Writing Tips for Kids

1. Being a good writer means being a good reader. Visit your school library, township library, local book store/s, or borrow books from friends.
2. Read stories and articles in children’s magazines. Read an e-story.
3. Pick a writing topic you’re familiar with or one that gets you so excited you could burst! Decide if it will be fiction or non-fiction. Keep an idea list.
-Write about a sport you love.
-Write a story about your pet.
-Write a mystery.
-Write a biography about someone you admire.
4. Think about what ifs.
What if the main person in my story could hear other people’s thoughts?
What if a werewolf came into my classroom.
What if the clock turned back and my teacher was now my age?
What if I was the Principal of the school?
5. Think up story problems and keep a list.
-Ask yourself how your characters in your story can get into trouble.
-You might need more than one problem.
-Problems make your story more interesting.
-Think about how the problem could get solved and who you want to solve it.
6. Make an outline for your story.
-Make notes about how you want to begin and introduce your characters and setting.
-Make notes about your story problem/s.
-Make notes about how the problem can get solved.
-Make notes about possible endings to the story.
7. Start your story with a couple of terrible sentences.
-The hardest part is getting started. This practice moves your brain right into the story without getting too hung up on the quality of those sentences at first.
-Take your terrible sentences and polish them till they shine. Revise, revise, and revise some more.
-Have other people read your story and get their opinions. Read your story out loud. Do you trip up on any words? Does it make sense to your listener/s?
-Put your story away for awhile and then take it out again. It will look and sound very different.
Remember to:
Add humor
Use all your senses to describe things and draw your reader in.
Use great description. This will also draw your reader in.
Make sure you have a solid beginning, middle, and satisfying ending.


Write on!