LJK came home very excited from school at the beginning of October. "There is a spooky story contest at the toy store for Halloween. My class is doing it. I'm going to win! Well, I'm going to try to win. The best stories of each grade win $25!" he declared. So we sat down and chatted about all the spooky things one could write about. He knew he wanted to write about fog from the mountains. He wrote down the who, what, where, when, etc. He got to work right away. I couldn't believe the amazing story he was writing! Then a little disaster struck - nerves!
We spent two weeks going back and forth about why he should keep going, how you beat writer's block and nerves, why it's important to finish what we begin, etc. There were a few tears and some storming off to his room. Finally, a breakthrough. I started writing my own spooky story because he had inspired me. He decided if I could do it, he could do it; so he finished his rough draft. I typed it up - grammar & spelling errors and all. Amazing how seeing this, in a story or in a blog post, helps him learn about language and writing. We fixed them and then we walked through the details and content. We talked about where he had put the details - did they make sense? Were they complete? Were they where they belonged in the story?
We went through the discussion of a writer's sandwich structure: introduction, middle & conclusion. We discussed descriptive content and how this helps a reader connect to the experience of the story. Each time we dissected a piece of the story, I was amazed at how he could respond. How he could grow his first draft into a finished product.
We managed to hand it in just in time! And no matter the outcome, I am so very proud of him. For nurturing, battling and realizing his own idea. It feels like a major victory. I'm hopeful that he takes this experience and grows with it. That in the future, he doesn't struggle so much with the creative process. That maybe, somehow, I've helped him find a way to express his brilliant little voice.