumnal tones of orange and brown of the leaves on the ground, the frost on the car windshield on chilly mornings, the sunny afternoons, the crisp and cool evenings. Today we want you to be inspired by the changing of the season - what does it make you think, feel, imagine?

Sometimes we come across words that are so beautiful, intriguing or moving, that they make us pause. These words can be found in songs, books, poems, the sayings of people you know, graffiti - anywhere! They’re the words that make you say, ‘I wish I had written that!’ Have a think about meaningful words that you’ve heard in your lifetime that you wish you had written or said. What is it about these words that makes you wish you had said them? Use these as inspiration to write!

Today’s QuickWrite is inspired by writer and illustrator Mari Andrew’s image titled ‘Self Care’, which outlines what she does to take care of herself and ‘recharge’ her energy like a battery! Have a go at drawing your own version of what recharges your battery —what do YOU do to take care of yourself when you feel anxious, sad or stressed? Use this as inspiration to write, write, write!

If we look around, there are signs of resilience everywhere. What signs of resilience do you notice around you? Pick an object, animal, person or something related to the natural world and write about it. What does it remind you of, make you think about or feel? Use this as inspiration and write!

Create your own ‘secret sauce’ recipe for something that excites you or means a lot to you: the ideal best friend, the perfect villain, the funniest joke, the perfect pet, the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon, the ideal society- anything you like! Feel free to write or draw - there are no limits to how you express your ideas. After you make your recipe, use it as inspiration to write - what does it make you think, feel or imagine?

Jot down a description of a vivid memory you have from your childhood that stands out. Make sure it’s a memory that involves another person.

Now, take a moment to think about this memory from the point of view of another person who was there. How do you think they would have experienced the situation? What would they have noticed, thought about or felt at the time?

Sophia Thakur’s poem ‘Picking a name’ encourages us to think about what we are called and what we want to answer to. What does the poem make you think, feel or imagine? If you had your way, what would YOU answer to?

Look at the last photo that you took on your phone, or the last photo taken before a significant change in your life. Use this photo as inspiration to write! You might want to write about the story behind the picture, what you were thinking or feeling at the time, or what it makes you feel now. See where it takes you!