Tristan’s inspiration
NSW DoE 2016
Viewing guide
This resource contains six videos with author Tristan Bancks - children’s and teen author with a background in acting and filmmaking. In these videos he talks about his inspirations for writing, the process he uses to write a story and how he develops characters and the plot. He also gives advice to others wanting to write and reads a short excerpt from his book The Rules of Cool.
In this first video he explains that from a young age he has made sense of the world through writing.
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What inspired Tristan to first become a writer?
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Where do you get your writing inspiration from?
Think about what inspires people to write.
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How can writing a problem down help you solve it?
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Could a writer’s sources of inspiration change with time?
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Think of another author you are familiar with and research what inspires them to write.
This resource supports students of the Australian Curriculum: English in Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 Literature (308) strands and NSW K-10 English Syllabus in Stages 3 and 4.
With the related classroom discussion and learning activities, this resource will enable students to:
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explore the features of stories and concepts developed by current writers (Higher-order thinking)
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experience specialist expertise and develop an understanding of the role of the composer and of the concepts that inform and motivate the creation of stories (Deep knowledge)
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build upon prior knowledge, such as knowledge of Tristan Bancks’ stories (Background knowledge)
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recognise and explore connections between their own lives and both the subject matter and creative processes employed by Tristan Bancks. This might include seeking out other books by him, or books on similar topics, and sharing their own writing with audiences beyond the school arena (Connectedness)
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be challenged to write from a different viewpoint and challenge their own individual norms (Deep understanding)
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use narratives, such as this interview by Tristan Bancks, as a way of developing creative processes (Narrative).
Websites to support teaching
Mac Slater, Coolhunter 1: The Rules of Cool - Teaching support kit
Tristan's website - make sure you visit the About page
Find out about all of Tristan’s books
At Anything Goes discover tips to get you writing and creating every day
View Story Scrapbook, a free transmedia brainstorming tool.
Interviewer: Tristan, thank you very much for being a part of Writers Talk 2009.
Tristan Bancks: No worries. It's exciting.
Interviewer: You are also an actor and a filmmaker. What inspired you to become a writer?
Tristan: I've always written, for as far back as I can remember. At school I was always writing plays or even to-do lists, because I've got a really bad memory. And, I don't know, as a kid I was always writing down observations of things and it's more that I can't stop writing. I need to sort of settle down and sort of can't ... stop ... writing. My hand just wants to record things that way and I make sense of the world. If I've got a problem I'll go to the page and within a page I will have, kind of, found a solution.
Videos
Tristan’s inspiration
Writing process
Character
Plot
Advice
