[Podcast #259] The Power of Practice

Brave Writer Podcast

People tend to have a pretty clear idea of what practice looks like for musicians and athletes. But what does practice look like for writers?

In today’s Brave Writer podcast episode, we discuss what writing practice can look like for writers of all ages and developmental stages. We:

  • describe our own daily writing practices and those of well-known authors.
  • dive into how you can facilitate your child’s practice.
  • anchor the discussion with a NEW Brave Writer product, Practice Pages!

With references to Flannery O’Connor, judgy teenagers, and gleefully vindictive youngsters with the red editing pen in their hands, this conversation is as entertaining as it is informative. Enjoy!

Show Notes

What it Means to Practice Writing

Every professional writer has their own preferred way of practicing: writing to the sound of children playing, reading poetry in the morning, free writing, etc. 

For children, practicing writing can also be varied as long as it fits with what we know works for successful learning:

  • Be frequently immersed in words,
  • make learning playful,
  • value mistakes as points of learning,
  • and practice concepts over and over again.

Practice Pages

Brave Writer has a new product that can help kids practice writing: our soon-to-launch, Practice Pages. Using passages from real works of literature, these sets feature two kinds of exercises: French-style dictation and reverse dictation. Kids get to practice targeted skills like homophones and contractions in a problem-solving context. And, since the product comes as a printable PDF, kids can doodle on it, make messy mistakes, tear it up, and practice over and over again.

Like music and sports, writing is an act of expression. The purpose of practicing the fundamentals is not to pass a one-time test, but to experience ongoing mastery that leads to creativity and flow. We hope Practice Pages helps kids and parents move towards this.

Resources

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Produced by NOVA Media

Brave Writer Podcast

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