{"id":962,"date":"2014-02-14T15:35:24","date_gmt":"2014-02-14T05:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/?p=962"},"modified":"2022-02-17T08:06:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T22:06:35","slug":"creative-writing-ideas-for-children-and-teenagers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookwritingcoach.com.au\/creative-writing-ideas-for-children-and-teenagers\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Writing Ideas for Children and Teenagers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t
Creative kids are everywhere. I’m astonished at the sophistication of some young people’s writing. In Creative Writing Ideas for Children and Teenagers, you’ll find some great inspiration.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t
How do writers write?<\/p>\n
How do you<\/em> write?<\/p>\n Where do creative writing\u00a0ideas come from?<\/p>\n Even if you think you don’t like writing or that you don’t write, think about this: do you write emails? Text messages? Assignments? Do you post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest? Do you write a blog? Without even realising it, you are writing all the time.<\/p>\n We all write even if we think we don’t.<\/p>\n I’m going to show you rather than tell you. ‘Showing’ rather than ‘telling’ is also a technique in writing that you may have heard about. You can read more about that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t How do you<\/i> write?<\/p>\n When<\/i> do you write? What time of the day, and how often?<\/p>\n Where<\/i> do you write?<\/p>\n What<\/i> do you write about? Do you write creative pieces, or emails and texts, or posts on Facebook or other social media?<\/p>\n\t As writers, it’s important we read extensively and make use of the richness of language. I’ve mentioned this in a previous blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n What does this mean? The people who write dictionaries use the words that are in common use, i.e. the words that most people know and understand. That means that the less common words – words that actually make our language richer – are being left out. That means they might eventually be forgotten. How can we make a difference and help to reverse this trend? By reading a lot and using a richer vocabulary. By using the dictionary to look up words we don’t know. Everyone needs to use a dictionary throughout their life. I am a professional writer and editor, yet I use a dictionary every day, to check on spellings and the correct use of words.<\/p>\n And this might sound strange, but the OLDER the dictionary – especially a very good one like the Oxford dictionary – the better. Why do you think that might be? One reason is that the older the dictionary, the more of these ‘lost’ words you can find.<\/p>\n Create a QUIET<\/b> space to write.<\/p>\n Keep a JOURNAL<\/b> or a DIARY<\/b> of your inspired thoughts. Write in it regularly. No one else needs to read this. It can be your private thoughts and feelings, a vivid dream you’ve had, a description of a beautiful sunset …<\/p>\n Enter writing COMPETITIONS<\/b>. Subscribe to my fortnightly newsletter.<\/p>\n Join a writing group. Many writing associations have groups for young writers. Join an online writing community.<\/p>\n Most of all, YOU WRITE BY WRITING<\/b>!<\/p>\n Don’t place too many rules or restrictions on yourself. Each writer has a different ‘how’, ‘when’ and ‘where’. Read about the writing habits of famous authors<\/a>, and you’ll see each of them has different ways of working.<\/p>\n There’s no right or wrong way.<\/p>\n Most writers would agree it’s something we need to do, almost as much as we need to eat and breathe, but on a soul level rather than a physical one. I love this quote from Pearl S. Buck, which expresses so well the powerful drive behind a writer’s need to write.<\/p>\n\t The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them … a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create – so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off … They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating. (Pearl S. Buck)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\t Pearl S. Buck was an American writer and novelist (1892-1973). The daughter of missionaries, she spent most of her life before 1934 in China. Her novel The Good Earth<\/i> was the best-selling fiction book in the U.S. in 1931 and 1932, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938 for her depictions of peasant life in China. She was an amazing woman and it’s well worth Googling her to find out more!<\/p>\n ‘Writer’s block’ means when you just can’t seem to get any words down. You can read more about writer’s block here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here’s an exercise that might not only unblock your creativity, but also lead to a great story!<\/p>\n Write ten short, easy sentences – write them one by one, using a KEY WORD or a KEY IDEA for each sentence. It’s best to use SIMPLE words, and to write just ONE SHORT SENTENCE for each key word.<\/p>\n Just write. Don’t think too much. Here are some examples. You can use these or make up your own.<\/p>\n Now, start with a PREMISE –\u00a0an IDEA for your story. Choose one of the following premises – just one – or make up your own:<\/p>\n Now start writing, using your PREMISE and the KEYWORDS and KEY IDEAS you came up with earlier.<\/p>\n Write no more than two pages.<\/p>\n If you find your idea expanding, write some more tomorrow, and the next day, and the next …<\/p>\n Before you know it, you might even find yourself writing a novel!<\/p>\n\t Client Testimonial: Children’s Author Trish Teske<\/strong><\/p>\n Recommending Gail of editors4you is my pleasure! Throughout the entire process of manuscript appraisal and editing, Gail’s positive and constructive feedback at each review of Gruntz<\/em> made the task of fine-tuning certain elements easy to achieve. She listens to your reasoning on particular characters and themes and offers clear and concise suggestions to progress the story for readability and consistency.<\/p>\n Thank you again, Gail, for your professional attention and time with Book One!-Trish Teske, Gruntz: Finding zO<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\t Photo credit Drew Perales Unsplash<\/p>\n\t\n\t\tDo You Like to Write?\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t\tSo How do Writers Write? Where do their Ideas Come from?\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\tPractise Creative Writing\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t\tWriting is a Creative Process\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t\tWhy We Write\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\tWriter’s Block\n\t<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t\tUnblock the Writer Inside You\n\t<\/h3>\n
\n\t\tTen Short Sentences\n\t<\/h4>\n\t
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\n\t\tPremise\/Story Idea\n\t<\/h4>\n\t
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\n\t\tPut it All Together\n\t<\/h4>\n\t