Reluctant writers or kids who really have a lot of trouble writing are kids that need to understand how meaningful and how fun writing can be. None of us want to work at something that is difficult, and so it has to be fun for them, and I think that a lot of times, if they’re given the chance to write something that might, to an adult, seem to be silly, if they’re given that chance, they will want to write about it.
So that’s one thing, is allowing students to write about what they want to write about. A boy might want to write a story about Superman having an adventure, and instead of saying, “No, that’s already been done,” or “No, that’s — try to think of a different story,” allowing that student to write about Superman can be the best gift to that student because he already has the motivation.
So I try to really meet kids at their own interest level and figure out what it is that they’re really passionate about and can we write about that. That’s one thing. Another thing is to encourage kids who really can’t write to make up stories and tell them to someone else and see if that dictated story can be a jumping off point. As soon as they discover that writing has meaning, that making up something and passing it on so that it can be shared, as soon as they discover that then they’re going to want to practice those skills.
The hardest thing is if you’re asking them to practice skills without any context for why that can be a fun or meaningful thing.
