I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get tired of reading the same old stories, with the same old archetypal characters and plots. The predictability of story lines is the reason I stopped reading Fantasy novels a couple of years ago. Oh, I’m sure I’ll return to my favorite authors, especially once that fifth book is released, for which I’ve been waiting three long years. But for now, they’ll stay on the shelf. Well I hate to admit it, but this boredom sometimes extends to my children’s work. If I have to read another variation of Steve’s (from Minecraft) conflicts with creepers and Ender dragons, I might have to ban all Minecraft games and paraphernalia from the house. Out of sight, out of mind, right? I won’t need to go to extremes, though, because I realized that there is more to creative writing than stories and poetry. To freshen the kids’ writing, I decided to switch gears every once in a while. My children love music, and they often belt out a popular tune, replacing the original lyrics with their own. It turns out that this is a fun writing activity. After they choose a song, we take one verse, usually the chorus, and make up new lyrics for them. The goal, since this is writing instruction, is to ensure the lyrics make sense and follow the rhythm of the music. We have been studying ancient civilizations, and no matter which culture we study, the kids have a particular interest in the daily lives of the children. History studies are a great time for them to pretend to be one of these children and write to an imaginary pen pal from the period. They are not only writing historical fiction but also synthesizing what they have learned in order to write the letter in a realistic way. In relation to letter writing, greeting cards are a fun way to practice creative writing. I provide the kids with a focus, such as birthday cards, and allow them to create blurbs geared toward different age groups and themes. For example, they might create a birthday card greeting for a 6 year old who likes Legos. The kids get practice writing for a particular audience and writing with a theme. I might even save some money by having them make up a set of Christmas or other holiday cards. I’m sure I’m not the only parent that has witnessed a few adventures played out around the house. Mine are partial to traipsing through the kitchen casting spells on one another, or on me if I get in the way, so I thought, “Why not let them write a script?” I’m sure to give them scene limitations, so I don’t end up with an epic, and when done, they act it out and revise it where necessary. By letting my kids explore different genres, it’s helped them avoid boredom with their writing and allowed them to discover other creative writing forms that excite them.
Five Simple Tips for Revising
Let’s face it. Writing is fun. It’s the revising we avoid. When we first write, our pen goes wherever our ideas lead; we create characters and situations, mold them and direct them at will. Then we sit back, marinating in the satisfaction of our finished work. Enter the dreaded voice of revision, whose sole purpose is to highlight all that stinks about our wonderful composition. Of course we don’t want to deal with it, and children are no different in this respect. But as Katherine Patterson says, revising is the process when spilled milk gets turned into ice cream. It’s necessary if our children are to become better writers. Even though the revision process isn’t always a child’s favorite part of writing, it doesn’t need to be a chore. With the following tips, it may even become an interesting, dare I say enjoyable, activity. 1.) Step back: After your child finishes a first draft, let her bask in her greatness. Don’t mention revising right away. Let her read the draft to you and talk about it. Then just have her put the draft aside for a few days before she takes it out again to revise. The extra time will allow her to wind down from all that energy she just spent writing it and will put the draft out of her mind. In turn, she will come back to her work with fresh eyes and a clear, less biased, perspective. She will not only be better able to identify weaknesses but she will also be more open to fixing them. 2.) Collaborate: A completely different set of eyes is always helpful in the revising process. If you don’t have other children in your home with which to workshop, get your child together with another homeschooler who is also working on a writing project. Teach them how to read and constructively comment on each other’s papers. Working with other children will help your child get feedback from a real audience and evaluate her own work through her readers’ eyes. 3.) Read aloud: Though often overlooked, it’s one of the most effective revising strategies. Reading a paper aloud helps the writer hear rhythm and voice. She will get a sense of where the piece flows and where it is stunted, where ideas are unclear or wordy, and where it goes off topic. When your child returns to her draft, have her read it aloud (alone if she is uncomfortable reading in front of others) and take notes when she finds something that needs to be changed, added to, or removed. 4.) Type it: If your child does not know how to type, it’s worth teaching her. It’s a skill that can be learned at a young age and will make revising and editing easier. Unless your child is a fluent typist, she should write the first draft, and then type it in a Microsoft Word document. The act of typing will itself highlight areas in need of change, but more than this, it will make revising and editing less tedious. If a sentence needs to be moved, she needs only to cut and paste to change it. If she needs to add a sentence or even a paragraph, she won’t need to rewrite the whole paper; she can just insert the new information. 5.) Work from paper: After your child types her draft, print a hard copy to work from when revising and editing. Often what gets overlooked on a computer screen will stand out on a hard copy; however, it will still be easier to change since the original is easy to access and manipulate on the computer.
Art Inspired Writing
“But I can’t think of anything to write about,” my kids cry as an excuse for daydreaming out the window. Then in an attempt to divert their attention from the window or to prevent a breakdown, I end up struggling along with them in the quest for a great idea. I’ve heard that the best ideas are often right in front of you, but it wasn’t until after I had fenced far too many complaints of writer’s block that I realized I had the answer to this problem all along. Over the years, I’ve used art to inspire my writing, creating an ekphrasis based on a Remedios Varo painting, or a haiku inspired by a photo of my grandpa as a boy; however, I had never thought to incorporate art right in my own home, in my children’s writing lessons. Who knows if that light bulb would have gone on had I not stumbled upon the article, Ten Ideas That Get Kids Writing, which relates the story of a Chicago-based teacher who used sculpture to inspire her students’ writing. “Of course, why didn’t I think of using art before?” Painting, sculpture, music, photography, dance, the arts are a wonderful way to get a child’s creative juices flowing. Where is this boy going? Now when ideas are slow to come, I have a supply of photos on hand that often help solve the problem. The photos include shots of family, friends, previous vacations, and nature; pictures of paintings and sculptures from galleries or the Internet; as well as clips from children’s magazines. I give them three or four photos to choose from so as not to overwhelm them; after they choose a photo, we talk about what’s happening in it, how it makes us feel, and what it makes us think of. Many times this process alone sparks an idea, but if not, I’ll provide an additional prompting question based on the photo, like “Where is this person going?” “Why is she happy/sad?” “Why did the artist use… (Fill in the blank)?” These questions may lead them in various directions from making up a story about someone in the photo to writing about the artist or creating something seemingly unrelated to the photo altogether. Not so long ago, my daughter struggled to come up with a poem using a repeating pattern. After looking through some photos, she chose one of our cats, and here’s what she came up with: My Calm and Gentle Cat As I wander around the house, I see my cat lying on the bed. As I gently pick him up, I feel as if I’m holding a cloud. As I rock him side to side in my arms, love rushes through my heart. As I see him close his eyes and fall asleep, I gently lay him down, and his soft purring fills me with peace. Art doesn’t have to be saved as a last resort. When you have more time to plan, why not develop a lesson around a trip to the local art gallery, symphony hall, or dance performance? These are great opportunities not only to help children appreciate other art forms but also to inspire their writing. What emotion do you feel when listening to the violinist? Write a lyrical poem about it. What story are the dancers telling? Write a fairy tale about the lead dancer. Whether it’s pre-planned or off-the-cuff, art in various forms not only inspires ideas but it can also help you teach genre, such as poetry and short story, as well as specific writing techniques. If you’re not sure how to start, Literacyhead is a helpful site that offers numerous writing lesson plans using images. So let the arts move you.
