how do i teach creative writing

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

How to Teach Creative Writing | 7 Steps to Get Students Wordsmithing

“I don’t have any ideas!”

“I can’t think of anything!”

While we see creative writing as a world of limitless imagination, our students often see an overwhelming desert of “no idea.”

But when you teach creative writing effectively, you’ll notice that  every  student is brimming over with ideas that just have to get out.

So what does teaching creative writing effectively look like?

We’ve outlined a  seven-step method  that will  scaffold your students through each phase of the creative process  from idea generation through to final edits.

7. Create inspiring and original prompts

Use the following formats to generate prompts that get students inspired:

• personal memories (“Write about a person who taught you an important lesson”)
• imaginative scenarios
• prompts based on a familiar mentor text (e.g. “Write an alternative ending to your favorite book”). These are especially useful for giving struggling students an easy starting point.
• lead-in sentences (“I looked in the mirror and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Somehow overnight I…”).
• fascinating or thought-provoking images with a directive (“Who do you think lives in this mountain cabin? Tell their story”).

Don’t have the time or stuck for ideas? Check out our list of 100 student writing prompts

6. unpack the prompts together.

Explicitly teach your students how to dig deeper into the prompt for engaging and original ideas.

Probing questions are an effective strategy for digging into a prompt. Take this one for example:

“I looked in the mirror and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Somehow overnight I…”

Ask “What questions need answering here?” The first thing students will want to know is:

What happened overnight?

No doubt they’ll be able to come up with plenty of zany answers to that question, but there’s another one they could ask to make things much more interesting:

Who might “I” be?

In this way, you subtly push students to go beyond the obvious and into more original and thoughtful territory. It’s even more useful with a deep prompt:

“Write a story where the main character starts to question something they’ve always believed.”

Here students could ask:

• What sorts of beliefs do people take for granted?
• What might make us question those beliefs?
• What happens when we question something we’ve always thought is true?
• How do we feel when we discover that something isn’t true?

Try splitting students into groups, having each group come up with probing questions for a prompt, and then discussing potential “answers” to these questions as a class.

The most important lesson at this point should be that good ideas take time to generate. So don’t rush this step!

5. Warm-up for writing

A quick warm-up activity will:

• allow students to see what their discussed ideas look like on paper
• help fix the “I don’t know how to start” problem
• warm up writing muscles quite literally (especially important for young learners who are still developing handwriting and fine motor skills).

Freewriting  is a particularly effective warm-up. Give students 5–10 minutes to “dump” all their ideas for a prompt onto the page for without worrying about structure, spelling, or grammar.

After about five minutes you’ll notice them starting to get into the groove, and when you call time, they’ll have a better idea of what captures their interest.

Did you know? The Story Factory in Reading Eggs allows your students to write and publish their own storybooks using an easy step-by-step guide.

4. Start planning

Now it’s time for students to piece all these raw ideas together and generate a plan. This will synthesize disjointed ideas and give them a roadmap for the writing process.

Note:  at this stage your strong writers might be more than ready to get started on a creative piece. If so, let them go for it – use planning for students who are still puzzling things out.

Here are four ideas for planning:

Graphic organisers

A graphic organiser will allow your students to plan out the overall structure of their writing. They’re also particularly useful in “chunking” the writing process, so students don’t see it as one big wall of text.

Storyboards and illustrations

These will engage your artistically-minded students and give greater depth to settings and characters. Just make sure that drawing doesn’t overshadow the writing process.

Voice recordings

If you have students who are hesitant to commit words to paper, tell them to think out loud and record it on their device. Often they’ll be surprised at how well their spoken words translate to the page.

Write a blurb

This takes a bit more explicit teaching, but it gets students to concisely summarize all their main ideas (without giving away spoilers). Look at some blurbs on the back of published books before getting them to write their own. Afterward they could test it out on a friend – based on the blurb, would they borrow it from the library?

3. Produce rough drafts

Warmed up and with a plan at the ready, your students are now ready to start wordsmithing. But before they start on a draft, remind them of what a draft is supposed to be:

• a work in progress.

Remind them that  if they wait for the perfect words to come, they’ll end up with blank pages .

Instead, it’s time to take some writing risks and get messy. Encourage this by:

• demonstrating the writing process to students yourself
• taking the focus off spelling and grammar (during the drafting stage)
• providing meaningful and in-depth feedback (using words, not ticks!).

Reading Eggs also gives you access to an ever-expanding collection of over 3,500 online books!

2. share drafts for peer feedback.

Don’t saddle yourself with 30 drafts for marking. Peer assessment is a better (and less exhausting) way to ensure everyone receives the feedback they need.

Why? Because for something as personal as creative writing, feedback often translates better when it’s in the familiar and friendly language that only a peer can produce. Looking at each other’s work will also give students more ideas about how they can improve their own.

Scaffold peer feedback to ensure it’s constructive. The following methods work well:

Student rubrics

A simple rubric allows students to deliver more in-depth feedback than “It was pretty good.” The criteria will depend on what you are ultimately looking for, but students could assess each other’s:

• use of language.

Whatever you opt for, just make sure the language you use in the rubric is student-friendly.

Two positives and a focus area

Have students identify two things their peer did well, and one area that they could focus on further, then turn this into written feedback. Model the process for creating specific comments so you get something more constructive than “It was pretty good.” It helps to use stems such as:

I really liked this character because…

I found this idea interesting because it made me think…

I was a bit confused by…

I wonder why you… Maybe you could… instead.

1. The editing stage

Now that students have a draft and feedback, here’s where we teachers often tell them to “go over it” or “give it some final touches.”

But our students don’t always know how to edit.

Scaffold the process with questions that encourage students to think critically about their writing, such as:

• Are there any parts that would be confusing if I wasn’t there to explain them?
• Are there any parts that seem irrelevant to the rest?
• Which parts am I most uncertain about?
• Does the whole thing flow together, or are there parts that seem out of place?
• Are there places where I could have used a better word?
• Are there any grammatical or spelling errors I notice?

Key to this process is getting students to  read their creative writing from start to finish .

Important note:  if your students are using a word processor, show them where the spell-check is and how to use it. Sounds obvious, but in the age of autocorrect, many students simply don’t know.

A final word on teaching creative writing

Remember that the best writers write regularly.

Incorporate them into your lessons as often as possible, and soon enough, you’ll have just as much fun  marking  your students’ creative writing as they do producing it.

Need more help supporting your students’ writing?

Read up on  how to get reluctant writers writing , strategies for  supporting struggling secondary writers , or check out our huge list of writing prompts for kids .

Watch your students get excited about writing and publishing their own storybooks in the Story Factory

You might like....

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Happiness Hub Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications
• Writing Techniques

How to Teach Creative Writing

Last Updated: March 13, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 118,341 times.

Creative writing is one of the most enjoyable types of writing for students. Not only does it allow students to explore their imaginations, but it helps them to structure their ideas and produce writing that they can be proud of. However, creative writing is a relatively difficult type of writing to teach and offers challenges to both new and seasoned teachers alike. Fortunately, though, with some work of their own, teachers can better develop their own abilities to teach creative writing.

Providing Students with the Fundamentals

• Theme. The theme of a story is its message or the main idea behind it.
• Setting. The setting of a story is the location or time it takes place in.
• Plot. The plot is the overall story, narrative, or sequence of events.
• Characterization. Characterization is how a character or person in a story is explained or presented to the reader.
• Conflict and dramatic action. Conflict and dramatic action are the main events of focus in the story. These events are often tense or exciting and are used to lure the reader in. [1] X Research source

• Explain how your students, as writers, can appeal to the humanity of their readers. One great way to do this is to ask them to explore character development. By developing the characters in their story, readers will become invested in the story.
• Discuss the triggers that engage readers in an effective story. Most great stories start with a problem, which is solved with the resolution, or conclusion of the story. Encourage students to create an engaging problem that will hook the readers in the first few pages of a short story or novel. [2] X Research source

• By setting the tone and atmosphere of a story, the author will establish his or her attitude to the subject and the feel of the story.
• Tone can be positive, neutral, or negative. [3] X Research source
• Atmosphere can be dark, happy, or neither.
• Descriptive words like “darkness” or “sunshine” can help set both the tone and atmosphere. [4] X Research source

• Active verbs are used to show action in the story.
• Active verbs are very often a better alternative to passive voice, as it keeps your writing clear and concise for your readers. [5] X Research source
• For example, instead of writing “The cat was chased by the dog” your student can write “The dog chased the cat.”

Guiding Students through the Process

• Tell your students to brainstorm about ideas they are truly interested in.
• If you must restrict the general topic, make sure that your students have a good amount of wiggle room within the broad topic of the assignment.
• Never assign specific topics and force students to write. This will undermine the entire process. [6] X Research source

• Letting your students know that the outline is non-binding. They don’t have to follow it in later steps of the writing process.
• Telling your students that the parts of their outline should be written very generally.
• Recommending that your students create several outlines, or outlines that go in different directions (in terms of plot and other elements of storytelling). The more avenues your students explore, the better. [7] X Research source

• Tell students that there is no “right” way to write a story.
• Let students know that their imaginations should guide their way.
• Show students examples of famous writing that breaks normal patterns, like the works of E.E. Cummings, William Faulkner, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare.
• Ask students to forget about any expectations they think you have for how a story should be written. [8] X Research source

• Gather the first drafts and comment on the student's work. For first drafts, you want to check on the overall structure of the draft, proper word use, punctuation, spelling, and overall cohesion of the piece. [9] X Research source
• Remind them that great writers usually wrote several drafts before they were happy with their stories.
• Avoid grading drafts for anything other than completion.

• Let students pair off to edit each others' papers.
• Have your students join groups of 3 or 4 and ask them to go edit and provide feedback on each member’s story.
• Provide guidance so students contribute constructively to the group discussion. [10] X Research source

• Reward your students if they are innovative or do something unique and truly creative.
• Avoid evaluating your students based on a formula.
• Assess and review your own standards as often as you can. Remember that the point is to encourage your students' creativity. [11] X Research source

Spurring Creativity

• Teach your students about a variety of writers and genres.
• Have your students read examples of different genres.
• Promote a discussion within your class of the importance of studying literature.
• Ask students to consider the many ways literature improves the world and asks individuals to think about their own lives. [12] X Research source

• Make sure your room is stocked with a wide variety of fiction stories.
• Make sure your room is stocked with plenty of paper for your students to write on.
• Line up other writing teachers or bring in writers from the community to talk to and encourage your students.

• Cut out pictures and photographs from magazines, comic books, and newspapers.
• Have your students cut out photographs and pictures and contribute them to your bank.
• Consider having your students randomly draw a given number of photos and pictures and writing a short story based on what they draw.
• This technique can help students overcome writer's block and inspire students who think that they're "not creative." [13] X Research source

• Pair your students with students from another grade in your school.
• Allow your students to write stories that younger students in your school would like to read.
• Pair your students with another student in the class and have them evaluate each others' work. [14] X Research source

• If you just have a typical classroom to work with, make sure to put inspirational posters or other pictures on the walls.
• Open any curtains so students can see outside.
• If you have the luxury of having an extra classroom or subdividing your own classroom, create a comfortable space with a lot of inspirational visuals.
• Writing spaces can help break writer's block and inspire students who think that they're "not creative." [15] X Research source

• Involve students in the printing process.
• Publication does not have to be expensive or glossy.
• Copies can be made in the school workroom if possible or each student might provide a copy for the others in the group.
• A collection of the stories can be bound with a simple stapler or brads.
• Seek out other opportunities for your students to publish their stories.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/creative-writing-101
• ↑ https://kobowritinglife.com/2012/10/14/six-tips-for-engaging-readers-within-two-seconds-the-hook-in-fiction-and-memoir/
• ↑ https://www.dailywritingtips.com/in-writing-tone-is-the-author%E2%80%99s-attitude/
• ↑ http://ourenglishclass.net/class-notes/writing/the-writing-process/craft/tone-and-mood/
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/02/
• ↑ http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/choices-children/
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/7-steps-to-creating-a-flexible-outline-for-any-story
• ↑ http://thewritepractice.com/the-formula-to-write-a-novel/
• ↑ https://student.unsw.edu.au/editing-your-essay
• ↑ http://orelt.col.org/module/unit/5-promoting-creative-writing
• ↑ http://education.seattlepi.com/grade-creative-writing-paper-3698.html
• ↑ http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/04/educating-teenagers-emotions-through-literature/476790/
• ↑ http://www.wrightingwords.com/for-teachers/5-tips-for-teaching-creative-writing/

About This Article

To teach creative writing, start by introducing your students to the core elements of storytelling, like theme, setting, and plot, while reminding them that there’s no formula for combining these elements to create a story. Additionally, explain how important it is to use tone and atmosphere, along with active verbs, to write compelling stories that come alive. When your students have chosen their topics, have them create story outlines before they begin writing. Then, read their rough drafts and provide feedback to keep them on the right path to storytelling success. For tips from our English reviewer on how to spur creativity in your students, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Yunzhe Yang

Mar 27, 2017

Did this article help you?

Daniel Hesse

Dec 5, 2016

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Get all the best how-tos!

Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter

Inspiring Ink: Expert Tips on How to Teach Creative Writing

The world of creative writing is as vast as it is rewarding. It’s a form of expression that allows the writer to explore different worlds, characters, and narratives – all within the power of their pen.

