Friday Freewrite: Snowstorm

Friday Freewrite

Today’s freewriting prompt:

Choose three fictional characters from three different stories. Now describe how each might react if caught in a snowstorm.

New to freewriting?

Freewriting is that wonderful key that unlocks the writer within. It’s the vehicle by which we trick our inner selves into divesting the words and ideas that we want to share but are afraid won’t come out right on paper if we do. So, read the freewriting prompt, set the timer for 5-10 minutes then write whatever comes to mind. Just keep the pencil moving!

Need more help? Check out our free online guide.

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[Podcast #269] 25th Anniversary Celebration (Part 2)

Brave Writer Podcast 25th Anniversary

Welcome back for the second half of our walk down Brave Writer memory lane! If you missed Part 1, you can listen to it here.

On today’s podcast episode, Julie regales us with never-told-before stories about the ups and downs of the Brave Writer business. She tells us about the one and only time she took out a loan for Brave Writer. We also hear about a stressful lawsuit that ended up with a scammer getting arrested!

Most of all, we hear story after story about how the love of writing, and the commitment to developing kids’ self-expression, has rippled out across thousands of lives.

Show Notes

Value Your Skills and Knowledge

For a long time, Julie thought everyone knew as much as she did about writing and teaching writing. Then, even when she realized she had something to teach others, she didn’t give herself credit for the tasks at her business that she enjoyed doing.

Many times, we downplay our own skills and knowledge. Also, we assume productive work, whether in business or at a school desk, must be a slog. Remember: What you find easy and enjoyable can also be incredibly valuable!

Just Try It

When Julie describes her business journey, she actually tells a story that predates it. As a very young mom living in Morocco, she had to cook everything from scratch– something she definitely wasn’t prepared for. She had to learn how to cook, step by step. Eventually, she even learned how to make her own yogurt using a lambskin technique.

There’s a lot of powerful space between starting to learn a skill and mastering it. Don’t expect perfection the first time you try something new. Allow yourself to enter a creative problem-solving mode and stay there. Be ok with failure.

Surround Yourself (and Hire) Great People

Brave Writer’s origin is rooted in community discussion boards. Julie’s stories about Brave Writer are always peppered with names and descriptions of how much she holds those people dear. From the beginning, Julie has surrounded herself with thoughtful, engaged people throughout her journey–and hired many of them!

Find your people, even if you can only find them online. Engage in thoughtful, respectful conversations. Support each other. And, if you’re a CEO, always hire people who are better at the work than you are.

Here’s to 25 more years of Brave Writer!

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA

Brave Writer Podcast

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Do-It-Yourself with Brave Writer

Brave Writer

Would you like to use the Brave Writer philosophy but would rather custom design your own writing program?

No problem!

Brave Writer

1. To nurture your child’s inner voice and facilitate original writing

DO-IT-YOURSELF:

  • Read about Writing Voice (check out the additional links at the bottom of the post).
  • Jot down your children’s thoughts for them until they are ready to write on their own.
  • Practice freewriting.

BRAVE WRITER SUPPORT: Purchase Growing Brave Writers or take our Brave Writer 101 Online class if you’d like to be coached.

Brave Writer

2. To combine mechanics with literature

DO-IT-YOURSELF:

  • Pick age-appropriate fiction and nonfiction to read with your kids.
  • Select passages from the books for copywork and dictation.
  • In addition, you might use a grammar reference once in the upper elementary years (like Nitty Gritty Grammar) and then a more systematic program (like Winston Grammar) once in junior high and once in high school (or learn a foreign language).

BRAVE WRITER SUPPORT: Pick one of our ten-month Language Arts Programs or purchase our language arts guides a la carte to go with the books you are reading.

Brave Writer

3. To create writing projects

DO-IT-YOURSELF:

BRAVE WRITER SUPPORT: Use our writing project programs. Each course has ten or more writing projects in it to last you at least a year. Or sign up for an online writing class with our awesome writing coaches!

Which Brave Writer Products?

Brave Learner Home

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Friday Freewrite: Puzzle

Friday Freewrite

Today’s freewriting prompt:

Imagine you’re a sports commentator, but instead of giving a play-by-play for a football game or tennis match, you call the moves of someone struggling to solve a 1000-piece puzzle.

New to freewriting?

Freewriting is that wonderful key that unlocks the writer within. It’s the vehicle by which we trick our inner selves into divesting the words and ideas that we want to share but are afraid won’t come out right on paper if we do. So, read the freewriting prompt, set the timer for 5-10 minutes then write whatever comes to mind. Just keep the pencil moving!

Need more help? Check out our free online guide.

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Celebrating 25 Years of Brave Writer!

Brave Writer 25 Year Anniversary

Good Gravy, Brave Writer is 25 years old!

I can’t believe it! How did that happen?

How has Brave Writer been around longer than smart phones?

When I sent out that first message all those years ago inviting people to take a writing class with me via EMAIL (remember email?), I didn’t really expect it to sell out (25 families joined up!). Color me shocked.

When I wrote The Writer’s Jungle and released it in January of 2000, I didn’t think people would actually buy it (they did—at the rate of 3 people per month for the first 4 months—EUREKA!).

A few months later, I got to speak for the first time at a statewide convention. My 40 copies sold out! That’s when I realized: Hey! I’ve got a business! (Made up of a few people willing to lug home a massive three-ring binder!)

And yet, here we are 25 years later!

  • Over 250,000 families served (and about a million kids!)
  • More than 300 products and classes created
  • A staff that fluctuates between 40-50
  • An email list of nearly 100,000
  • A combined social media community of over 200,000
  • A membership community of 17,000+
  • So many happy parents and kids who have discovered the joy of writing!

Cheers to a great new year: 2025, named after our 25th anniversary—adorable right?

Brave Writer 25th Anniversary

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