Have you heard the story about the 20-foot-long purple snake or the polka-dot poodle who wears jewelry?
About 20 elementary school children who love to write and some who would someday like to publish their own books conjured up such images at a special summer writing workshop recently.
The 3rd through 5th graders gave up some time in the sunshine and playgrounds for a trip to the classroom for a 3-hour session with an expert on the basics of writing.
James H. Lehman, 48, an author and publisher from Elgin, is offering the summer workshops in suburbs such as Arlington Heights, Wheaton, Lake Forest and Streamwood, sharing his love of writing and publishing and autographing copies of his latest children’s books.
“I write because I really like to share my ideas with other people and I like to create worlds in which I can make anything happen,” Lehman told the children.
After starting Brotherstone Publishers, a small company formed in 1989, Lehman was able to release his first children’s book a year later called “The Saga of Shakespeare Pintlewood and the Great Silver Fountain Pen,” which has become a favorite among school-age children.
The story is one of two he narrates while showing colorful illustrations on a large slide projector.
“I’ve been telling the story so often that I have it memorized,” said Lehman.
The students sat wide-eyed at the Arlington Heights Historical Society last week as Lehman took out the actual silver fountain pen he used to write the story back in 1976.
“I started out as a free-lancer back in 1974, and I always felt that story had some significance for me as a writer,” he says.
Ten-year-old Derek Trulson of Arlington Heights said he enjoys writing letters and heard about the workshop at the local library.
“The workshop sounded good because he writes books, and I wanted to learn about how he writes them,” he said.
After discussing everything from plots to settings, most of the students were able to get started on their own creative stories, with most of them dreaming up surprisingly imaginative characters.
“I’ve learned that there’s more to a character than just his name,” said 11-year-old Debbie Dahlgren of Arlington Heights.