But what exactly is creative writing and why is it important? Let’s explore the value of creative writing and how to inspire young (or old!) minds to embark on the curious and exciting journey of writing creatively – it’s easier than you think!

What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing, in its simplest form, is writing that goes beyond the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature.

It’s characterized by its emphasis on:

• narrative craft
• character development
• the use of literary devices

From poetry to plays, scripts to sonnets, creative writing covers a wide range of genres . It’s about painting pictures with words, invoking emotions, and bringing ideas to life . It’s about crafting stories that are compelling, engaging, and thought-provoking.

Whether you’re penning a novel or jotting down a journal entry, creative writing encourages you to unleash your imagination and express your thoughts in a unique, artistic way. For a deeper dive into the realm of creative writing, you can visit our article on what is creative writing .

Benefits of Developing Creative Writing Skills

The benefits of creative writing extend beyond the page.

It’s not just about creating captivating stories or crafting beautiful prose. The skills developed through creative writing are invaluable in many aspects of life and work.

1. Creative writing fosters creativity and imagination. 

It encourages you to think outside the box, broaden your perspective, and explore new ideas. It also enhances your ability to communicate effectively, as it involves conveying thoughts, emotions, and narratives in a clear and compelling manner.

2. Creative writing aids in improving critical thinking skills.

It prompts you to analyze characters, plotlines, and themes, and make connections between different ideas. This process activates different parts of the mind, drawing on personal experiences, the imagination, logical plot development, and emotional intelligence.

3. Creative writing is also a valuable tool for self-expression and personal growth.

It allows you to explore your feelings, experiences, and observations, providing an outlet for self-reflection and introspection. By both reading and writing about different characters in different situations, readers develop empathy in a gentle but effective way.

4. Creative writing skills can open up a host of career opportunities.

From authors and editors to content creators and copywriters, the demand for creative writers is vast and varied. You can learn more about potential career paths in our article on creative writing jobs and what you can do with a creative writing degree .

In essence, creative writing is more than just an art—it’s a skill, a craft, and a powerful tool for communication and self-expression. Whether you’re teaching creative writing or learning it, understanding its value is the first step towards mastering the art.

The 3 Roles of a Creative Writing Teacher

Amongst the many facets of a creative writing teacher’s role, three vital aspects stand out: inspiring creativity , nurturing talent , and providing constructive criticism . These elements play a significant role in shaping budding writers and fostering their passion for the craft.

1. Inspiring Creativity

The primary function of a creative writing teacher is to inspire creativity.

They must foster an environment that encourages students to think outside the box and explore new possibilities . This includes presenting students with creative writing prompts that challenge their thinking, promoting lively discussions around various topics, and providing opportunities for students to engage in creative writing activities for kids .

Teachers should also expose students to a range of literary genres , styles, and techniques to broaden their understanding and appreciation of the craft. This exposure not only enhances their knowledge but also stimulates their creativity, encouraging them to experiment with different writing styles .

2. Nurturing Talent

Nurturing talent involves recognizing the unique abilities of each student and providing the necessary support and guidance to help them develop these skills. A creative writing teacher needs to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each student and tailor their approach accordingly.

This means:

• offering personalized feedback
• setting realistic yet challenging goals
• providing opportunities for students to showcase their work

Encouraging students to participate in writing competitions or to publish their work can give them a confidence boost and motivate them to improve. Furthermore, teachers should educate students about various creative writing jobs and what you can do with a creative writing degree . This knowledge can inspire students to pursue their passion for writing and explore career opportunities in the field.

3. Providing Constructive Criticism

Providing constructive criticism is a critical aspect of teaching creative writing. It involves assessing students’ work objectively and providing feedback that helps them improve .

Teachers should:

• highlight the strengths of the work
• address the areas that need improvement
• suggest ways to make the piece better

Constructive criticism should be specific, actionable, and encouraging . It’s important to remember that the goal is to help the student improve, not to discourage them. Therefore, teachers need to communicate their feedback in a respectful and supportive manner.

In essence, a teacher’s role in teaching creative writing extends beyond mere instruction. They are mentors who inspire, nurture, and shape the minds of budding writers. By fostering a supportive and stimulating environment, they can help students unlock their creative potential and develop a lifelong love for writing.

3 Techniques for Teaching Creative Writing

When it comes to understanding how to teach creative writing, there are several effective techniques that can help inspire students and foster their writing skills.

1. Encouraging Free Writing Exercises

Free writing is a technique that encourages students to write continuously for a set amount of time without worrying about grammar, punctuation, or topic. This type of exercise can help unleash creativity, as it allows students to freely express their thoughts and ideas without judgment or constraint.

As a teacher, you can set a specific theme or provide creative writing prompts to guide the writing session. Alternatively, you can allow students to write about any topic that comes to mind. The key is to create an environment that encourages creative exploration and expression.

2. Exploring Different Genres

Another effective technique is to expose students to a wide range of writing genres. This can include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, fantasy, mystery, and more. By exploring different genres, students can discover their unique writing styles and interests. This variety also offers the chance to expand their writing skills and apply them to various writing formats.

To facilitate this exploration, you can assign writing projects in different genres, conduct genre-specific writing workshops, or invite guest speakers who specialize in different genres. You can also encourage students to critically analyze how different authors approach their work.

3. Analyzing Published Works

Analyzing published works is a powerful way to teach creative writing. This technique allows students to learn from established authors by studying their:

• writing styles
• narrative structures
• use of language.

It also provides a practical context for understanding writing concepts and techniques.

As a teacher, you can select diverse pieces of literature for analysis , ranging from classic novels to contemporary short stories. Encourage students to identify elements they admire in these works and discuss how they can incorporate similar techniques into their own writing.

These techniques for teaching creative writing are effective ways to inspire creativity, encourage self-expression, and develop writing skills. As a teacher, your role is crucial in guiding students through their creative journey and helping them realize their potential as writers.

Creative Writing Workshops and Exercises

One effective method on how to teach creative writing is through the use of targeted workshops and exercises. These interactive sessions can stimulate creativity, foster character development , and help in understanding story structures .

Idea Generation Workshops

Idea generation is a crucial aspect of creative writing. It is the starting point that provides a springboard for writers to explore and develop their narratives. Idea generation workshops can be an interactive and fun way to help writers come up with fresh ideas.

Workshops can include brainstorming sessions , where writers are encouraged to think freely and note down all ideas, no matter how unconventional they may seem. Another method is the use of writing prompts , which can serve as a creative spark.

A prompt could be:

• even an image

Editor’s Note : Encourage children to create a big scribble on a scrap piece of paper and then look for an image in it (like looking for pictures in the clouds). This can be a great creative writing prompt and students will love sharing their writing with each other! Expect lots of giggles and fun!

Character Development Exercises

Characters are the heart of any story. They drive the narrative and engage the readers. Character development exercises can help writers create well-rounded and relatable characters.

Such exercises can include character questionnaires , where writers answer a series of questions about their characters to gain a deeper understanding of their personalities, backgrounds, and motivations. Role-playing activities can also be useful, allowing writers to step into their characters’ shoes and explore their reactions in different scenarios.

Story Structure Workshops

Understanding story structure is vital for creating a compelling narrative. Story structure workshops can guide writers on how to effectively structure their stories to engage readers from start to finish .

These workshops can cover essential elements of story structures like:

• rising action
• falling action

In addition to understanding the basics, writers should be encouraged to experiment with different story structures to find what works best for their narrative style. An understanding of story structure can also help in analyzing and learning from published works .

Providing writers with the right tools and techniques, through workshops and exercises, can significantly improve their creative writing skills. It’s important to remember that creativity flourishes with practice and patience .

As a teacher, nurturing this process is one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching creative writing. For more insights and tips on teaching creative writing, continue exploring our articles on creative writing .

Tips to Enhance Creative Writing Skills

The process of teaching creative writing is as much about honing one’s own skills as it is about imparting knowledge to others. Here are some key strategies that can help in enhancing your creative writing abilities and make your teaching methods more effective.

Regular Practice

Like any other skill, creative writing requires regular practice . Foster the habit of writing daily, even if it’s just a few lines. This will help you stay in touch with your creative side and continually improve your writing skills. Encourage your students to do the same.

Introduce them to various creative writing prompts to stimulate their imagination and make their writing practice more engaging.

Reading Widely

Reading is an essential part of becoming a better writer. By reading widely, you expose yourself to a variety of styles, tones, and genres . This not only broadens your literary horizons but also provides a wealth of ideas for your own writing.

Encourage your students to read extensively as well. Analyzing and discussing different works can be an excellent learning exercise and can spark creative ideas .

Exploring Various Writing Styles

The beauty of creative writing lies in its diversity. From poetic verses to gripping narratives, there’s a wide range of styles to explore. Encourage your students to try their hand at different forms of writing. This not only enhances their versatility but also helps them discover their unique voice as a writer.

To help them get started, you can introduce a variety of creative writing activities for kids . These tasks can be tailored to suit different age groups and proficiency levels. Remember, the goal is to foster a love for writing, so keep the activities fun and engaging .

Have Fun Teaching Creative Writing!

Enhancing creative writing skills is a continuous journey. It requires persistence, curiosity, and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. As a teacher, your role is to guide your students on this journey, providing them with the tools and encouragement they need to flourish as writers – and most of all – enjoy the process!

For more insights on creative writing, be sure to explore our articles on what is creative writing and creative writing jobs and what you can do with a creative writing degree .

Brooks Manley

Creative Primer  is a resource on all things journaling, creativity, and productivity. We’ll help you produce better ideas, get more done, and live a more effective life.

My name is Brooks. I do a ton of journaling, like to think I’m a creative (jury’s out), and spend a lot of time thinking about productivity. I hope these resources and product recommendations serve you well. Reach out if you ever want to chat or let me know about a journal I need to check out!

Here’s my favorite journal for 2024: 

Gratitude Journal Prompts Mindfulness Journal Prompts Journal Prompts for Anxiety Reflective Journal Prompts Healing Journal Prompts Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Journal Prompts Mental Health Journal Prompts ASMR Journal Prompts Manifestation Journal Prompts Self-Care Journal Prompts Morning Journal Prompts Evening Journal Prompts Self-Improvement Journal Prompts Creative Writing Journal Prompts Dream Journal Prompts Relationship Journal Prompts "What If" Journal Prompts New Year Journal Prompts Shadow Work Journal Prompts Journal Prompts for Overcoming Fear Journal Prompts for Dealing with Loss Journal Prompts for Discerning and Decision Making Travel Journal Prompts Fun Journal Prompts

Enriching Creative Writing Activities for Kids

You may also like, 25 creative writing prompts to ignite your creativity.

The 10 Best Careers for Creative People

How to start and keep a bullet journal: a beginner’s guide, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Productivity
• Favorite Journals

• EXPLORE Random Article
• Happiness Hub

How to Prepare to Teach Creative Writing

Last Updated: November 3, 2022

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 16 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 13,788 times.

Preparing to teach creative writing requires a mixture of formal instruction in teaching methods as well as an inborn appreciation of the craft of writing honed by instruction and practice. If you wish to teach others how to write, here are steps to take and things to consider in building a career as a creative writing teacher.

Academic and Writing Preparation

• Required courses for a bachelor's in English include classes in language and literature as well as in writing. English majors may be required to take classes in technical as well as creative writing. Students preparing for a bachelor of science in education with a concentration in English also take classes in the nature of language and how to teach an English class to others. Some programs may also require a certain number of hours in foreign language classes.

• Most MFA programs require a 2- to 3-year commitment, which culminates in preparing a thesis, consisting of some form of creative writing, such as a novel or anthology of short stories or poetry. Programs consist of a mixture of writing opportunities and coursework, which may either be conducted on-campus or online. Some programs offer stipends to fund students' writing projects, while others offer teaching assistant positions to pay students' expenses and may even offer graduate students the opportunity to design their own courses.

• PhD programs in creative writing are structured similarly to MFA programs, but over a longer period of time (8 years on average), with a greater amount of independent study and the requirement to create a doctoral dissertation. It is possible to engage in a more research-oriented PhD program, although some colleges may consider this a detriment instead of an advantage for candidates applying for teaching positions.

• While being published by a college or university press still has more cachet than a mainstream publisher or small press, the rise of print-on-demand publishers has raised the status of non-university presses. You still need to provide your best-quality writing samples when applying for a college position.

• Other activities you can take part in include reading submissions to literary magazines or raising funds for them.

Applying for a College Writing Teacher Position

• One candidate used his prior experience to learn the names of his interviewers and what works they had published. On many of his interviews, he was complimented for being the only candidate to have an interest in his interviewers' work.

• Letter of application: A 2-page summary of your credentials, written in a clear, captivating style and tailored to the position you're applying for. If you're already teaching writing somewhere, you can use the letterhead of the institution you're presently teaching at.
• Curriculum vitae (CV/resume): Your CV should list your education, teaching experience, list of publications, service, list of references with contact information, and availability of letters of recommendation. Although you don't have to list every last publication, your CV should be comprehensive. (Unlike a business resume, which is typically 1 to 2 pages in length, a CV can be whatever length it needs to be to cover everything significant you've done.)
• Writing sample: Choose your best writing sample that is most appropriate to the institution you're applying to, preferably a book if you have one and can afford to send a copy to each institution you're applying to.
• Recommendations: You should have 4 to 8 letters of recommendation from professors and other writers who know your work and are familiar with your teaching style. The letters should be written as close to the time you start applying for positions as possible; allow 6 weeks' time for your recommender to draft the letter. Letters should be sent to the career center of your current institution or to the dossier service run by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) if you're applying for your first position.
• Transcript: Not always required, but many institutions require a transcript as a quick means to verify that you actually earned the degrees you claim to hold. Photocopies are acceptable.

