Exciting, FREE Program Opens the Door to Creative Writing

Almerrian Tales is a non-profit organization designed to help secondary students and teachers embrace creative writing and the power of the imagination. The short stories and curriculum are all downloadable online, with only a simple registration required.

(PRWEB) April 24, 2004 --Founded by author Derek Ladd and Leisa Cotner-Cobbs of Montage Marketing in 2003, the program is now being used in two other countries besides the United States. Participants include middle school and high school teachers, as well as college professors. As a budding writer in my early teens, I was fortunate to receive a lot of inspiration and encouragement to continue writing," says Ladd. I wanted to be part of a program that would do the same for others." Derek created the word 'Almerrian to describe any person who dismisses materialistic pursuits in favor of creativity, intellectual growth, and enlightenment.

Students of the program are introduced to creative writing in several ways:
•Writing unique endings to the Almerrian Tales.

•Participating in class readings and discussions about student-written endings and how they compare with the author's, along with the thoughts and decisions made during the creative process.

•Discussing the overall stories and the answers to the essay questions provided.

Derek has been making up and telling stories ever since he was a child. He wrote his first short story at 13 and started writing his first novel at 16. After completing his first degree in 1991, Derek enlisted in the Marines and was stationed in Italy for six months, during which time he studied American Literature and Philosophy. Derek holds an Associate of Applied Science and a Bachelor of Science. He resides in Beaverton, Oregon, where he has recently completed a novel entitled, Without Wings.

To learn more about Almerrian Tales, go to http://www.almerriantales.org.