Archive for the ‘Young Writers’ Category

Reluctant Revisers

Reluctant Revisers

Julie-
I am posting here in response to the “Brave Revising” email, you sent out.

I am wondering about reluctant revisers. My 12 year old daughter will free write beautifully and willingly , but resists my input on revising. I feel like I am judging her work when I do offer suggestions.

I am considering taking the revising course, but would love to hear what you have to say about gently and effectively revising.
Thanks.
Anne

Great question Anne!

Revising, for most kids, feels like criticism. They take it personally when errors are found in their writing. Yet find them we do and we can’t very well ignore glaring mistakes in punctuation or grammar, don’t want to overlook the opportunity to encourage more details or facts.

So let’s start with the philosophy of revision so that you can rethink how you might go about fostering a safe space for it:

Revision is not the same as mopping up the mechanics. Editing is the final step in a paper and that’s when your eyes get to be really picky about what they see. That final step means going over the typing (or handwriting) with a fine-toothed comb, looking for errors to clean up right at the last minute. The content will stay as it is.

Revision, on the other hand, is about reshaping the original piece. Its focus is the content and how to narrow vague ideas, how to expand poorly developed ones, how to reorganize the piece to flow with more power and so on.

Most of the time, the mistake we parents make is that we move from draft to editing in one step. Or we might move to revising and editing at the same time. When a child risks writing and shares content with you, if the first thing you notice is the misspelled word, the child literally feels insulted and hurt (like you missed the point!). Let me give you an example of how it feels:

What if you had dolled yourself up for an evening out with your husband: new hair style, brand new shoes, glittery top, slinky pants… and when you appeared in the room, he said, “Aren’t you going to wear the earrings I bought you?” or worse, “You’ve got lipstick on your teeth.” Rather than being bowled over by the original impact of your overall look, he notices first thing what you didn’t wear or he points out the one mistake in the look (something that could easily be corrected moments later after he tells you how amazing you look).

If he had simply expressed his amazement at how great you looked first, you’d probably be more than happy to consider adding his earrings to the ensemble. And of course you’d want to know about the lipstick on your teeth before you left the house. It’s just, those are not the first things you want noticed after all that work to surprise and amaze your husband.

With writing, your kids are risking their precious insights, words, knowledge, ideas every time they commit them to paper. Your first task, then, is to notice! Find the quirky idea, vocabulary word or fresh insight and praise it! Be impressed by the amount of writing (no matter how much is there). Engage the material with follow-up questions that show you are interested in more of their ideas (not to elicit “better” material, but to show that you really do care about the topic and are impressed with what they know about it).

Once you’ve done that, on another day you can tackle the revision needs. Here are a couple of principles to keep in mind when you go to help with revision.

1. The writer is the author and therefore has final editorial control.

That means you are offering ideas and suggestions, not giving commands or edicts.

2. Your suggestions for improvement are better framed as options to consider.

When you read along, it works better to say, “I loved this part that details the preparation of the meal. I’m wondering about the colors of the foods in this particular recipe. What are they? Do you think that might add a little more detail to the original?” Invite dialog around your suggestions and ask their opinions. You can offer to jot little notes in the margin so they don’t forget what you discussed together.

3. Ask your children for their ideas for revision.

Sometimes we assume that they have none, that they are satisfied with the writing as is. Truth is, if they get a few days away from the draft, they may find that when they come back to the draft, they have fresh energy and eyes and are interested in expanding it or enhancing it with more detail.

4. Which brings me to my most important point: Separate revision from drafting.

Never do them on the same day. Spend time enjoying and praising the draft on one day. Then let a couple days go by before revisiting the piece with revision ideas.

5. Save all editing (mechanics, punctuation, grammar, spelling, typos) for the end, once all revising is done.

Resist the temptation to correct as you go. Unless your child spontaneously corrects them upon review, you are to keep your hands in your pockets. Editing is the final step that is done after you are thoroughly finished with revising.

6. Remember: not everything has to be addressed in this paper.

Expand, enhance, correct, improve one or two things and leave the rest. The problems in this paper will magically reappear in future writing to be addressed then. We homeschool parents tend to expect perfection every time. Totally unnecessary in writing development. Allow for the growth in writing to be a journey through multiple pieces of writing, not just this one.

Partnership Writing

Posted in Brave Writer Philosophy, Young Writers | 4 Comments »

When freewriting isn’t fun

What to do when freewriting isn't fun

Not everyone likes freewriting. Some kids feel pressured by the timer, they worry about making mistakes (even after being told that they can make all the mistakes they want!), they resist the idea of writing about any random topic. Others just don’t like writing and freewriting feels like one more writing task no matter how many times they are told that this is an easier form of writing than the one they are used to.

Our oldest son (Noah) told me that while he can write (and I’d say he writes well!), and while he certainly does know how to freewrite (and has done plenty of it), writing has never gotten easier for him. When he faces a blank page, he still fights the sensation of momentary panic and inertia.