• Interviews may be held either on-campus or at the Modern Language Association (MLA) convention, held either December or January in a major city. Your travel expenses to a college campus are usually covered by the institution, but you'll have to pay your own way to the MLA convention.

Community Q&A

• You may find it helpful to have writing experience outside the field or genre for which you plan to apply. Skills in journalism and grant writing can be particularly beneficial. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Competition for tenure-track creative writing teaching positions can be fierce, due to the number of MFA and PhD programs in creative writing and the number of graduates from those programs who have published their work. It's helpful to prepare as fully as possible, while also considering other options for using your degree, such as advertising or working for a publishing house. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• http://www.semo.edu/english/study.htm
• http://www.murraystate.edu/Students/Graduate/GraduatePrograms.aspx
• http://www.unm.edu/~english/resources/grad_docs/How-To-Prepare-for-Job-Market.pdf

About this article

Did this article help you.

• About wikiHow
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Unleashing Creativity: A Guide to Teaching Creative Writing

Thu Apr 18, 2024

Introduction: Creative writing is more than just putting words on paper; it's an exploration of imagination, a journey through the depths of the human experience, and a means of expression unlike any other. Teaching creative writing isn't about simply imparting rules and techniques; it's about nurturing the innate creativity within each individual and providing them with the tools and guidance to unleash their imagination. In this blog post, we'll delve into the art of teaching creative writing and explore strategies to inspire and empower budding writers.

Understanding the Fundamentals: Before diving into the creative process, it's essential to establish a solid foundation of the fundamentals of writing. This includes grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and vocabulary. While creativity knows no bounds, having a grasp of these basics provides writers with the necessary framework to effectively convey their ideas.

Encouraging Exploration: Creativity flourishes when writers are encouraged to explore different genres, styles, and perspectives. As an instructor, provide opportunities for students to experiment with various forms of writing, whether it's poetry, fiction, non-fiction, or even hybrid forms. Encourage them to step out of their comfort zones and embrace the unknown.

Creating a Supportive Environment: Building a supportive and nurturing environment is crucial for fostering creativity. Encourage open dialogue and constructive feedback among peers. Establishing a community where writers feel safe to share their work without fear of judgment promotes growth and collaboration.

Embracing the Writing Process: The writing process is unique to each individual, but it often involves stages such as brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing. Teach students to embrace each stage and emphasize that writing is a journey rather than a destination. Encourage them to embrace uncertainty and to see challenges as opportunities for growth.

Igniting Inspiration: Inspiration can be found everywhere, from everyday experiences to dreams and fantasies. Encourage students to keep a journal to capture fleeting ideas and observations. Encourage them to draw inspiration from art, music, nature, and personal experiences. Sparking creativity often involves encouraging writers to see the world through a different lens.

Exercises and Prompts: Engage students with writing exercises and prompts designed to stimulate their creativity. These could include visual prompts, word prompts, writing sprints, or even collaborative storytelling exercises. By challenging students to think outside the box, you'll help them tap into their creative potential.

Cultivating a Growth Mindset: Instill in students the belief that creativity is not fixed but can be developed and nurtured over time. Encourage a growth mindset where setbacks are seen as opportunities for learning and improvement. Celebrate progress and effort rather than focusing solely on outcomes.

Celebrating Diversity: Encourage writers to embrace their unique voices and perspectives. Celebrate diversity in storytelling and highlight the importance of representation in literature. By valuing and amplifying diverse voices, you'll create a richer and more inclusive creative community.

Conclusion: Teaching creative writing is an art in itself, requiring patience, passion, and a deep appreciation for the creative process. By fostering a supportive environment, embracing exploration, and igniting inspiration, you can empower budding writers to unleash their creativity and embark on a lifelong journey of self-expression. As an instructor, your role is not only to teach the craft of writing but to nurture the creative spirit within each student, guiding them as they discover the power of their own voice.

Dive into Our Virtual Training Experience on YouTube

You may also be interested in

How to teach creative writing even if you’ve never done any yourself

A successful writing workshop depends on respect, which is a two-way street, observes Toby Litt. Refrain from sneering at bad writing and offer praise to offset the critiques

• More on this topic

Created in partnership with

You may also like

Popular resources

.css-1txxx8u{overflow:hidden;max-height:81px;text-indent:0px;} Can we really decolonise the university?

Universities need to act now to bridge the gen z gap, school visits are a triple-win for academics, schools and society, why visible senior leadership in sustainability matters, why the search for research funding is like romance.

Let’s say you’re an English academic. English literature. A medievalist. And at very late notice you’ve been asked to run a workshop for a creative writing colleague who has just won a literary prize and needs to go and collect it, in Bremen. Or has just tested positive for Covid. You have three hours to prepare. This is for you.  

As part of my PGCE training , I did a teaching observation on a class taught by a fellow academic, and she did the same for me.  Her class was on the history of art. It was a conventional lecture with PowerPoint. Bullet points, questions at the end.  My class was a conventional creative writing workshop. Student stories submitted, discussed.

After her students all filed out, the first thing I said to her was: “That was so interesting. I learned a lot.”

After my students had all filed out, the first thing she said to me was: “That isn’t teaching, it’s more like…ego-management.”  

She was right.

Ego management is a perfect description; and a lot of how a creative writing workshop works or doesn’t work depends on the students’ respect or lack of respect for the tutor.  If the tutor has published lots of books, or a few successful books, they will get respect – for the first few minutes, anyway. The students will assume this person is worth listening to, because they’ve fulfilled the students’ ambition: to be known as a writer.

If you don’t have this publication record (prizes help, too), then you will have to earn the workshop’s respect another way.

Over the course of a few weeks, you can gain respect just by being a good, attentive tutor, as you are in an English seminar. Within two or three workshops, you can do this by managing their individual egos amusingly or tactfully. But if you haven’t got that much time – if you just have to walk into the classroom and start running a discussion on their short stories – then you’ll have to be more direct.

• Spotlight: Write here, right now
• Creating bridges to academic writing for first-year university students
• Don’t jettison traditional academic writing just yet

Most of all you can earn the respect of the workshop group by having read more than they have, and by putting that lifetime’s reading immediately and practically to their use.  You and your knowledge are there for them, and you’re starting from where they start. Today, on this page, in this sentence. This might seem obvious, but it’s often not how literature is taught.

It’s likely that where you usually start is, say, the Penguin edition of Margery Kempe rather than, say, an Epic Tale of Sword and Sorcery featuring Ninja Squirrels Who Can Fly .

What students particularly respond to is your knowledge and love of the genre they themselves are writing. And if that doesn’t yet include Ninja squirrels, it does (because you’re a medievalist) include dream visions, battles between good and evil, fantasies of flight and basic story structures.

If you know where a student’s coming from – that they adore Sally Rooney or W. G. Sebald or Neil Gaiman – and you display knowledge of and respect for that writer, you will go up in that student’s estimation. Even if they don’t immediately take to you personally, they will feel reassured that you’re not lazily misreading or showing disdain for them or their work.  

Because of this, it is absolutely essential that you never slag off any published writers when speaking in a workshop.  Quite possibly, one of these “bad”  writers was what got a student into reading in the first place.

Among the first long books I ever read were Jeffrey Archer’s Kane and Abel and R. F. Delderfield’s Diana . In both cases, I enjoyed them and was proud of myself for finishing so many pages. If an authority figure had sneered at them, and by implication sneered at me for liking them, and done this in front of other people, I might have been done with reading forever.

With every writer that is mentioned in the workshop, you should focus on what they are good at and what can be learned from them. Archer is very skilled at getting the reader to keep turning the pages by use of big, catchy, high-stakes plots. Delderfield makes the reader care a great deal about the emotional life of the main character. How? Well, let’s look at how you’re doing it in your story…

No one ever became a better writer by sneering at other writers.

I’d suggest that the best view to take, in or out of a workshop, is that there’s no such thing as bad writing, only inappropriate or misplaced writing.

So when you start the discussion about a student’s story, ask the group what they thought it was doing right. What is already working? Then someone will say “but…” and you can take it from there. Don’t let the first student who speaks turn the tenor of the conversation to criticism.

Before the workshop, you should closely read each story, so as to identify at least three things to praise. Some neat characterisation here, some real emotional depth there or, as a last resort, the pacing and energy.  Just as with written feedback, a workshop discussion of a story should be a sandwich. Begin and end with enough praise to help the student assimilate the critique in between.

Toby Litt is an associate professor of creative writing at the University of Southampton. His latest book is A Writer’s Diary (Gallery Beggar Press, 2023).

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,  sign up for the Campus newsletter .

Can we really decolonise the university?

How ai and immersive technology will personalise learning, campus podcast: how to prepare for university leadership, emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn, how a strong network can enhance the phd journey, a diy guide to starting your own journal.

Register for free

and unlock a host of features on the THE site

How to Become a Creative Writing Teacher (And Enjoy It)

Creative writing is an art that offers students the opportunity to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. Teaching this discipline requires not only expertise in writing but also the ability to inspire and guide aspiring writers on their journey to becoming better wordsmiths. Whether you’re looking to make extra money on the side or considering a full-time career, this guide will walk you through the steps of becoming a creative writing teacher, including dissertation data analysis help and resources for aspiring educators.

Become a Creative Writing Teacher: The Basics

5 tips for becoming a creative writing teacher.

Teaching others how to write it’s very fulfilling and allows you to share your unique perspective with your students. But there are several requirements you will need to meet to do it properly. Keep reading to see what they are:

1. Get a Degree in English or Creative Writing

While not required, having a relevant degree can give you an edge when applying for teaching positions. Formal education on the subject gives you the foundation in literature and composition that will be helpful when teaching how to write. People who wish to become creative writing teachers often attend college for additional writing training before sharing their expertise with others. This equips them to use various teaching approaches, whether it be through a traditional academic setting, an online course, a summer camp workshop, etc.

2. Consider Getting a Teaching Certification

3. start your own writing group or workshop.

This is a great way to get experience leading other writers. You’ll gain some insights into what it takes to be an effective teacher and learn how to communicate with your students . The most wonderful thing about starting a creative writing group is that you can build it exactly what you want it to be. It could be a workshop-style group where you read each other’s work. You can form a group where you meet up together and write, or just talk about writing or each other’s personal experiences in honing their craft. There are no rules. You can contact your writing sessions in a local café, or if that’s not possible, you can host the whole thing on a Facebook group.

4. Volunteer to Teach Creative Writing in Local Schools

Many educational institutions have after-school programs or summer camps that are always looking for volunteers. This is a great way to get your foot in the door and see if teaching is right for you. Most schools collaborate with volunteers who are or want to learn how to become creative writing teachers. You can teach how to edit and publish creative writing.

5. Be Patient and Persistent

Getting a job as a creative writing teacher can be competitive. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t land your dream position right away. Keep applying and refining your resume , and eventually, you’ll find the perfect fit! To become a creative writing teacher, consider getting a degree or teaching certification in English or creative writing. You can also start your writing group or workshop, or volunteer to teach creative writing in local schools. These will give you the training and experience you need to get closer to your goal.

Teaching Writing With True Excellence

We all know the importance of teaching writing. After all, as the saying goes, “If you can’t write well, you can’t think well.” And in today’s world, with so much emphasis on effective communication and clear thinking skills, it’s more important than ever to make sure our students are receiving a top-notch education on learning how to write. So what does true excellence in teaching writing look like? Here are five key concepts to consider:

1. High Expectations

As teachers, we need to have high expectations for our students’ writing abilities. This doesn’t mean that we should be unrealistic or overly critical. Rather, it means that we should expect them to produce quality work that meets or exceeds our standards. By setting the bar high from the beginning, we’ll give them a goal to strive for and help them develop their skills more quickly.

2. Quality Feedback

3. focus on the process, 4. setting an example.

Another important aspect of teaching writing is modeling good behavior for our students. If we want them to produce quality work, then we need to show them how it’s done. We can do this by sharing our writings with them (with permission, of course), or by demonstrating proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation usage in our daily communications with them. Another great idea is to encourage them to read as much as possible and introduce them to the classics so they can fully grasp what a great piece of literary art looks like.

5. Encouragement

Testing your students through writing tasks.

As a creative writing teacher, it’s essential to test your students’ skills and knowledge regularly. One way to do this is through writing tasks. By setting regular writing assignments, you can gauge your student’s progress and identify areas that need improvement.

Here are some tips for making the most of the writing tasks in your classroom :

In short, get your students engaged in their learning by setting regular writing tasks. By making the tasks relevant and providing clear instructions, you’ll help them produce their best work. Don’t forget to provide feedback so they can understand where they need to improve. Many writing teachers are worried about the influence of artificial intelligence on the writing process. That’s why you need to explain that using AI bots for writing will teach them how to write, as it’s a form of “creative plagiarism.”

FAQ About How to Become a Creative Writing Teacher:

1. how do i start teaching creative writing.

