We could all use a little encouragement along our writing journeys.

Okay, sometimes we need a lot of encouragement. I know I need it, and I have been writing all my life! 

Writing Is Hard

It can be so easy to get discouraged with our writing, even for us adults. Even writer Ernest Hemingway said it was like sitting down at the typewriter and… bleeding. We may struggle in so many ways – with handwriting, typing skills, spelling, and grammar, and these can work to hold us back. It can be difficult to focus, flesh out ideas, stick with a train of thought, or even come up with an idea in the first place. If you have ever had difficulty with any of these things, it’s safe to say your kids probably have, too. 

Think about the ways you have struggled with writing throughout your life. What were your setbacks? What do you struggle with today… or what eventually stopped you from writing completely?

The truth is: if we want our kids to write, we need to set an example: 

We need to write.

    Yes, we need to let our kids see us write. 

It doesn’t have to be a novel. It doesn’t have to even be fiction. Maybe you write a letter, or a journal entry, or write down a childhood or family memory to share with your kids. Or maybe if your kids are responding to a poem or a story or a writing prompt, you sit down with them and write your own response. The two of you can compare what you’ve written later and have a good discussion. 

Demonstrating the Importance of Writing 

How many times have we heard kids complain about how they’ll never use math later in their lives? Well, what about writing? 

Think about how much the average adult writes these days. Is the majority of it over email, text, or social media? Is the rest all at work? 

I want to encourage you to write creatively and/or expressively over the next week – for your kids – and for yourself, too! Here are just a few ways you can: 

Ways We Can Incorporate More Writing Into Our Own Lives 

• Pick up a notebook or a journal at the store and make a habit of writing in it every day. 

• Write down memorable things your kids do. 

• Write down childhood memories of your own. 

• Write your kids’ birth stories.

• Make a list of things you’re grateful for.

• Keep a morning or evening diary. 

• Make a list of places you’ve been or places you’d like to visit. 

• Write the story of your favorite family trip. 

• Write that short story you’ve had in your head for years. 

• Continue a story you started ages ago. 

• Journal your daily thoughts.