And yet, I still firmly believe that every person can learn to write so that they are competent as adult writers. Even if they have that initial surge of panic when staring at a blank page, they will have cultivated some strategies for tackling the topic anyway!

Freewriting gives writers a chance to get the swirl of words inside, out of their heads and bodies and onto a page or computer screen. Those words, once out and visible, can be honed, revised, enhanced and massaged into better prose or exposition. Freewriting helps to untangle the jumble or to at least put the writer in touch with what there is to say (or not) about a topic.

Part of the charm of freewriting (its lack of structure, its freedom, its open-endedness) sometimes causes a surprising counter-reaction in some kids. These young writers feel too much freedom! They want guidelines, structure, clarity about the expectations. They want to avoid making a mess that will be required to go through a revision process later. So let’s look at how to help them over the hump with some novel ways to make freewriting less “free” while retaining the essential messiness that is most beneficial in terms of real writing later.

What to do when freewriting isn't fun

Image by Brave Writer mom Melody

TOPICS
Some kids really do need a subject to get them going. Asking them to simply “write” whatever is on their mind is too big. Their minds are busy places and they can’t narrow the swirl of ideas down into a manageable size for writing. To help these kids, we suggest the “freewrite list.” One week, instead of freewriting, ask your kids to write a list of all the things they love and know lots about. This list can be written straight down the page and can include things like: soccer, horses, Harry Potter, how to make cookies, quilting, pet ferrets, hacky sacks, Starcraft, decorating Christmas trees, blow drying hair, WWII tanks, Star Wars, American Girl doll outfits and planting bulbs. There are no right topics. Only those your kids love and know well. Once you have a list, each week let your child pick a topic from the list to write about.

TOO MUCH TIME
Some kids do better with a few more boundaries around the freewrite. Rather than a 7-10 minute period, limit the time frame to 2-3 minutes. Ask your child to write as quickly as possible, without stopping, putting anything that comes to mind onto the paper. Keep the sessions short and don’t worry at all about content. The idea here is to just keep the pencil moving for 2-3 minutes.

PERFECTIONISM
Some kids are haunted by a need to know how to spell, how to punctuate, when to capitalize and so on. To be told that errors are permissible doesn’t ease the anxiety. Usually there are two reasons for this. The first is that the child is just one of those neat-nik kids who prefers order and hates a mess. For that child, simply tell him that if he doesn’t know how to spell a word, to call it out to you and you will instantly recite the proper spelling so he can continue without stopping. If this happens every third word, then you will need to let him know that he can make his mistakes but you promise to correct them with him as soon as he finishes.

The other kind of perfectionist is the one who knows that any mistake she makes will be required to be fixed by you. These kids are the ones who’ve figured out that if they don’t write perfectly the first time, they’ll have to revise and edit until you are satisfied with the product. First, reassure your child that this freewrite will not go through any revision. When it’s done, it’s done. Second, take a piece of scratch paper, crumple it up and then smooth it out again. Tell your child to freewrite on the crumpled page. Often, just seeing that the paper cannot possibly be used as a final copy will prevent the tendency to be overly careful with the freewrite.

What to do when freewriting isn't fun

Image by Brave Writer mom Anne

HURTING HANDS
Some kids grip their pencils so tightly that when you add the pressure of a timer (and the instruction to write speedily), they cause themselves pain when they freewrite. No wonder they hate it! For these kids, you can try two options. For younger kids whose handwriting skills are still developing, offer to type their freewrites while they narrate orally to you. For older kids, let them freewrite on the computer from time to time until they learn to relax their hands.

NATURAL WRITING RESISTANCE
Some kids are naturally less verbal than others. They fight to find the words they need in their oral communication and find writing that much more of a challenge. Freewriting is an invitation to pain, for these kids! It’s like they have to openly admit that words don’t come easily to them. It’s not that they can’t speak, but they find themselves moving at a slower verbal pace than the chatty-Cathy’s around them. For kids like this, sometimes a timer feels like pressure rather than release. I suggest instead of timing these kids, ask them to keep writing until they are tired. That may mean they write one sentence and that’s all they can muster. Encourage these kids especially to write about that frustration as it comes up. They can write things like:

    I love playing lacrosse with the junior high team but i hate it when I don’t get to play attack. I’m so mad that I have to write. This is hard. My hand is cramping. I want to play attack.

Like that. They need to be helped to really express what is in the way of the words. These kids tend not to give language to their frustration or their physical sensations. So you can draw them out with questions, etc.

Top image by Cinder’s (cc text added)

Posted in Brave Writer Philosophy, Friday Freewrite, Writing Exercises, Young Writers | Comments Off on When freewriting isn’t fun

First Freewrite: new to Brave Writer

Hello Julie,

I stumbled upon Brave Writer only a few weeks ago, loved what I read on your site, got BRAVE and veered off my writing plans for this year to follow a brave writer lifestyle. I have not looked back, nor regretted this decision. Brave Writer has brought fresh air into this house! I’m still reading through your book and we are slowly incorporating its ideas into our days.