There is no single answer to this question since there are many ways to become a creative writing teacher. The best way to teach creative writing will depend on your qualifications, experience, and goals. For example, if you have a degree in English or Creative Writing , you may teach at the college level. Alternatively, if you have significant experience as a writer but no formal education in the field, you may teach creative writing courses at community colleges or adult education centers. There are also online programs that allow people with no teaching experience to lead classes on specific topics related to creative writing. This could be an option for someone looking for flexibility and wanting to share their expertise with others without committing to traditional employment. No matter what route someone takes to become a creative writing teacher, they must possess excellent communication skills, patience, and creativity so they can encourage students to reach their fullest potential.

2. Can you teach writing when only have a creative writing degree?

3. what degree do you need to teach creative writing in college, 4. how much does a creative writer make.

According to Zip Recruiter, the average yearly salary for creative writing teachers is $53, 608.00. But the range goes to as low as $46,000 a year for beginners, and up to over $100,000 a year for those who are in the biz for several years.

If you’re passionate about writing and want to share your love of literature with others, becoming a creative writing teacher may be the perfect career for you. By imparting your knowledge and expertise to students, you can help them develop their skills and find their voice as writers. Are you interested in becoming a freelance writer, working remotely, or improving your productivity and side hustle? I offer coaching and consulting services to help you achieve your goals. Visit my website or contact me today to learn more about how I can help you reach your full potential. Next up, you may want to explore a guide on how to become a columnist .

Rafal Reyzer

Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here , and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.

How to Effectively Teach Creative Writing in Elementary

Today let’s discuss how to  effectively teach creative writing at the elementary level.  Creative writing is such an important writing skill to teach students from a young age. Young writers need to understand the concept of creative writing as using their imagination to express themselves freely through words. 

It’s not just about proper grammar and spelling  (though those are important too!) , but rather about sparking their  creativity , allowing them to dream up  unique characters , exciting adventures, and incredible worlds. By nurturing their storytelling abilities early on, we’re not just helping them become better writers, but also fostering their confidence, encouraging self-expression, and igniting a lifelong love for writing. So, let’s dive into some strategies and tips to make your creative writing lesson plans a hit in your elementary classroom!

What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing is essentially writing in which the author uses his or her imagination to create a story. Creative writing in simple terms refers to the process of expressing thoughts, ideas and stories in a unique and imaginative way.

It’s about letting children’s minds wander  freely,  encouraging them to use their  imagination  to create characters, settings, and plots. Creative writing isn’t just about grammar and spelling; it’s about fostering a love for storytelling, allowing kids to explore their creativity, and helping them find their voice through words on paper. It’s a journey that encourages self-expression, builds confidence, and nurtures a lifelong appreciation for writing. The whole purpose of creative writing is to think outside the box and stray from traditional structures and norms. 

Creative writing falls under one of the 5 categories of writing but it also combines a lot of these styles together:

• Narrative Writing
• Descriptive Writing
• Persuasive Writing
• Expository Writing
• Creative Writing

Creative Writing Lesson Plans Don’t Have to Be Difficult

Finding creative ways for students to write using their imaginations doesn’t have to be difficult. No matter the grade level, creative writing lessons should offer plenty of opportunities for students to tell their point of view on a subject. Don’t let creating lesson plans for creative writing be a headache! It’s all about giving kids the chance to let loose and share their thoughts in their own special way. 

Whether they’re in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, or 5th grade, the key is to let their imagination run wild. Get them talking about what interests them, throw in some fun prompts, and watch the magic happen! Mix things up with different writing styles – stories, poems, even real-life tales. Make it a safe space where they feel free to jot down whatever comes to mind. By balancing a bit of structure with loads of creative freedom, teaching creative writing becomes a blast for both the teachers and the students!

Here’s How to Teach a Creative Writing Activity to Elementary Students:

1. start with creative writing prompts.

One of the first activities you can try is using writing prompts with students. Writing prompts are a great tool to get students’ brain juices flowing, no matter if they are elementary, middle school, or high school students! Coming up with writing topics for younger students can be especially challenging sometimes. 

Inside   the   How to Write a Paragraph Year-Long Bundle   there are specific writing prompts that are  scaffolded and differentiated  to meet  all  learner’s needs. You will find everything you need inside this resource to  help your students who struggle with writing understand how to write a paragraph  all   YEAR LONG …  trust us! It allows for easy planning for your writing lessons because it’s got different seasonal writing resources and prompts inside no matter what time of year it is. These are the perfect place to start to get your students writing based on themes. 

Once they are comfortable in this category, then it’s time to actually get them to come up with some of their own ideas to write about now   (after all that is the ENTIRE point of a creative writing lesson!)

Try with these juicy writing prompts below to help get your student’s creativity flowing if they need help coming up with a topic to write about :

• Personal memories: “Tell about someone who taught you something really important.”
• Imaginative scenarios: “Let’s create a wild story set in a world where anything goes!”
• Prompts based on a familiar mentor text: “What if your favorite book ended differently? Give it a new twist!”
• Lead-in sentences: “I saw myself in the mirror and couldn’t believe what I saw. Overnight, I…”
• Fascinating or thought-provoking images with a directive: “Who do you think calls this log cabin home? Tell us their story and what they’re up to!”

2. Break Down the Prompts Together

Do NOT rush this next step! We need to make sure our students are coming up with unique and creative writing ideas. During this first week’s lesson plan, you want to make sure students know exactly what they are getting themselves into with the creative writing process. Make it known that these prompts above are to help guide them and their imagination. Help to break down what each prompt is asking/ looking for:

For example, if the prompt says “I saw myself in the mirror and couldn’t believe what I saw. Overnight, I…,” then what questions should the students be asking?

Hopefully, they will tell you they want to know what they look like in the mirror right now.

Then you can have students think of 5 possible situations for what happened and how they look.

3. Do a 5 Minute “Free Write Brain Dump”

During the next step of a creative writing lesson plan, encourage students to do a brain dump in their writing journals on all of their  prior knowledge  on the subject that they will be writing about. This lets you know a couple of things as the teacher: Do they have their own experience on this topic and enough background knowledge? Does the subject areas that they are free-writing about make sense for the creative writing topic? This should only take about 5 minutes and you are NOT worried about spelling or grammar during this step.

For example: if they are planning to write about the solar system but they don’t have much to say during this free write brain dump, this is where you may want to incorporate a mini lesson or guided conference with you to make sure they are picking a topic that they have a lot of background knowledge about or can at least figure out where to find the answers they might need for their writing.

The “free write brain dump” is helpful for students to see a couple of things- okay I know enough information about this topic and am ready to organize my thoughts  OR  I had a hard time just coming up with random thoughts to write about…maybe I need a need a new topic. It will truly help decide their confidence factor for this assignment.

4. Start Your Planning Process

The next step in your creative writing unit should be having students take their decided-upon creative writing topic and  organize  their thoughts and ideas. This step is super important because you want the information to be in the students’ own writing but you also want to make sure they have a plan for how to get their point across.  Your stronger writers may be ready to go but some may need a bit more structure set up to help them.

There are a couple of different ways they can organize their ideas:

Use Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are the perfect thing to use if students want to stick with a paragraph-type writing structure. For your lower writers, this might be the way to go because graphic organizers make planning a lot easier and the structure makes it super easy to follow. Graphic organizers also help break down the writing process into chunks so it doesn’t feel like such a difficult task to students who may struggle more with their writing skills or for  ESL students.

Character Development Worksheets

Provide worksheets that prompt students to describe the characters in detail that they want in their story. Include sections for physical appearance, personality traits, motivations, and character arcs. This helps students develop well-rounded characters before they start writing.

Peer Brainstorming

Organize small group brainstorming sessions where students can share their ideas and receive feedback from their peers. This way can totally help students polish up their ideas and come up with fresh new ones for their creative writing.

Story Boarding

Encourage students to create a visual storyboard for their story. They can draw a series of pictures or scenes that outline the plot, helping them visualize the sequence of events in their narrative. We really love this idea for planning for students who are learning English as a second language and students who have more difficulties communicating their thoughts out loud.

Voice Recording

Finally, one last idea: If your students are feeling unsure about writing things down, suggest they talk it out and record their thoughts on a device such as a classroom iPad.

They might be amazed at how easily their spoken words turn into great written stuff on the page! This is another favorite of ours for those students who struggle with getting their thoughts on paper or are learning English as a second language.

During the planning phase , it is a good time to take the opportunity to do any  mini lessons  you feel needed with students on any of the skills above.

5. Write the Rough Draft

Next is taking the creative narrative and putting it into a rough draft version using their planning method. It’s time for them to start coming up with their own creative short story. Do they have a main character? Is there a problem and solution? Does the writing make sense? After the rough draft, it can be super beneficial to meet with students individually or in small groups to give feedback before they move forward on the final copy. 

Word of advice: Don’t worry about spelling or grammar too much in the rough draft phase! Just help students get their thoughts out onto paper!

6. Time To Write the Final Draft

As the creative writing journey nears its conclusion, it’s time to guide your students toward the crucial phase of crafting their final drafts. This stage marks a shift towards independent work, where students take ownership of refining their narratives. Encourage them to enrich their stories with vibrant sensory details to help bring the writing to life.

This isn’t just about polishing; it’s about infusing their words with emotions and imagination. The final draft represents all of their hard work! Make sure you help them reach their fullest potential with their creative writing and storytelling skills!

A Final Word on Teaching Creative Writing to Elementary Students

When planning your creative writing lesson plans for the school year, it’s best to think about the  overall entire writing process.  For students that you KNOW creative writing will be a challenge for, take some time during English language arts sessions and work with them on the simple structures of writing to help build their confidence. If they struggle with the mechanics and confidence to write, they honestly may not be ready for the creative writing process just yet. Use the resource below to help them refine their writing skills so that all of your students can be a confident and creative writer!

How do you feel about creative writing lesson plans?

You might also like:.

FREE Differentiated Creative Writing Prompts for Fall

Excuse our digital dust! We’re busy renovating this website to make it even more fabulous. Stay tuned!

• Read more about: Writing

You might also like...

The 2 Easy Ways to Teach Students to Fix Run-On Sentences

3 Simple Ways to Fix Sentence Fragments in Upper Elementary

What is the RACE Writing Strategy?

The Best Paragraph Writing Worksheets for 5th Grade

Teach smarter, not harder join the newsletter.

Transform your teaching with our teaching tips, resources, and freebies delivered straight to your inbox!

The Goodies

© GRASPhopper Learning • Website by KristenDoyle.co

Teachers Workshop

A Duke TIP Blog

Why Teach Creative Writing? Part 2

October 9, 2017 By Lyn Fairchild Hawks 2 Comments

This post provides a rationale for teaching creative writing more often and how to balance instructional goals and structure weekly lessons to accommodate creative writing. This is part of a larger series on integrating creative writing in your curriculum. Part 1 is here .

Back to basics.

The first question that might come to mind is WHEN? Sure, we might love getting creative with kids, but how do we make enough time for ALL THE OTHER STUFF?

By linking to standards and making use of the writing workshop structure, more creative expression is possible every week.

Our first answer is, the Common Core English Language Arts standards work beautifully hand in hand with creative writing tasks. The following seventh grade Common Core English Language Arts standards are just some that dovetail beautifully with creative writing (whether fiction or memoir, also known as creative nonfiction).

Whether it’s a blog post, or epic poem, or whether it’s a how-to manual or a screenplay, or whether a persuasive argument or a graphic novella–students can harness any one of these standards and skills below. Professional writers–novelists, journalists, marketers, screenwriters, playwrights, lyricists–spend their entire careers refining these competencies.

These standards, which also focus Duke TIP’s unit, Creative Writing: Adventures Through Time, can spiral up through higher standards in any week of your curriculum where a student must write a story that compels the reader to read on.

How do you thread creative writing across curriculum? Share with us below!

Sample writing standards that connect.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3 : Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3a : Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3b : Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3c : Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3d : Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3e : Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.10 : Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Ask yourself how much your students are writing regularly, both in short and long form, and how much they are putting into practice models you give them and the analysis your teaching encourages. What you’re looking for, ultimately, is more practice time. Is that mini-lesson on the apostrophe or the metaphor, or that whole-group activity acting out a scene from the novel as crucial as pursuing meaningful writing tasks? Discarding the fun and cool activity or the didactic teaching and subsequent practice can feel like a Sophie’s Choice but sometimes it’s really worth it.

Make the Links

Approach mentor texts with the lens of “How/Why did this author do that?” If students are practicing professional writers, they should lean in close to examine the method to authors’ magic. They should be stepping back to discuss these techniques and then head off to try it themselves.

Taking that angle as you craft discussion questions–knowing that the next time students see the term for a particular technique, they’ll be utilizing it themselves–is a way to shape analysis of mentor texts–from the worksheet to the small group to the discussion to the large group discussion. You can convert what were once quiz and test questions into real-time discussion questions, and get students to creative writing.

Formative writing assessments of 50-100 words, rather than short answer or multiple choice quizzes, are the best ways to test particular writing concepts and skills, as well as knowledge such as grammar and mechanics. For example:

• Original test question: Explain why Scout beat up Walter Cunningham using her backstory and character traits. –> Becomes in-class discussion question
• New formative assessment/homework or in-class assignment: Write a scene of backstory where one of your characters bullies someone else. Establish back story and character traits in this scene.

This doesn’t mean you never, ever ask another literary analysis question on a test. Those should indeed pepper our culminating assessments. But so should creative writing prompts asking students to show what they know. Having students practice both before the summative will develop deeper understandings.

Make it Happen

Writing workshops are driven by student interest and require students to regularly determine audience and purpose in their writing. Writing workshops create agency, daily. They develop independence and persistence. They create a habit of mind that’s a definite paradigm switch for many students, so it’s a process that won’t manifest results immediately.

