LET YOUR MIND WANDER

    I believe writing can be a natural thing for anyone. If you can talk, you should be able to write. I think too many people get hung up on trying  to make their writing sound perfect, or sound like someone else's writing, or sound like what you THINK writing should sound like. And frankly, worrying about these things takes away your creativity. The first thing you need to do is just write, Put your pencil to a piece of paper and let your mind wander. Write whatever comes to your mind. Don't try to edit anything. Don't worry about spelling or punctuation, don't censor yourself. Try this "mind wandering" for at least 15 minutes every day, because the very first thing you need to do to get ready to be creative is to free up your mind. If your mind is bogged up with worries about spelling, punctuation, and how you THINK things are SUPPOSED to sound, you will never find your own voice, or style. Your writing should sound like you. You are unique. No one else sounds exactly like you. The more you write, the more you will become comfortable with writing, and the sooner you will find your own voice (style). So, every day, just a little, start wandering - on paper!

ESPECIALLY FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS
 AND STUDENTS WHO  WANTS TO WRITE

    I remember when I started writing in grammar school  and had a bunch of terms thrown at me - terms like THEME, CLIMAX, RESOLUTION, CONFLICT,  etc. I had been reading a lot and making up my own stories for a long time, and had a sense of story  already. I also had lots of ideas for stories. But  as soon as I started worrying about what the theme might be, or what type of conflict I was dealing with,  or building up to the climax of the story, I froze. My  creativity abandoned me! So, in the beginning, I think it's better not to teach these things to children.  First, read stories, discuss them - what makes this  story work? What happened? Who is the story about? What did this character want? Did he get what he  wanted? Did he change somehow as a result of getting  it, or not getting it? Did he learn anything? I think, when teaching writing to children, it can be  made a lot less intimidating if you ask them to think  about FOUR things before they start writing.

     1) THE MAIN CHARACTER - WHO is the story about? Think  about who your main character is. What is he like?  Make a CHARACTER CHART to get to know your character. At the top of the page, NAME your character. Then,  have fun making him up. (This character can be a  person, or an animal with human character traits). Answer of these questions about your character, and  make up some of your own. THEN you will begin to  really KNOW your character:
 

Where does he live?
What is his family like?
Are his Mom and Dad together? Separated? Divorced?
Does he have brothers? Sisters? Step-Siblings? How do they all get along?
Where does he fit into the family? Oldest child?
Middle? Youngest? Only?
What about his friends? What are they like?
Does he have a very best friend? What is he like? What  is their relationship like? Are they always best friends? Do they sometimes disagree or argue??
What does he like to do? Sports? Sing? Any special  talents?
What about school? What type of student is he? Does he  always do his homework? Do well on tests? Know the  subject matter but freeze up on tests?
What is his room like? Messy or clean? Is he  organized?
What is his biggest secret? What does he want?
 

     REMEMBER, when creating your main character. DON’T  MAKE HIM PERFECT! Give him character flaws. No one is  perfect, and if your character is, then he won’t be  interesting and readers won’t be able to identify with him. Also he won’t have room to grow, as characters  need to do in a story. WHY is getting to know your character so important?  Because the story you are writing is HIS STORY. You have to know your character to be able to write his  story.

     2) After getting to know your character, think about  his story. What is his story about? You can’t write a  story without giving your main character a goal. He  either has to have a problem to solve, or he has to  want something very badly. What is this going to be?  When you know your character, it will be easier to  figure this out.
 

     3) NOW – think about the end of the story for a  minute. How would you like for it to end? Ideally –  you want your character to SOLVE HIS PROBLEM - or to get what he wants. We all like for our stories to end  happily. HOW IS YOUR CHARACTER GOING TO GET TO THAT  HAPPY ENDING? BRAINSTORM several things he can do to either solve his problem or to get what he wants. Make  a list of maybe TEN THINGS AND CHOOSE THE BEST THREE.

     4) NOW – Here’s the catch. Once you’ve gotten to know  your character and figured out what his problem is and  some things he might try to solve that problem, DON’T BE TOO NICE TO HIM!!! WHAT do I mean by THAT???  Simply that if the things your character tries work  wonderfully, then you have a very BORING story, at  best. GIVE YOUR CHARACTER TROUBLE. Throw up road  blocks to try to keep him from solving his problem.  Yes, let him solve that problem in the end, but DON’T MAKE IT EASY FOR HIM! This is where STORY comes in,  it’s what story is about. You must make your character  WORK HARD to overcome his problem. You’d be surprised at the twists and turns your story will take and how  you’ll see your character grow once you see him  struggle.

     These are the things I think are important to consider  before writing a story. I promise you TWO things if  you try them. ONE, that your story will be easier to  write from the very beginning. And TWO, that your  story will be a BETTER story from the beginning. So, go ahead, give it a try. HOWEVER – there is one more thing you need to know. When you finish writing that first draft, you’re NOT DONE! Not even CLOSE! Writers rewrite and rewrite their stories - OVER AND OVER - to make them better. I’ve worked on stories for years. I’ve rewritten  stories 50, 60 times, or MORE! SO – IF you write –  and REWRITE your story, hand it in to your teacher,  and she gives it back to you with comments about how  to make it better, DON’T FEEL BAD.  REWRITING A STORY IS PART OF THE PROCESS ALL WRITERS GO THROUGH. I work with a critique group and also  with editors (who are like your teachers) to make my  stories better. If my story isn’t good enough, I don’t  feel bad. I look at it to see what I can do to make it  better. WRITERS WRITE AND REWRITE. That’s what they do.

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