For the Love of Writing
I love to write. I am not a published author. I have no written work in book form I can point to and say, "See that! I wrote that!". At least, not yet! (Click here to see what I’m working on currently.)
Oh! The power and fear inherent in those words, "not yet." I've been threatening to write a blog for years. Correction: I started to write a blog years ago. I wrote once at the beginning of our marriage when Derek and I had moved to South Africa. I was on leave from my job for ten months. I would have a lot of time to write, share my ideas, tell others about our love story, and encourage, equip, and excite with my words. One blog entry and twelve years later, I sit typing the phrase, "I love to write." Do I? Or do I just love the idea of writing?
The truth is, I love to learn about writing. And I love teaching children how to write. There is a substantial reward in seeing a child recognize, maybe for the first time, that they can put their thoughts and ideas into words so that others can get a peek inside their brains.
Recently, I introduced journal writing to my grade three students. I handed out new journals, explained a simple writing prompt, and then circulated between the desks, ensuring everyone understood the prompt and knew how to begin. As I passed one student's desk, she timidly raised her hand to touch my arm. "Mrs. Delmar," she whispered, "so this is just, like, writing my thoughts down?" I could tell she was experiencing a personal epiphany.
"Yes!" I encouraged her. "Writing is just about getting those thoughts out of your head and onto paper. And I know you have lots of interesting thoughts!"
She looked up at me in wide-eyed wonder and breathed, "Oh! I like this!" She bent her head and began to scribble furiously on the page.
That was the start of her writing journey. For the rest of the year, that little one poured out her words on paper. She was full of ideas, and thoughts flowed easily on some days and with great difficulty on others. It didn't matter that her ideas were expressed with spelling errors, grammatical inconsistencies, and mixed tenses. Those things, which teachers call conventions, are not at the heart of writing. At the very heart of writing are ideas. And at the very core of those ideas is the desire to write. Embedded in that desire to write is the need to tell our story. To be heard. To be truly known. This most fundamental human need to be known is the very crux of why writers write.
Witnessing the development of young writers has become an addiction for me. I love the way children express themselves. I love seeing the growth that occurs almost magically as the school year progresses. They become increasingly comfortable with not only writing their ideas down but also with allowing others to read them. As they share their fiction and nonfiction stories, they are learning to be vulnerable, to open themselves up to be "read" by their peers and the adults they trust. They expose themselves to potential criticism and learn to accept feedback. They realize they can have opinions about other authors' writing, too. They soon know how to state their views respectfully and begin to see the connection between reading and writing. They can choose what to read based on how an author's work affects them emotionally. They begin to think more deeply about the written word and how it holds the power to bring joy, sadness, humour, indignation, surprise, and the full gamut of human emotions they are just beginning to experience in their life journey. They start deliberating about the feelings they want their writing to evoke. They learn to build suspense, insert humour, create tension, and develop their unique writing voice. They gain the confidence to offer feedback to their peers through encouragement and constructive critique. And ultimately, they become convinced that they, too, can call themselves authors.
So, what do you do if you are the parent of a child who seems to have a blossoming interest in writing, yet you are not a writer yourself? How do you encourage them without adding unnecessary pressure? How do you help them grow in their writing ability without diminishing the joy inherent in sharing one's thoughts freely and expressively? If you want to promote a love of writing and help them explore new ways to tell their stories, this is the place for you. I will share insights and tips for helping young writers hone their craft. As you learn to encourage your child's skills, you invite them into a safe place to connect with you at new levels.
Maybe you are a young writer yourself. You’ve got some of the basics down, but feel your soul, the soul of a writer, stirring. It is asking you, “Where do we go from here? What new things can we create together?” If so, then these tips are also for you!
Let's begin the journey together!