The writing workshop structure requires extensive on-task writing time, peer review time, teacher review time, and reading time. It’s fueled by student choice.

With all that is expected of educators by local, state, and national standards, we recommend the whole-part-whole approach as you integrate workshops. Here is a typical week’s design we recommend. Take it, modify it, critique it, and tell us what you think. What do you do?

Day 1: Whole group instruction, groupwork, and skill assessment

• Teach a mini lesson via direct instruction, using mentor texts, led by standards.
• Offer different levels of direct practice exercises for small groups.
• Circulate to provide direct instruction to groups and individuals..
• Some days, alternate with 30-45 minute Socratic discussions of literary texts or whole-group activities such as debates, scene re-enactment, special projects.
• Give formative and summative assessments every few weeks (timed analytical writing–essays and short-answer questions–and grammar quizzes). Note that these should not occur until students have built a few months’ of confidence with Socratic literary discussion. For more on designing Socratic seminars on texts, visit Paideia Active Learning . Provide creative writing prompts on some of these per the model above.
• Homework: Provide further practice and writing prompts and extension activities that prepare students for summative assessments.

Days 2 and 3: Writing and reading workshops

• Allow independent and small group reading and writing, per the Atwell design .
• Expect students to produce one to two pieces a month. Allow students, like professional writers, to work on more that one piece at a time.
• Allow students who have successfully produced an individual work.
• Homework: Ongoing work on individual student pieces. A writing assignment fueled by student choice might need several nights of homework and lead to an exciting portfolio.

Day 4: Whole group instruction, groupwork, and skill assessment

Day 5: Peer review and Performance

• Feedback routines between and among students, and pair or one-to-one conferences
• Sharing for an audience, with celebrations of formative and summative accomplishments, and goal setting, with discussions of areas for growth.

For more detail on designing the day-to-day writing workshop structure, be sure to check out Nancie Atwell’s work .

About Lyn Fairchild Hawks

Lyn Fairchild Hawks currently serves as Director for Curriculum and Instruction for Duke TIP’s distance learning programs, where she supervises teachers and designs curricula and online student benefits. A long-time teacher, Lyn has published curricula with TIP, NCTE, Chicago Review Press, and ASCD. She is author of Teaching Julius Caesar: A Differentiated Approach and coauthor of Teaching Romeo and Juliet: A Differentiated Approach and The Compassionate Classroom: Lessons that Nurture Wisdom and Empathy . She is also an author of the young-adult novel, How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought , for high school students, and coauthor of the graphic novella, Minerda , for middle grade students. She is represented by Tara Gelsomino of One Track Literary Agency.

January 4, 2018 at 7:33 pm

I loved creative writing as a student and made an effort to work it in to my middle grades instruction as often as possible. I have been known to beg principals to include a Creative Writing class in the schedule as an option for students. There was no room around the “other stuff,” though, and the best I could get was a Creative Writing club…but those students sure put together an amazing literary magazine!

I agree that the workshop model is the way to ensure that students have opportunities to be creative while at the same time answering to the standards of the curriculum.

January 7, 2018 at 4:34 pm

It’s so crucial, Cindi. We’re immersed in story, we seek story, we crave stories as humans. It’s the foundation of our politics (the American story), our faiths (scared texts and our heroes within), our scientific theories and how they were discovered and enhanced…I could go on. And so it’s funny how we’ve come to a place in education where we must squeeze it in–much like other arts and exercise–as incidental to the “curriculum.” I’ve loved what students have created in these extracurriculars, too, and seen some magnificent work.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Join the Conversation

• Karrie on Architecture: Discover, Dream, Design
• Kailey on Architecture: Discover, Dream, Design
• Earnestine on 5 Ways to Ignite Gifted Kids’ Curiosity
• From Objective to Assessment: Aligning Your Lesson Plans - TeachEDX on Making a PBL Mystery: Build Those Bones
• Zearlene Roberts on 5 Ways to Ignite Gifted Kids’ Curiosity

Find Your Content

4 strategies for teaching creative writing

• Share Article

Tip 1: Crossing out

Tip 2: explicitly teach sentence stems, tip 3: build a planning routine, tip 4: go big or go home.

A blank page can be a fearful thing. As I sit typing this (cocooned in the corner of a bustling coffee shop), it seems a fearful thing to me, too. One by one, words tentatively appear, and yet the whiteness of the page dominates and suffocates the lettered blackness.

It can be an especially fearful thing for our students. Surrounded by the silence of an examination hall, pens scratching cold paper, they sit and stare at the mountainous alps of their booklet. The summit stretches out a great distance away, with so little time to plot and navigate their way.

This is often most keenly felt in creative writing. Being creative on demand is no easy task. The blankness of the paper is only compounded by the apparent blankness of ideas. And still, the clock ticks. In this article, I’ll share four top tips for helping students get better at creative writing, ensuring they always have something ready to fill the whiteness of the page.

One of the biggest conceptual shifts I’ve made in my teaching of creative writing is to focus on crossing out . When we—or our students— cross something out in their writing, what does it imply? It invariably implies a moment of thought and consideration. Is this the best word the gesture suggests, or should I use a different one?

Encouraging students to adopt a crossing-out mentality can be hugely powerful. As we write, I’ll often remind students to look for any words they could cross out, modelling this in my own writing. As I write, I cross out, always being sure to narrate why I’ve crossed something out and what is replacing it .

Of course, in and of itself, crossing out does not guarantee progress. It is a proxy, but a helpful one. Crossing out becomes a concrete and easily understood analogy for the kind of deliberate, sustained crafting that so often characterises the best writing. We don’t just want students to fill up their blank pages; we want them to fill them up with excellent writing .

In order to cross out, students need something to cross out in the first place. This is where repeatable and recyclable sentence stems come into their own. They provide students with snippets of excellent writing they can drag and drop into their response, adapting as necessary.

Students often complain—rightly so—that creative writing can be bereft of content to revise. Sentence stems give them something tangible to rehearse. Teach them in advance, show students how to manipulate them, and get students to experiment on their own.

If the sentence occupies the micro, then students also need a sharp and cohesive macro structure in order to succeed. This is where planning becomes essential.

To help students with this, I explicitly teach and model a particular planning routine that can be adapted and adopted at the start of an examination. This helps students make sure they’re asking the best questions as well as get them into the zone.

This routine always looks the same, sketched out on a single side of A4, and goes like this:

• POV: Students decide the narrative point of view they wish to adopt, which is especially valuable if responding to an image, like many questions require.
• Happy or sad: Students now consider if their point of view is happy or sad. I purposely keep this question very broad, but they may wish to be a little more nuanced in their emotional choice. The key is that they’re thinking about an emotional groove for their piece.
• Why? Now, students can reflect on why their point of view is happy or sad, beginning to build some kind of backstory or narrative thrust to their writing.

At this point, and with some basics covered, students can sketch out an overall structure for their response. At the most basic level possible, I like: First, Next, Next, And Then . What happens first, and then next, and then next, and then how does it end?

Finally, I ask students to consider a big idea they would like to convey within their writing.

With all of this mapped out, students can now begin to write.

Let’s pause for a moment on this idea of a ‘big idea’. It is easy to imagine what this means when teaching a literature text, and we probably spend a lot of time considering it with our classes.

What is Shakespeare trying to accomplish in Macbeth, we might explore? Interwoven with our discussion of the play, we consider Shakespeare’s depiction of power and the way it corrupts, as well as his depiction of kingship or femininity. These are some of the play’s big ideas.

A consideration of the ‘big’ is just as important for a student’s own writing as it is for the literature they study. What is it that they wish to show or explore in their writing? What do they want to do? Helping students to appreciate they can have something to say within their own writing can be truly empowering and liberating.

In my own modelling, I like to return to the concept of time . This unlocks so many interesting directions: transience, time passing, memory, recapturing youth. But it also provides a wealth of imagery for students to leverage. Wrinkled hands, a faded wedding ring, a scratched and crumpled photograph, an item of clothing lovingly stored away at the back of a wardrobe, gathering dust.

This block is currently empty. Please add some content.

A blank page can be a fearful thing, it’s true. But one filled with scribbled writing, well, that can be joyful.

These four strategies will hopefully help your students make sure they turn their blank pages into a piece of writing they can be truly proud of.

Andrew Atherton

Andrew Atherton is an English teacher at a school in Berkshire. He runs the popular blog site Codexterous , which includes a wealth of posts outlining strategies for teaching English Literature and English Language as well as lots of resources.

Recent Posts

A Level Geography NEA: Everything you need to know

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the A Level Geography NEA? Learn how to structure your enquiry, master data analysis, and ace every section with expert guidance from an A Level Geography teacher and tutor. Ready to achieve top marks? Dive in now and conquer your NEA with confidence!

A Level Results Day 2024 and Clearing: A Parents' Guide

As A Level Results Day 2024 looms, anxiety grips students and parents alike. This guide equips you with essential information and valuable tips to navigate this pivotal day. Learn what UCAS has in store, decipher key terminology, and explore your child's options, whether they meet, exceed, or miss their expectations.

Metacognitive marking: Boosting student reflection

Boost student metacognition with 'blue sky highlighting'. Learn how this simple feedback strategy can transform your classroom, encouraging students to think deeply about their work and become more independent learners. Discover easy-to-implement techniques to make feedback more engaging and effective.

Search by Topic

• Behaviour (1)
• Diversity (1)
• Finances (4)
• Inspection and Observation (2)
• Leadership (1)
• Pedagogy (14)
• Planning and Organisation (3)
• Post-16 Options (7)
• Revision and Exams (13)
• Science Teaching (3)
• SEND Teaching (2)
• Study Skills (10)
• Tuition (9)
• University (11)
• Wellbeing (13)

Related Posts

Teacher CPD: Will yours be in the 1%?

Discover how to make your teacher CPD truly impactful with expert insights from Evidence Lead in Education, Jade Pearce. With only 1% of CPD changing teacher practice, learn 10 actionable strategies to ensure your professional development programs enhance both teacher performance and pupil outcomes.

How to build a positive classroom culture

Discover how to build a positive classroom culture with insights from a Senior Leader in Teaching and Learning. Learn effective strategies for fostering inclusivity, respect, and positivity. From establishing shared goals to promoting a mistake-friendly environment, create a mini community that thrives on mutual support and growth.

Join Our Community

Sign up to our monthly newsletter to be kept in the loop about new resources, blogs and more.

Our ambition is to guide students from secondary school into their adult life.

• Uni Admissions
• Bursary Scheme
• For Schools
• Revision Resources
• Computer Science
• Find a Tutor
• How it Works
• Teacher Resources
• Information
• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Safeguarding Policies

10 top tips for teaching creative writing

Teaching creative writing is one of my favourite things. I love the imaginative and weird ideas pupils come up with. But it’s hard, no doubt about that, and students can struggle to trust their creativity .

Teaching creative writing

So, here are my 10 tips for creative essays:

1. Get story ideas from the world around you

Read the paper to see what weird things are going on. Listen to strangers’ conversations and steal them. If you love history, write historical fiction. If you love science, write about the moon. Make it your own.

2. There are no rules here

Creative writing is personal and individual. Nobody should tell anybody what they can or can’t do. Having said that, the following suggestions are tried and tested. They will give most stories a bit of a boost.

Boring English essays: ‘No more essays on Cristiano Ronaldo’s ice bathing - please’

Quick read: ‘What my call centre job taught me about literacy’

Storytime:  The campaign to make sure every child gets a story

3. Avoid trying to cram in too many characters or action sequences

Two or three characters is plenty, I think, for a story that is going to be around 1,000 words. Be careful you don’t try to do too much in too short a space. No car chases or mad battle scenes.

4. Good stories rely on good characters

That’s it. If you don’t make us care about your character, it doesn’t matter what happens to them in the end. Make them authentic, with likes and dislikes, flaws and strengths. Show the good, the bad and the ugly.

5. Don’t dwell for too long on setting

Your word count won’t allow it. But do develop a bit of atmosphere by using the five senses to generate an authentic sense of place - what is there to hear, see, feel, smell? Place the reader there.

6. Ignore anybody who insists that stories must be structured a certain way to have merit, and suggests confusing labels like ‘exposition’, ‘rising action’ or ‘resolution’

They are wrong.

7. Think about introducing a dual timeline or narrative

This helps to develop structural complexity. Using flashback sequences is an excellent way to make us care about a character. Switching between narrators is an excellent way to demonstrate adaptability.

8. Symbolism is an important and easy technique to feature

Introduce a recurring physical object (a pocket watch, for example) and make it represent something abstract (love for a lost grandparent). All of a sudden, you’ve got a lot more emotional depth.

9. Dialogue should be a representation of speech, not a direct copy

Leave out all the “um, er, ah” bits. They rarely work. Ask yourself what the character wants to communicate, and write is as simply as possible.

10. Edit and redraft until you are sick of it

For every sentence, ask yourself,  “does this develop character, explore theme or enhance the plot?” If it does none of these, it may be unnecessary. Cut it. There are apps you can use to help edit successfully.

Alan Gillespie is principal teacher of English at Fernhill School in Glasgow

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

• Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
• Exclusive subscriber-only stories
• Award-winning email newsletters

Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students

MASTERING THE CRAFT OF NARRATIVE WRITING

Narratives build on and encourage the development of the fundamentals of writing. They also require developing an additional skill set: the ability to tell a good yarn, and storytelling is as old as humanity.

