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for most either. If a young author set out
to;write;a;novel,;the;worst;that;can;hap-pen (in most cases) is that they sharpen
their writing skills and create an interesting work for the family archives.
If you have a child or teen who falls
into;this;category,;you;may;wish;to;sup-port;and;encourage;them,;but;you;may
simply;not;know;how.;For;some;people,
harboring a writer is not easy. The bud-ding;writer;may;talk;(often;incessantly)
about their ideas and seem distracted
much of the time. The world they live in
may bear little semblance to your own.
It may be difficult to get them to focus
on necessary evils like chores and al-gebra.;However,;there;are;ways;to;help
them;succeed;in;their;object,;if;they;are
truly bent on pursuing a creative writing
project such as a novel.
1. Give them a notebook or
journal in which to write down
story seeds and ideas.
Okay,;I;will;admit,;I;am;a;writer.;So;I;tend
to sympathize with the idea that writing
comes first and lesser activities (such as
the;care,;feeding,;and;education;of;mor-
tals);comes;later.;I;mean,;when;a;great
idea hits, you can’t very well continue
with mundane activities like cooking or
chemistry;homework.;Except—actually,
that;is;what;you;often;HAVE;to;do.;So
if;this;sort;of;crisis;erupts,;it;is;only;fair
to allow the budding author a few min-
utes reprieve to jot down the ideas in her
writing journal—just enough to help her
remember the idea later when she has
more;time;to;write.;Then,;back;to;the
grindstone she goes.
2. Help create a writing “zone.”
One way to encourage creative writing is
to allow the writer to create a small sanc-
tuary were creative acts can happen. This
maybe a desk, window seat, or closet,
but find somewhere that is fairly quiet
and relatively distraction-free. If space
constraints;make;this;impossible,;at;least
try to set aside some quiet time each day
where the author can work unhampered
by siblings.
3. Choose curriculum that
helps the process.
One of the great things about homeschooling is that you can tailor a child’s
education to fit their needs and interests.
Two good choices that spring to mind
are Writing Fiction in High School:
Bringing Your Stories to Life by Sharon
Watson and Learn to Write the Novel
Way;by;Carole;Thaxton.;Watson’s;book
is written in a conversational tone and
is broken up into sections that discuss
elements of creative writing individually. Each section has suggested writing
assignments to build related skills and
includes an optional manuscript track
for those actively working on a novel.
Though Watson also writes language
arts curriculum for Apologia Press, this
particular;book;is;not;carried;by;them,
but can be found on
Amazon.com and
other sources. Learn to Write the Novel
For;some;people,
harboring a writer is
not easy . . . It may be
difficult to get them to
focus on necessary evils
like chores and algebra.
