DD7 is enthralled with writing novels. She has an intuitive grasp of how to plan a plot out, make smaller challenges that build to a climax, include bits that are exciting, etc. Does anyone know of resources to help her add more sophisticated techniques to her toolbox - point of view, themes, something? Ideally this would also apply to her second favorite activity, planning out movies.
Recreational reading - check. Recreational math - check. Recreational writing - ?
How far out is her reading level?
Zen- not far out, but rising relatively fast. Two months ago she was on Elephant and Piggie, now she's on Magic Treehouse. She refused to read unless it was a story with a Big Problem.
Sweetie, that's just the sort of thing I was looking for! Thanks.
Do you happen to have a local literary center or writers guild? We have a few that run workshops for kid novelists, particularly in the summer.
DD7 is enthralled with writing novels...
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) maintains a webpage of helpful links:
http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/helpful-links
Zen- not far out, but rising relatively fast. Two months ago she was on Elephant and Piggie, now she's on Magic Treehouse. She refused to read unless it was a story with a Big Problem.
Sweetie, that's just the sort of thing I was looking for! Thanks.
I took an education class on writing and through that class had to interact with this author through his website (it was a poetry assignment). I happen to really enjoy this author's poetry and books, and as a person.
So, I'm sitting here with my writing group tonight and we're all (supposed to be) critiquing manuscripts submitted to our fiction writing workshop, so I took a poll. Here's the group advice from several published fiction writers & semi-pros: don't worry about technique much. The best way to learn to write is to read, read, read and to write, write, write. She's smart: she'll learn through observation and practice. What she probably most needs is for you to be enthusiastic when she shares her work with you.
So maybe you might read what she's writing now and then and give some basic pointers (for example: in a good story, there's a series of difficult problems that the characters overcome in the climax; a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an ending; you shouldn't invent a bunch of characters you don't really need). Everybody here started writing as a kid, and nobody did much to intentionally develop technique until they were teenagers.
Also, the #1 thing a fiction writer needs is creativity. I have read many manuscripts that had all the technique in the world and were still incredibly boring stories.
At her age, you may be able to find some summer camps and extension classes focused on creative writing. You'll definitely be able to, when she's a couple years older. You might also look for programs like the Young Authors program, or programs through local writer's organizations near you aimed at youth.
In the fall, you might look at NaNoWriMo -- they have a youth novel writing project in addition to their annual adult program. I'm not sure about kids, but the adults have a community forum where they can share their progress and talk about what they're writing.
We have a ton of writing books at my house geared towards adult readers. The most useful sort I've found, though, are ones with specific writing assignments. It is a good way to practice and focus on elements of technique. Practice good; focused practice better.
This might be fun...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/home-gift-642-things-to-write-about-young-writers-edition/27386961And there is an adult one...I would look at them both.
I think I am getting one for my son to use this summer. He needs to work on the ability to just write without anxiety with a time limit. We are writing a 504 for additional time on assignments as needed but it would be nice if he could pick up speed.
Very nice. Thank you for all the ideas!
She did NaNo last fall (by dictation). With her book now published she is just waiting for next fall. I'm not sure how I missed their list of helpful links; maybe they just looked less helpful before. Meanwhile the writing exercises should be popular - they would feel like work to me, but she is so goal-oriented that she will probably just work through them to become a better writer.
mini brag here: she brought her book to school to share and put it on the shelf with the other chapter books. It's about the size of other kids' series chapter books. Now she's trying to organize a writers' club in her class; each kid is going to write a new novel in her series, and one of them has a sibling who wants to make a movie of it. I just want to keep up!