My son has never been much of a writer. “I just don’t like it,” he has told me time and time again when I have come up with as many creative ways as possible to get him to write.
Then something magical happened. He told me one evening, “I think I have writer’s block.”
“Oh?” I replied, honestly not knowing what to expect.
Then he told me that he had been writing “original content” online. That’s the new way to say, “original writing,” usually fiction, although this blog post that I’m writing right now is non-fiction and it, too, is original content.
Anyway, he definitely had my interest, so I asked him to tell me more. He showed me posts he’d be writing on a message board that I knew he’d been following. His posts were stories. Some were complete stories and others were stories in installments. The feedback he had been receiving was good. I was impressed.
Then he asked me if I would help him proofread his content before he posted it.
On the outside, I remained casual and said, “Of course I will.” However, on the inside I was doing a joyful happy dance.
As unschoolers, we don’t force our son to do anything. We offer opportunities (and I had offered many opportunities to write), but we let it be his choice. I’ll admit, there was part of me that was wondering if he would ever write, and that had me a little nervous. The fact that he is now writing on his own and asking for help has reinforced my faith in our decision. Instead of writing being a chore for him, it’s a joy. He writes every day now because he likes it, and the regular practice and his enthusiasm have improved his writing dramatically in a very short period of time.
His writing isn’t secret anymore. I’ve helped him edit a few pieces and he now talks with me about story ideas. Soon, I’ll be leading him to other forums, including his own blog.
Learning joyfully is the best way to learn!
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If your child loves Minecraft, he might be inspired to write by Writecraft: Writing about the Minecraft World. I’ve heard from many people who have told me that their kids loved writing for the first time when they used it.