I’ve included my 9 yo first freewrite and a picture of my 7 yo about our trip to a raptor conservatory. We didn’t polish this piece, as it was the first one ever, but I thought it turned out really well (9 yo went well past the timer :-). Good sign for a “first time”).

Sincerely,
Verena

Hi. I’m Robert Raptor I’m a Bald eagle. I’m going to tell you a story well it happend this way, one day I was out hunting my wife was having babys, anyway I was perched on a tree when I saw my Friend Golden eagle.
I caught up with him and I said: “Why dont we hunt together”. So we flew together for a while,
when I saw a flock of Piagons, yumy yum. So we dived thourgh the air I could feel the good wind
through my feathers, on the first try Goldeneagle caught one and flew of to his nest but I didn’t get
one so I climbed higher and dove again this time I got one and flew
off to my nest when I got here, I had a surprise! Four newborn chicks!

bald eagle

Posted in Brave Writer Philosophy, Email, Friday Freewrite, General, Young Writers | 2 Comments »

Email: Scavenger hunt (!) and original poetry

Let me alert you to two great things about this email.

1) How awesome is it to have your kids bring original poetry to the teatimes? I get emails sharing this same story again and again. You just never know what will catalyze the poet in your child! Remember: the right answer is, “Yes! Bring it. Can’t wait to hear it.”

2) A scavenger hunt for your school work? WOW! Wish I’d have thought of it.

I’m finally kicking our Poetry and Tea Time back into gear for the year.  I asked each kid to find two poems they liked to bring to read at Tea Time.  Nathan asked if he might bring two original compositions in addition to selecting two.  Um, yeah, you can do that.  Wait, twist my arm. Ok, uncle.  Go ahead.  Write original poetry.

Here is his AUTUMN acrostic:
Azure skys, brown leaves.
Under the trees, the black bear leaves.  Under the meadow,
The black bear sleeps.
Under the leaves, the jay stops his song.
Moving day has come along.
Naught but bare trees now are left, as frost steals up to make a theft.

Yesterday, as an aside in his Scavenger School (I hide their assignments all over the house, so they end up doing math in the bathtub and such), I asked him to write a poem.  Here it is, an acrostic (I guess he likes those) on SEASONS:

Snowy winter
Excellent spring
April rains
Summer sunny days
Oops, time to dig out long sleeve shirts and pants
Nothing but a beautiful fall
Snowy winter again.

Blessings,
Holly

Check out Holly’s blog!

Posted in Email, Homeschool Advice, Poetry, Poetry Teatime, Young Writers | 2 Comments »

Back to school party

I had fun parents. They liked parties and didn’t care if you had a birthday attached to them or not. One year, my dad and mom helped me plan and execute a big Valentine’s party whose theme was sports (totally their idea). My maiden name is Sweeney and we called it: “The Sweeney Sports Spectacular.” Each room in our large house had a different sports event (putting golf, Nerf basketball, horseshoes, tossing cards into a hat, ping pong, calisthenics and so on). We paired up into boy-girl teams (7th grade – which meant it was a bit agonizing and thrilling!) by drawing name cards that created new words. So a boy might draw “hockey” and the girl would draw “puck” and that made them a team.

Scoring rules were posted at each sports’ site and we were given score cards to keep track of points. There were pretty silly trophies for highest scores, lowest scores, silliest team, etc. Loads of fun and it had nothing to do with celebrating me. Just a great way to be with my friends. So that’s a glimpse into my parents. They were fun!

My mom (who had been a school teacher before I was born) had a special affection for all things academic. When I was in fifth grade, she helped me organize a “Back-to-school Brunch” (all this alliteration!). We invited ten of my girlfriends this time for a morning of omlettes, pastries and games. Party favors included new pencils with psychedelic designs on them, groovy 1970s stickers, pink erasers, and Pee-Chee folders. We played games like “unscramble the school words” where each girl had a sheet of paper with typical words related to school all mixed up. We raced to see who could unscramble them the fastest. We covered a text book using paper bags, scissors and tape (in a race). There were other games I don’t remember. But the idea was to make the return to school something to celebrate, rather than dread. And it really worked!

As I spend this week getting ready for next week (when we start), I thought about homeschooling and its varities of traditions: the brown boxes from UPS that bring new, unused books to the family that get ripped open with enthusiasm; the ease of finding pencils because at the start of the year, there are lots of them and all in one place; the joy of starting a new read aloud and snuggling together again on the couch; the resumption of teatime and poetry that draws the family together once per week…

In Brave Writer, we try to see things through our children’s eyes. Sometimes our own weariness sets in and we forget that children still need surprises, specialness, treats, awe, wonder – in large doses! So think about how to get off on the right foot this fall. What can you do to make this a season that draws your children’s good will to the surface and creates a memory as vivid as the “back-to-school brunch” is for me.

Posted in Brave Writer Philosophy, Poetry Teatime, Young Writers | 2 Comments »