My daughter, Emily, at age 8
How to make writers out of kids
Give kids time to reflect. Self-reflection is key to the creative arts. For this, kids need a little downtime, time alone.
Encourage persistence and tenacity, working hard in a sustained way.
Encourage kids to stick to things they've begun. As much as possible, these activities should be self-chosen, not imposed.
Teach them to translate their thoughts into forms that others can understand. A good idea isn't as good if no one else understands it or appreciates it. Knowing how to do this takes time to discover.
Encourage mentor relationships if they form. Mentors are often good teachers, coaches or religious leaders.
Teach them the value of recording life's experiences and thoughts through journals, letters, email. A child can build up a body of work at a young age. Written documents are one way of recording a person�s self-identity.
Teach kids to ask why. Curious kids are observant kids. Writers of both fiction and nonfiction are observant people.
My daughter, Anna, at age 8
Encourage kids to read and, as an adult, you should model the behavior. Kids who read learn about people, the world and themselves. They also gain an ear and an eye for written language.
Encourage storytelling, imaginative or real. Allow storytelling at the dinner table or in the classroom—it reinforces memory and the idea that their thoughts and activities are worth talking about. Storytelling is part of what makes us human.
Let them live and be kids. They can become a writer at any age. Life just feeds the writer's imagination.