We see and hear stories everywhere and daily, from having good gossip on the doorstep with a neighbor in the morning to the dramas that fill our screens in the evening.

Good narrative writing skills are hard-won by students even though it is an area of writing that most enjoy due to the creativity and freedom it offers.

Here we will explore some of the main elements of a good story: plot, setting, characters, conflict, climax, and resolution . And we will look too at how best we can help our students understand these elements, both in isolation and how they mesh together as a whole.

WHAT IS A NARRATIVE?

A narrative is a story that shares a sequence of events , characters, and themes. It expresses experiences, ideas, and perspectives that should aspire to engage and inspire an audience.

A narrative can spark emotion, encourage reflection, and convey meaning when done well.

Narratives are a popular genre for students and teachers as they allow the writer to share their imagination, creativity, skill, and understanding of nearly all elements of writing.  We occasionally refer to a narrative as ‘creative writing’ or story writing.

The purpose of a narrative is simple, to tell the audience a story.  It can be written to motivate, educate, or entertain and can be fact or fiction.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING NARRATIVE WRITING

Teach your students to become skilled story writers with this HUGE   NARRATIVE & CREATIVE STORY WRITING UNIT . Offering a  COMPLETE SOLUTION  to teaching students how to craft  CREATIVE CHARACTERS, SUPERB SETTINGS, and PERFECT PLOTS .

Over 192 PAGES of materials, including:

TYPES OF NARRATIVE WRITING

There are many narrative writing genres and sub-genres such as these.

We have a complete guide to writing a personal narrative that differs from the traditional story-based narrative covered in this guide. It includes personal narrative writing prompts, resources, and examples and can be found here.

As we can see, narratives are an open-ended form of writing that allows you to showcase creativity in many directions. However, all narratives share a common set of features and structure known as “Story Elements”, which are briefly covered in this guide.

Don’t overlook the importance of understanding story elements and the value this adds to you as a writer who can dissect and create grand narratives. We also have an in-depth guide to understanding story elements here .

CHARACTERISTICS OF NARRATIVE WRITING

Narrative structure.

ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Set the scene by introducing your characters, setting and time of the story. Establish your who, when and where in this part of your narrative

COMPLICATION AND EVENTS (MIDDLE) In this section activities and events involving your main characters are expanded upon. These events are written in a cohesive and fluent sequence.

RESOLUTION (ENDING) Your complication is resolved in this section. It does not have to be a happy outcome, however.

EXTRAS: Whilst orientation, complication and resolution are the agreed norms for a narrative, there are numerous examples of popular texts that did not explicitly follow this path exactly.

NARRATIVE FEATURES

LANGUAGE: Use descriptive and figurative language to paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read.

PERSPECTIVE Narratives can be written from any perspective but are most commonly written in first or third person.

DIALOGUE Narratives frequently switch from narrator to first-person dialogue. Always use speech marks when writing dialogue.

TENSE If you change tense, make it perfectly clear to your audience what is happening. Flashbacks might work well in your mind but make sure they translate to your audience.

THE PLOT MAP

This graphic is known as a plot map, and nearly all narratives fit this structure in one way or another, whether romance novels, science fiction or otherwise.

It is a simple tool that helps you understand and organise a story’s events. Think of it as a roadmap that outlines the journey of your characters and the events that unfold. It outlines the different stops along the way, such as the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, that help you to see how the story builds and develops.

Using a plot map, you can see how each event fits into the larger picture and how the different parts of the story work together to create meaning. It’s a great way to visualize and analyze a story.

Be sure to refer to a plot map when planning a story, as it has all the essential elements of a great story.

THE 5 KEY STORY ELEMENTS OF A GREAT NARRATIVE (6-MINUTE TUTORIAL VIDEO)

This video we created provides an excellent overview of these elements and demonstrates them in action in stories we all know and love.

HOW TO WRITE A NARRATIVE

Now that we understand the story elements and how they come together to form stories, it’s time to start planning and writing your narrative.

In many cases, the template and guide below will provide enough details on how to craft a great story. However, if you still need assistance with the fundamentals of writing, such as sentence structure, paragraphs and using correct grammar, we have some excellent guides on those here.

USE YOUR WRITING TIME EFFECTIVELY: Maximize your narrative writing sessions by spending approximately 20 per cent of your time planning and preparing.  This ensures greater productivity during your writing time and keeps you focused and on task.

Use tools such as graphic organizers to logically sequence your narrative if you are not a confident story writer.  If you are working with reluctant writers, try using narrative writing prompts to get their creative juices flowing.

Spend most of your writing hour on the task at hand, don’t get too side-tracked editing during this time and leave some time for editing. When editing a  narrative, examine it for these three elements.

• Spelling and grammar ( Is it readable?)
• Story structure and continuity ( Does it make sense, and does it flow? )
• Character and plot analysis. (Are your characters engaging? Does your problem/resolution work? )

1. SETTING THE SCENE: THE WHERE AND THE WHEN

The story’s setting often answers two of the central questions in the story, namely, the where and the when. The answers to these two crucial questions will often be informed by the type of story the student is writing.

The story’s setting can be chosen to quickly orient the reader to the type of story they are reading. For example, a fictional narrative writing piece such as a horror story will often begin with a description of a haunted house on a hill or an abandoned asylum in the middle of the woods. If we start our story on a rocket ship hurtling through the cosmos on its space voyage to the Alpha Centauri star system, we can be reasonably sure that the story we are embarking on is a work of science fiction.

Such conventions are well-worn clichés true, but they can be helpful starting points for our novice novelists to make a start.

Having students choose an appropriate setting for the type of story they wish to write is an excellent exercise for our younger students. It leads naturally onto the next stage of story writing, which is creating suitable characters to populate this fictional world they have created. However, older or more advanced students may wish to play with the expectations of appropriate settings for their story. They may wish to do this for comic effect or in the interest of creating a more original story. For example, opening a story with a children’s birthday party does not usually set up the expectation of a horror story. Indeed, it may even lure the reader into a happy reverie as they remember their own happy birthday parties. This leaves them more vulnerable to the surprise element of the shocking action that lies ahead.

Once the students have chosen a setting for their story, they need to start writing. Little can be more terrifying to English students than the blank page and its bare whiteness stretching before them on the table like a merciless desert they must cross. Give them the kick-start they need by offering support through word banks or writing prompts. If the class is all writing a story based on the same theme, you may wish to compile a common word bank on the whiteboard as a prewriting activity. Write the central theme or genre in the middle of the board. Have students suggest words or phrases related to the theme and list them on the board.

You may wish to provide students with a copy of various writing prompts to get them started. While this may mean that many students’ stories will have the same beginning, they will most likely arrive at dramatically different endings via dramatically different routes.

A bargain is at the centre of the relationship between the writer and the reader. That bargain is that the reader promises to suspend their disbelief as long as the writer creates a consistent and convincing fictional reality. Creating a believable world for the fictional characters to inhabit requires the student to draw on convincing details. The best way of doing this is through writing that appeals to the senses. Have your student reflect deeply on the world that they are creating. What does it look like? Sound like? What does the food taste like there? How does it feel like to walk those imaginary streets, and what aromas beguile the nose as the main character winds their way through that conjured market?

Also, Consider the when; or the time period. Is it a future world where things are cleaner and more antiseptic? Or is it an overcrowded 16th-century London with human waste stinking up the streets? If students can create a multi-sensory installation in the reader’s mind, then they have done this part of their job well.

Popular Settings from Children’s Literature and Storytelling

• Fairytale Kingdom
• Magical Forest
• Village/town
• Underwater world
• Space/Alien planet

2. CASTING THE CHARACTERS: THE WHO

Now that your student has created a believable world, it is time to populate it with believable characters.

In short stories, these worlds mustn’t be overpopulated beyond what the student’s skill level can manage. Short stories usually only require one main character and a few secondary ones. Think of the short story more as a small-scale dramatic production in an intimate local theater than a Hollywood blockbuster on a grand scale. Too many characters will only confuse and become unwieldy with a canvas this size. Keep it simple!

Creating believable characters is often one of the most challenging aspects of narrative writing for students. Fortunately, we can do a few things to help students here. Sometimes it is helpful for students to model their characters on actual people they know. This can make things a little less daunting and taxing on the imagination. However, whether or not this is the case, writing brief background bios or descriptions of characters’ physical personality characteristics can be a beneficial prewriting activity. Students should give some in-depth consideration to the details of who their character is: How do they walk? What do they look like? Do they have any distinguishing features? A crooked nose? A limp? Bad breath? Small details such as these bring life and, therefore, believability to characters. Students can even cut pictures from magazines to put a face to their character and allow their imaginations to fill in the rest of the details.

Younger students will often dictate to the reader the nature of their characters. To improve their writing craft, students must know when to switch from story-telling mode to story-showing mode. This is particularly true when it comes to character. Encourage students to reveal their character’s personality through what they do rather than merely by lecturing the reader on the faults and virtues of the character’s personality. It might be a small relayed detail in the way they walk that reveals a core characteristic. For example, a character who walks with their head hanging low and shoulders hunched while avoiding eye contact has been revealed to be timid without the word once being mentioned. This is a much more artistic and well-crafted way of doing things and is less irritating for the reader. A character who sits down at the family dinner table immediately snatches up his fork and starts stuffing roast potatoes into his mouth before anyone else has even managed to sit down has revealed a tendency towards greed or gluttony.

Understanding Character Traits

Again, there is room here for some fun and profitable prewriting activities. Give students a list of character traits and have them describe a character doing something that reveals that trait without ever employing the word itself.

It is also essential to avoid adjective stuffing here. When looking at students’ early drafts, adjective stuffing is often apparent. To train the student out of this habit, choose an adjective and have the student rewrite the sentence to express this adjective through action rather than telling.

When writing a story, it is vital to consider the character’s traits and how they will impact the story’s events. For example, a character with a strong trait of determination may be more likely to overcome obstacles and persevere. In contrast, a character with a tendency towards laziness may struggle to achieve their goals. In short, character traits add realism, depth, and meaning to a story, making it more engaging and memorable for the reader.

Popular Character Traits in Children’s Stories

• Determination
• Imagination
• Perseverance
• Responsibility

We have an in-depth guide to creating great characters here , but most students should be fine to move on to planning their conflict and resolution.

3. NO PROBLEM? NO STORY! HOW CONFLICT DRIVES A NARRATIVE

This is often the area apprentice writers have the most difficulty with. Students must understand that without a problem or conflict, there is no story. The problem is the driving force of the action. Usually, in a short story, the problem will center around what the primary character wants to happen or, indeed, wants not to happen. It is the hurdle that must be overcome. It is in the struggle to overcome this hurdle that events happen.

Often when a student understands the need for a problem in a story, their completed work will still not be successful. This is because, often in life, problems remain unsolved. Hurdles are not always successfully overcome. Students pick up on this.

We often discuss problems with friends that will never be satisfactorily resolved one way or the other, and we accept this as a part of life. This is not usually the case with writing a story. Whether a character successfully overcomes his or her problem or is decidedly crushed in the process of trying is not as important as the fact that it will finally be resolved one way or the other.

A good practical exercise for students to get to grips with this is to provide copies of stories and have them identify the central problem or conflict in each through discussion. Familiar fables or fairy tales such as Three Little Pigs, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Cinderella, etc., are great for this.

While it is true that stories often have more than one problem or that the hero or heroine is unsuccessful in their first attempt to solve a central problem, for beginning students and intermediate students, it is best to focus on a single problem, especially given the scope of story writing at this level. Over time students will develop their abilities to handle more complex plots and write accordingly.

Popular Conflicts found in Children’s Storytelling.

• Good vs evil
• Individual vs society
• Nature vs nurture
• Self vs others
• Man vs self
• Man vs nature
• Man vs technology
• Individual vs fate
• Self vs destiny

Conflict is the heart and soul of any good story. It’s what makes a story compelling and drives the plot forward. Without conflict, there is no story. Every great story has a struggle or a problem that needs to be solved, and that’s where conflict comes in. Conflict is what makes a story exciting and keeps the reader engaged. It creates tension and suspense and makes the reader care about the outcome.

Like in real life, conflict in a story is an opportunity for a character’s growth and transformation. It’s a chance for them to learn and evolve, making a story great. So next time stories are written in the classroom, remember that conflict is an essential ingredient, and without it, your story will lack the energy, excitement, and meaning that makes it truly memorable.

4. THE NARRATIVE CLIMAX: HOW THINGS COME TO A HEAD!

The climax of the story is the dramatic high point of the action. It is also when the struggles kicked off by the problem come to a head. The climax will ultimately decide whether the story will have a happy or tragic ending. In the climax, two opposing forces duke things out until the bitter (or sweet!) end. One force ultimately emerges triumphant. As the action builds throughout the story, suspense increases as the reader wonders which of these forces will win out. The climax is the release of this suspense.

Much of the success of the climax depends on how well the other elements of the story have been achieved. If the student has created a well-drawn and believable character that the reader can identify with and feel for, then the climax will be more powerful.

The nature of the problem is also essential as it determines what’s at stake in the climax. The problem must matter dearly to the main character if it matters at all to the reader.

Have students engage in discussions about their favorite movies and books. Have them think about the storyline and decide the most exciting parts. What was at stake at these moments? What happened in your body as you read or watched? Did you breathe faster? Or grip the cushion hard? Did your heart rate increase, or did you start to sweat? This is what a good climax does and what our students should strive to do in their stories.

