Jack David Dean
It's natural for you to bubble over with
ideas, plans, and jokes. Unfortunately, capturing those ideas on paper is not
so natural for some kids. You may freeze up, forget your ideas, or fight the
pencil. However, writing is important because it helps to tell people about
your ideas and to give you a way to express yourself. If you cannot write you
will find it difficult to find a way to get your ideas out to people.
Here are some ideas for helping to get
started with writing:
Draw a picture
One way to get good at writing is to draw a
picture of something you love to do or find something in a magazine that looks
like fun. Then just write about what you see. If you love soccer draw or find a
picture of someone playing soccer and then write down on paper what you see in
the picture.
Keep a journal
You should write every day and maybe even
keep a journal. A journal is a just a notebook where you put all of your ideas
and keep them organized. This is
excellent way to practice writing as well as a good outlet for sharing your feelings.
You could write about things that happen at home and school, about people you
like or dislike and why, things to remember or things that you want to do. One
great way to practice writing is to just write about personal
feelings--pleasures as well as disappointments. You may even want to share the
journal with your mom and dad.
Write a letter
You could try
writing a letter to a relative or friend. My kids just wrote a letter to their
grandparents. People always love to get letters. I know grandparents sure love
getting letters from their grandkids.
Read a book
Reading and writing
sort of go together. Most people who are good readers are usually good writers
too. Reading can help get out of a slump and jump start your brain when you
have trouble thinking of something to write about. When I have trouble getting
started with writing I often pick up a book and just start reading. Then I
write about what I just read. Pretty soon my mind is working again and I can
write about anything I want.
Just write
The important thing
is to just write. Be funny or sad, be creative and exciting. Write everyday and
then be sure to let someone see what you wrote so they can enjoy your story.