Los Gatos Weekly-Times

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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Los Gatos author Martha Alderson will help children discover writing when she holds workshops on Feb. 10 and April 14 at the Los Gatos Neighborhood Center. Working with young writers is part of Alderson's literary life.

Alderson helps children develop the 'write stuff'

By Michele Tjin

Words were once a mystery to Martha Alderson, but what once stumped her is now her livelihood.

The Los Gatos resident didn't speak intelligibly until she was 7 years old and struggled with dyslexia when she was growing up. But today, at 55, she has two published novels to her credit. She also teaches writing at the UC-Santa Cruz extension campus in Cupertino and leads workshops at the Peninsula chapter of the California Writers Club. She works with adults, but Alderson also makes time for the youngest writers. To help children discover writing, Alderson is holding two children's writing workshops on Feb. 10 and April 14 at the Los Gatos Neighborhood Center.

"I love the idea of supporting kids to explore their imagination," Alderson said. "School is so prescriptive and controlled. They just want a space to be together and let their imagination go wild."

At the workshops, Alderson will teach young writers how to put a beginning, middle and ending to their stories. Her workshops are not geared just to those who have shown an aptitude for writing. Alderson is making a plea for those who struggle with fine motor skills, grammar or spelling to give her workshop a try.

"They are the ones who need it the most," Alderson said. "Those who struggle in school shut down. Doors start closing when they're really young."

Those who fear putting thoughts down on paper will get help from a volunteer who will act as their personal secretary and transcribe their thoughts.

"I totally relate to kids who learn differently from the mainstream," Alderson said. "I really believe in them."

The Friends of Los Gatos Library will sponsor the two workshops, and the group supports Alderson's efforts to reach children. This year, the workshops are geared to those ages 8-13.

"There seems to be a writer in all of us," said Rita Baum, a member of the library group. "Kids have a magnificent imagination, and it never occurred to some of them to put thoughts on paper."

It's not just the children of Los Gatos who are gaining from Alderson's tips. She gives similar writing workshops to neglected, abandoned and abused children who call the Santa Clara County Children's Shelter home. She has already given two seminars there; she sees writing as able to heal some wounds.

"If kids can get the horrors they have experienced on paper, it won't cause them as much pain or dysfunction because they can express their feelings," she said.

"The workshops have been well received by the children and teenagers at the shelter," said Mark Forrest, recreation coordinator at the shelter. There is no pressure to write, and if the children's imagination needs to get kick-started with playing dress-up, Alderson makes that available, too.

"They're being educated, and that's the major impact," Forrest said. "The kids loved it. In the format that she created, she helped bring out their creativity."

Organizers are planning a third workshop at the shelter soon. For Alderson, the experiences there have been satisfying because she is able to give back.

"It's challenging to work there, but it's rewarding," she said. "It shows somebody cares enough about the children to sit with them for a few hours. They can express their pain when they wouldn't have otherwise."

Writing and teaching others the craft is actually a second career for Alderson, who was originally a speech pathologist in Los Gatos. She remembered the communication problems and the therapy sessions she had as a child and completed the circle. She holds degrees in psychology, speech and speech pathology.

But about 15 years ago, she sold her speech, language and learning disability clinic and moved to Colorado with her husband, where she had the task of organizing historical research about her famous ancestor, Commodore Robert Field Stockton, for whom the Central California city is named. It was this project that hooked her on writing, and for the next 12 years, she worked on Stockton's book.

"The story came out of nowhere," she said. "It captured my life."

These days, when Alderson is not waking up at 4 a.m. to work on personal writing projects, she keeps herself busy with her writing business, Blockbuster Plots. She calls herself an international plot consultant, where she works with others to give their stories depth. She has written books on plot development and also has a website, DVDs and a monthly ezine. She said the Blockbuster Plot venture was not something that she had sought out five years ago when it began. Instead the business evolved on its own, and it's been a pleasant surprise for her. It's never too late to begin a second chapter in life, she said.

"It all happened without a plan," Alderson said. "It doesn't matter what age you are. You can always reinvent yourself."

However, with all her teaching and speaking engagements, Alderson has been reluctant to give up her roots, the work she has done with children with speech and learning disabilities. Children have a gift that adults often lack--the ability to not find fault in their work--and that gift should be nurtured, she said.

"Kids have incredible settings and fanciful settings," she said. "Kids don't have a critic in their heads."

The children's writing workshops will be held Feb. 10 and April 14 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Los Gatos Neighborhood Center, 208 E. Main St. Registration forms are available at the Los Gatos Library, 110 E. Main St. The cost for students registered by a member of the Friends group is $10; others are $15. Bring a lunch. Snacks and writing materials will be provided.

The Friends of the Library are also looking for volunteers for the next workshop at the Santa Clara County Children's Shelter. To volunteer, contact 408.399.5700.