The climax puts it all on the line and rolls the dice. Let the chips fall where the writer may…

Popular Climax themes in Children’s Stories

• A battle between good and evil
• The character’s bravery saves the day
• Character faces their fears and overcomes them
• The character solves a mystery or puzzle.
• The character stands up for what is right.
• Character reaches their goal or dream.
• The character learns a valuable lesson.
• The character makes a selfless sacrifice.
• The character makes a difficult decision.
• The character reunites with loved ones or finds true friendship.

5. RESOLUTION: TYING UP LOOSE ENDS

After the climactic action, a few questions will often remain unresolved for the reader, even if all the conflict has been resolved. The resolution is where those lingering questions will be answered. The resolution in a short story may only be a brief paragraph or two. But, in most cases, it will still be necessary to include an ending immediately after the climax can feel too abrupt and leave the reader feeling unfulfilled.

An easy way to explain resolution to students struggling to grasp the concept is to point to the traditional resolution of fairy tales, the “And they all lived happily ever after” ending. This weather forecast for the future allows the reader to take their leave. Have the student consider the emotions they want to leave the reader with when crafting their resolution.

While the action is usually complete by the end of the climax, it is in the resolution that if there is a twist to be found, it will appear – think of movies such as The Usual Suspects. Pulling this off convincingly usually requires considerable skill from a student writer. Still, it may well form a challenging extension exercise for those more gifted storytellers among your students.

Popular Resolutions in Children’s Stories

• Our hero achieves their goal
• The character learns a valuable lesson
• A character finds happiness or inner peace.
• The character reunites with loved ones.
• Character restores balance to the world.
• The character discovers their true identity.
• Character changes for the better.
• The character gains wisdom or understanding.
• Character makes amends with others.
• The character learns to appreciate what they have.

Once students have completed their story, they can edit for grammar, vocabulary choice, spelling, etc., but not before!

As mentioned, there is a craft to storytelling, as well as an art. When accurate grammar, perfect spelling, and immaculate sentence structures are pushed at the outset, they can cause storytelling paralysis. For this reason, it is essential that when we encourage the students to write a story, we give them license to make mechanical mistakes in their use of language that they can work on and fix later.

Good narrative writing is a very complex skill to develop and will take the student years to become competent. It challenges not only the student’s technical abilities with language but also her creative faculties. Writing frames, word banks, mind maps, and visual prompts can all give valuable support as students develop the wide-ranging and challenging skills required to produce a successful narrative writing piece. But, at the end of it all, as with any craft, practice and more practice is at the heart of the matter.

TIPS FOR WRITING A GREAT NARRATIVE

• Start your story with a clear purpose: If you can determine the theme or message you want to convey in your narrative before starting it will make the writing process so much simpler.
• Choose a compelling storyline and sell it through great characters, setting and plot: Consider a unique or interesting story that captures the reader’s attention, then build the world and characters around it.
• Develop vivid characters that are not all the same: Make your characters relatable and memorable by giving them distinct personalities and traits you can draw upon in the plot.
• Use descriptive language to hook your audience into your story: Use sensory language to paint vivid images and sequences in the reader’s mind.
• Show, don’t tell your audience: Use actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal character motivations and emotions through storytelling.
• Create a vivid setting that is clear to your audience before getting too far into the plot: Describe the time and place of your story to immerse the reader fully.
• Build tension: Refer to the story map earlier in this article and use conflict, obstacles, and suspense to keep the audience engaged and invested in your narrative.
• Use figurative language such as metaphors, similes, and other literary devices to add depth and meaning to your narrative.
• Edit, revise, and refine: Take the time to refine and polish your writing for clarity and impact.
• Stay true to your voice: Maintain your unique perspective and style in your writing to make it your own.

NARRATIVE WRITING EXAMPLES (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of narratives.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to read these creative stories in detail and the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the critical elements of narratives to consider before writing.

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of story writing.

We recommend reading the example either a year above or below, as well as the grade you are currently working with, to gain a broader appreciation of this text type.

NARRATIVE WRITING PROMPTS (Journal Prompts)

When students have a great journal prompt, it can help them focus on the task at hand, so be sure to view our vast collection of visual writing prompts for various text types here or use some of these.

• On a recent European trip, you find your travel group booked into the stunning and mysterious Castle Frankenfurter for a single night…  As night falls, the massive castle of over one hundred rooms seems to creak and groan as a series of unexplained events begin to make you wonder who or what else is spending the evening with you. Write a narrative that tells the story of your evening.
• You are a famous adventurer who has discovered new lands; keep a travel log over a period of time in which you encounter new and exciting adventures and challenges to overcome.  Ensure your travel journal tells a story and has a definite introduction, conflict and resolution.
• You create an incredible piece of technology that has the capacity to change the world.  As you sit back and marvel at your innovation and the endless possibilities ahead of you, it becomes apparent there are a few problems you didn’t really consider. You might not even be able to control them.  Write a narrative in which you ride the highs and lows of your world-changing creation with a clear introduction, conflict and resolution.
• As the final door shuts on the Megamall, you realise you have done it…  You and your best friend have managed to sneak into the largest shopping centre in town and have the entire place to yourselves until 7 am tomorrow.  There is literally everything and anything a child would dream of entertaining themselves for the next 12 hours.  What amazing adventures await you?  What might go wrong?  And how will you get out of there scot-free?
• A stranger walks into town…  Whilst appearing similar to almost all those around you, you get a sense that this person is from another time, space or dimension… Are they friends or foes?  What makes you sense something very strange is going on?   Suddenly they stand up and walk toward you with purpose extending their hand… It’s almost as if they were reading your mind.

NARRATIVE WRITING VIDEO TUTORIAL

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

When teaching narrative writing, it is essential that you have a range of tools, strategies and resources at your disposal to ensure you get the most out of your writing time.  You can find some examples below, which are free and paid premium resources you can use instantly without any preparation.

FREE Narrative Graphic Organizer

THE STORY TELLERS BUNDLE OF TEACHING RESOURCES

A MASSIVE COLLECTION of resources for narratives and story writing in the classroom covering all elements of crafting amazing stories. MONTHS WORTH OF WRITING LESSONS AND RESOURCES, including:

NARRATIVE WRITING CHECKLIST BUNDLE

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (92 Reviews)

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES ABOUT NARRATIVE WRITING

Narrative Writing for Kids: Essential Skills and Strategies

7 Great Narrative Lesson Plans Students and Teachers Love

Top 7 Narrative Writing Exercises for Students

How to Write a Scary Story

Creative Writing for Kids: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Story

Creative writing can be a real positive force for children’s lives and development, but how does a child get started with creative writing? There are many ways, but it can often be helpful to have a structure to work from, so we’ve outlined some simple steps on how your child can write a story and enjoy themselves in the process! As they brainstorm, a lot of ideas will come to mind, so we recommend they take notes throughout the process.

What is creative writing?

Creative writing is an expressive form of writing that allows children to explore their thoughts, ideas, and emotions in an imaginative way. Unlike academic or factual writing , creative writing encourages children to use their imagination to invent characters , settings , and plots , fostering a love for storytelling and self-expression.

In creative writing, children have the freedom to write stories , poems , letters , and even scripts for their own movies. It's an opportunity for them to unleash their creativity, experiment with language, and develop their unique voice as writers. Through creative writing, children learn to think critically, problem-solve, and communicate effectively, all while having fun and exploring their creativity.

Encouraging creative writing at home or as part of homeschooling not only helps children develop their writing skills but also nurtures their imagination and confidence.

Getting started

Your child may not be quite ready to start, and that’s normal - writing can be challenging!

Instead of jumping straight in, ease your child into it with activities like free writing. This will allow them to explore any topic without pressure, acting as a way to boost your child’s imagination before they start writing stories .

If your child is a reluctant writer, you can try different methods that don’t actively require them to put pen to paper, but are linked to creativity and storytelling. These include drawing , picking out new children’s books from the local library, telling stories out loud, or dedicating time to read your child’s favorite books as a family. Generally, reading lays the foundation for your child to be able to create their own stories, improving their narrative writing skills by exposing them to different techniques, genres, and styles.

When all else fails, encourage your child to read more. The more that your child reads, the easier it will be for them to start writing.

Step 1: Character development

Creating a character is a great starting point for your child to write their own story.

This character can be whatever your child wants them to be. They can be a human, an animal, a mystical creature, or something completely made-up! Once they have a general idea of what they want this character to be, they can brainstorm different plot points, which will further inform the characters traits, behaviours, and role in the story.

Here are some questions your child should be able to answer about their character:

• What is going on in this character’s life?
• Do they have a problem that they need to fix?
• Who are they interacting with in this story?
• How do they feel about other characters, and about the issue at hand?

A story normally relies on one character to be the hero, and on another to be the villain. The villain is typically portrayed as a negative character who introduces a problem (the antagonist), and the hero is a positive character who solves the problems (the protagonist). Once your child creates their main character, they should establish their role within the story. Are they writing from the perspective of the hero, or would they prefer to give the villain of the story a voice?

From there, they can create side characters! These are typically parents, siblings, and friends of the main character, but can also be total strangers. If your child is stuck on how to build their first character, they can use writing prompts to make it a little easier. Try this prompt:

Prompt: Create a character that is half dog, and half elephant and call it a Doggophant! What does a Doggophant like to eat?

Step 2: Setting and genre

The next step in your child’s creative writing process is to choose where it takes place . They should also decide the genre of their story, as some settings won’t work for some specific genres (for example, a sunny beach wouldn’t pair well with a moody mystery).

This story’s setting could be a real location, such as London, Paris, or New York, or a fictional location, like an enchanted forest or an underwater kingdom.

A helpful way to start brainstorming is to ask your child about places they’ve been to, seen on TV, or read about in stories. This is a chance for them to imagine how their story would look like in different settings, and will help them decide on the genre they’d like to go for too.

Prompt (continued): Where does a Doggophant usually live? Is it a magical Night Zoo?

Step 3: Structure and plot

Before starting to plan the plot, your child should understand the basic structure of a story . All good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

The beginning serves as a way to introduce characters, set the scene, and show the "calm before the storm”. This happens before a conflict is introduced.

The middle of a story is where most of the action takes place. This is where your child should introduce the main problem, and the main character’s journey of trying to solve it.

Finally, the ending or conclusion of the story is where, normally, the conflict is resolved. This can change depending on how your child wants to end their story!

Prompt (continued): Doggophants love when people visit the Night Zoo, but a new character named Lord Nulth is trying to steal all of the creativity in the Zoo! Does Lord Nulth sound like a nice person? Why would he want to steal creativity? How will Doggophant and other animals stop him?

Step 4: Begin Writing

Now that all the planning is done, let’s get writing!

As your child starts to write, they’ll probably make changes and come up with new story ideas— this is normal and an integral part of the creative process.

It’s important that you offer your support throughout this process, especially if your child is a reluctant writer. While giving them space to concentrate, you can check-in every once in a while, offering help if they encounter any hurdles. Your role mirrors that of a writing prompt, providing your child with initial ideas and nudging them to develop their story further. This collaborative approach ensures their story unfolds organically, making the blank page a canvas for unlimited story possibilities!

Step 5: Keep Going!

One of the best things about creative writing is that it enables children to express themselves and grow in confidence with every story they craft. It pushes children to believe in the phrase "I can", as they embark on different writing exercises without the fear of failing or being held by the “what if’s”. As your child starts their journey through the exciting world of writing, it’s important to guide them in the right direction. Encourage them to not overthink and just write whatever comes to mind at first.

To keep the momentum, you can even set different goals, like writing different descriptions, drawing their main character, or brainstorming different story endings before writing the full story. For reluctant writers, setting small, attainable targets can make the process less overwhelming and more exciting. Avoid setting strict word counts or time limits, as these can add pressure and take the fun out of the writing experience.

It’s important to remember that progress isn’t linear, and that every child is unique. If they need to, you can allow your child to build their story gradually, creating a more fluid project that enables them to work when inspiration strikes. Once they finish their first story, you’ll probably see a change in their attitude, and a new motivation to write a different piece.

Creative writing can be a rewarding experience for you and your child. Make sure you give them positive encouragement, and to soak in the experience of reading the story once it has been completed. They’ll have created something one-of-a-kind, and it will give you an exciting look into their imagination!

Step 6: Try Night Zookeeper

Still having trouble getting your child motivated to write? You should try Night Zookeeper !

Our writing program for kids makes writing fantastically fun by turning different writing activities into games, keeping children engaged, entertained, and excited to learn!

We cover all styles of writing, and boost children’s writing skills using an array of different activities, including writing lessons, short story prompts, and challenges.

More creative writing activities

• 25 Creative Writing Prompts For Kids
• Writing Activities For Kids
• Story Writing Resources

Got any questions? Reach out to us via email at [email protected] . Follow us on social media:

Make Reading & Writing Fantastically Fun!

• Award-winning reading & writing program for kids
• Improves spelling, grammar, punctuation & vocabulary
• Over 1,000 different learning games and activities

“My Child Hates Writing.” What do I do?

How To Get Your Child To Love Writing

8 Fantastically Fun Writing Games For Kids

U.S/Canada 1.800.393.4636 | International 1.407.796.5200 | Contact Us

Live Courses

6 benefits of creative writing to help your children.

