BURR INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Burr third graders learned the craft of writing from an established children’s author on Thursday.

Peter Catalanotto, who has published 50 children’s books as an author and illustrator, demystified the writing process for students during his visit to make it less daunting.

In terms of choosing a subject, Catalanotto recommended not necessarily to write something that happened to you, but rather to write about something a character wants —and the conflict in achieving it.

Catalanotto shared with the students that as a third grader growing up on Long Island, writing did not come easy for him.

He also demonstrated techniques for creating illustrations, including the process of sketching subjects. He also showed how to create the appearance of movement in a two-dimension drawing.

“If you love to draw, you’re an artist right now,” Catalanotto told the students.