Creative writing is the art of expressing thoughts, feelings, and stories through written words. It includes various styles, including poetry, fiction, and even personal essays. 

For children, creative writing can start at an early age– as soon as they begin to form coherent sentences and have a basic understanding of language. 

Scientific research suggests that engaging in creative activities positively impacts children’s well-being. Encouraging children to engage in creative writing helps them explore their imagination, develop their linguistic skills, and express their emotions constructively. 

In this guide, we'll dig deep into the benefits of creative writing for children and highlight how it contributes to their cognitive, emotional, and social development. 

Let’s dive in.

Why Is It Important for Kids to Write?

Statistics show that reading helps develop your writing skills, but writing helps develop your cognitive growth, organizational abilities, and the power to influence others through persuasion.  

Put simply, writing powers the brain.

Further studies show that children who practice creative writing more often are generally better in other subjects too like math, science, and languages. Challenging themselves to come up with creative thoughts and problem-solving, builds the confidence and discipline students need to succeed in all areas of life.

Writing is more than just filling out worksheets or school assignments. It allows children to articulate their thoughts and ideas clearly and logically and convey messages effectively.

Here are several reasons why it is important for children to write:

• Improving literacy and language skills: The process of writing encourages children to pay attention to spelling, grammar, and sentence structure, which enhances their reading comprehension. It expands their vocabulary as they search for the right words to express their ideas which makes them better at reading..
• Developing critical thinking: Writing involves planning, organizing, and revising, which enhances critical thinking skills.
• Promotes emotional intelligence: Writing helps children understand and articulate their feelings, leading to better emotional regulation.
• Supports academic success: Strong writing skills are essential for academic success. Writing is a component of most school subjects, such as essays in language arts and explaining solutions in math. Good writing skills are also vital for standardized tests and college applications.
• Encourages lifelong learning: Writing creates a love for learning and intellectual curiosity. It encourages children to explore new topics, ask questions, and seek out information. Lifelong writing skills are important for personal communication and professional success.

Learning to write helps children develop strong writing skills which are important during their school years and professionally. It’s therefore necessary to nurture this skill from an early age. 

Benefits of Creative Writing for Children

Parents and educators should encourage their children to explore creative writing for positive growth and to build a love of learning. In the next sections, we'll explore the specific benefits of creative writing for children and provide practical tips to encourage young writers.

1. Imagination and Creativity

Creative writing stretches kids’ imaginations like a muscle. As they craft stories, they constantly face situations that demand unique solutions. It helps develop a child's imagination and creativity by allowing them to think beyond the confines of reality and explore limitless possibilities. 

Creative writing prompts children to come up with their own ideas, stories, and characters. This process stimulates their imagination as they create unique worlds and scenarios.

Children learn to think independently and explore various narrative possibilities by inventing plots and developing characters.

To further develop these skills, encourage them to write stories with unusual twists. For example:

• Encourage children to write a fairy tale about themselves and their sibling, friend, or pet. This allows them to create magical worlds and adventures, fostering imaginative thinking.
• Have children rewrite the ending of their favorite story or movie. This challenges them to think creatively about alternative plot developments and outcomes.
• Ask children to invent their own superhero character, complete with unique powers, a backstory, and a mission. This exercise stimulates their imagination as they design a new hero and their world.
• Prompt children to describe an imaginary place, such as an enchanted forest, an underwater city, or a futuristic space colony. This helps them practice using descriptive language and vivid imagery.

2. Self-Expression

Children often find it challenging to understand and express their emotions. Creative writing offers a safe outlet for children to explore and articulate their feelings. 

Writing allows children to recognize their feelings and experiences. By putting their emotions into words, they can better understand and process them.

Creative writing offers a non-judgmental space where children can freely express their thoughts and feelings without fear of criticism. This safe environment encourages honest and open self-expression, which is therapeutic and empowering..

Here are some ideas to improve self-expression skills through creative writing:

• Encourage children to write a letter to their parents or caregivers expressing their feelings and thoughts about a particular topic or event. This exercise will help them practice articulating their emotions and strengthen their communication skills.
• Suggest that children keep a journal where they write about their daily experiences. They can write about how they spent their weekends, vacations, or any significant events in their lives.
• Have children write poems about diff different emotions they experience, such as happiness, sadness, anger, or excitement. Encourage the use of descriptive language and imagery to convey their emotions vividly.It will allow them to explore and express these feelings creatively.
• Prompt children to write a dialogue between themselves and an imaginary friend or character. This will help them express their thoughts and feelings indirectly, making it easier to articulate difficult emotions.

3. Self-Confidence

Creative writing provides a platform for self-expression and personal storytelling by helping children develop their unique voices and assert their opinions. 

Writing allows children to express their thoughts, ideas, and opinions coherently. They gain a sense of validation and pride in their creative abilities when they see their ideas come to life.

Completing a piece of writing gives children a tangible sense of accomplishment, boosting their self-esteem and encouraging them to take pride in their work. Receiving positive feedback and recognition for their writing efforts further reinforces their feeling of achievement and confidence.

As children experiment with different styles and genres, they become more comfortable expressing their individuality and opinions. The development of a unique voice is crucial for building self-assurance in their abilities and ideas.

Here are some ideas to help children develop confidence through creative writing:

• Encourage children to write a short story about what they think needs to be improved in their household, school, or community. Discussing these stories can validate their ideas and show that their opinions are valued. It empowers them to voice their opinions and propose solutions.
• Ask children to write a letter to their future self, outlining their goals, dreams, and current feelings. It will help them reflect on their achievements and aspirations promoting self-worth.

The writing process allows children to witness their own growth firsthand. As they tackle different writing assignments and refine their skills, they can see a tangible difference in their work. This progress motivates them to keep learning and experimenting, boosting their confidence in their abilities.

4. Communication And Persuasion Skills

Creating a well-crafted piece requires considerable thought, planning, organization, and effective use of language to convey a message. It’s a great practice for kids to lay out their thoughts and try to clearly convince someone of their point of view.

Through writing, children learn to convey their ideas clearly and compellingly, which is crucial for effective interpersonal interactions and influencing others. 

Writing teaches children to organize and express their thoughts logically. Structuring narratives, essays, or arguments helps them learn how to introduce, develop, and conclude their points, which is essential for persuasive communication.

When children write to persuade, they practice appealing to their audience’s emotions, credibility, and logic. Crafting persuasive arguments helps them understand the importance of evidence and reasoning in convincing others.

Creative writing enhances children's ability to choose words that best convey their message. Having a rich vocabulary is essential for effective communication. They learn to use descriptive language, analogies, and metaphors to make their writing more compelling and engaging.

Here are ideas to improve communication and persuasion skills:

• Encourage children to write a detailed plan for their perfect day at school or home. They should assign tasks to friends or family members and explain why each task is important for making the day perfect. This will help them practice organizing their thoughts and persuading others to participate in their vision.
• Organize group projects where children collaborate to create a persuasive campaign for a cause they support, like writing scripts, creating posters, or producing videos. Working in groups helps them practice persuasive communication and teamwork, learning to articulate their ideas and listen to others.
• Challenge them to write public service announcements on important issues like environmental protection or healthy habits. This will teach them to consider a broader audience and craft compelling messages to inspire action.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others and is a crucial aspect of emotional intelligence. Creative writing enhances a child's empathy development by allowing them to explore diverse perspectives and emotions through practice and experimentation.

Writing stories or characters from various viewpoints helps children step into others' shoes. They imagine how different characters feel and think therefore developing a deeper understanding of various experiences and emotions.

Writing about emotions and experiences encourages children to articulate and recognize different feelings. The process helps them become more attuned to their own emotions and those of others.

Understanding and expressing a range of emotions in writing fosters emotional intelligence, making children more empathetic in real-life interactions. They learn to see beyond surface behaviors and understand underlying emotions and motivations.

To improve empathy skills, you can:

• Encourage children to write a letter to someone they have wronged or hurt. They should express their feelings, acknowledge their actions, and empathize with the other person's perspective.
• Ask children to write diary entries from the perspective of a historical figure, fictional character, or an inanimate object. This allows them to explore the emotions and experiences of someone vastly different from themselves.

6. Multitasking Skills

Creative writing can enhance a child's multitasking skills by requiring them to juggle various elements such as plot, character development, and descriptive language simultaneously. 

This helps them become adept at switching between different tasks and managing multiple aspects of a project efficiently. As they go through the creative process, they develop the ability to handle various responsibilities and transitions more effectively.

Writing a story involves managing several components at once, such as setting the scene, developing characters, and advancing the plot. It helps children practice keeping track of various details and tasks simultaneously.

Creative writing requires the use of both imaginative thinking and technical writing skills. Children must switch between brainstorming ideas, organizing their thoughts, and fine-tuning their language and grammar. The constant shifting between creative and analytical tasks helps improve their ability to multitask and manage different types of activities efficiently.

To improve their multitasking skills:

• Encourage children to write about their experiences, such as a weekend adventure or a day at school, and illustrate their stories with drawings. The activity will help them practice switching between writing and drawing tasks. It will enhance their ability to manage multiple aspects of a project, fostering better multitasking skills.
• Have children create storyboards for their writing projects. It involves planning scenes and dialogue visually before writing them out. This will help them organize their thoughts and manage different components of their story simultaneously. Storyboarding teaches children to think ahead and juggle various creative tasks, improving their ability to multitask.

Creative Writing Types

There are many different forms of creative writing with unique opportunities for self-expression and skill development. We recommend children try several different types until they find the one that suits them best. 

Exploring various forms of creative writing can help children discover their strengths and ignite their imagination. 

Here are some common types of creative writing and what they involve:

• Poetry: Expressing ideas and emotions through a form of verse. It often uses rhythm, rhyme, and vivid imagery to convey deep feelings and thoughts.
• Song lyrics: Combines poetic elements with musical rhythm and melody. It allows children to express themselves through words meant to be sung, often focusing on themes like love, life, and personal experiences.
• Diaries: Personal journals where children can write about their daily experiences, thoughts, and feelings. This type of writing encourages regular reflection and emotional expression.
• Plays/screenplays: Writing plays or screenplays involves creating dialogue and scenes for characters in a story meant to be performed. This form emphasizes character development, dialogue, and dramatic structure.
• Personal essays: These are non-fiction pieces where children write about their own experiences, opinions, and reflections. This type helps develop their narrative voice and ability to articulate personal insights.
• Short fiction: Creating short stories with a beginning, middle, and end. It allows children to explore storytelling, character creation, and plot development in a concise format.
• Letters: Writing letters teaches children to communicate their thoughts and feelings to others in a structured format. It can be a heartfelt way to connect with friends, family, or even imaginary correspondents.
• Free writing: Writing continuously without worrying about grammar, structure, or topic. It’s a way to unleash creativity and explore thoughts freely, often leading to new ideas and inspiration.
• Speeches: Helps children learn to express their ideas and persuade an audience. It involves structuring arguments, using rhetorical devices, and practicing public speaking skills.

There's no single path to becoming a great writer. The key is to explore different styles and find the one that ignites your child's imagination and allows their unique voice to shine. Encourage your child to experiment, have fun, and express themselves through the written word.

Creative Writing Exercises

There are many exercises that boost creativity in children. These activities help stimulate their imagination and improve their writing skills in fun and engaging ways. 

Here are some creative writing exercises:

• Brainstorm creative ideas: Encourage children to take a few minutes to write down as many creative ideas as they can think of. These can be story ideas, character names, or even interesting settings. This exercise helps them practice thinking quickly and creatively.
• Create slogans: Have children come up with catchy slogans for imaginary products or causes. This activity teaches them to use concise and persuasive language, sparking creativity in a fun way.
• Write your friend’s/family member’s story: Ask children to write a short story about a friend or family member. They can imagine an adventure or a special event involving that person, which helps them practice character development and empathy.
• Write a blog: Set up a blog where children can regularly post about topics they are passionate about, such as hobbies, favorite books, or daily experiences. This encourages consistent writing and self-expression.
• Describe your surroundings: Have children sit quietly and describe their current surroundings in detail. It will allow them to practice observational skills and descriptive writing, enhancing their ability to create vivid imagery in their stories.
• Give life to your favorite toy: Encourage children to write a story in which their dearest toy comes to life. They can create adventures and personalities for the toy, promoting creativity and imaginative play.
• Write a speech for your pet: Ask children to imagine that their pet can talk and write a speech from the pet’s perspective. This helps them practice empathy and develop a unique voice for their writing.

These are just a few ideas to get them started. With a little encouragement and exploration, your child can discover the joy of creative writing and open up endless storytelling possibilities.

Connecting Things Through Creativity

Creativity seems to diminish as we get older. Those crazy stories of fairy tale princesses battling ferocious dragons to save the town later turn into business prose. 

So, encourage your children to write, to be creative, and to use their imagination, and then praise them when they do. 

Build their confidence to clearly communicate their point of view, their thoughts, and their feelings. 

When you develop their creative writing skills, you are not only enriching their childhood but also equipping them with essential tools for their future. Embrace their creativity today to help them become confident, expressive, and empathetic individuals tomorrow.

Professional Development made simple

We offer flexible classes that address the needs of teachers and schools to support today’s classrooms and increase student success

Latest posts

25 resources to improve teacher staff development, teaching tolerance: how educators help build inclusive classrooms in 2024, sign up for our newsletter.

Professional Development

Useful links.

© 2024 • Simple K12 – A Teachers of Tomorrow Company • All rights reserved.