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Ideas for teenage would-be writer???



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 1st 07, 11:56 PM posted to misc.kids
motherbear
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Posts: 3
Default Ideas for teenage would-be writer???


My 16yo son wants to be a (fantacy/sci fi) writer. He's working on a
novel and writes stories that are
well-received by the readers (probably teen-age boys) on the web site
he posts them on.

Could anyone give me some ideas for supporting this interest? If he
were into music or sports,
I'd know what to do. For writing, the only thing I can think of is a
course, either on-line or at a local
college, but he's already in a fairly intense high school program, so
something that is less school-like
would be better.

Thanks much.



  #2  
Old December 2nd 07, 02:48 AM posted to misc.kids
Beth Kevles
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Posts: 269
Default Ideas for teenage would-be writer???


Hi --

One of my sons is also an avid writer. He's only allowed to write
fiction when he's completed his other work. (This has been an incentive
both to write AND to get his other work done!) We've let him take the
occasional writing class, he participates in his school's literary
journal, and he's made his writing social by having other kids read his
work and sometimes illustrate it.

Although some people think that submitting work for publication (and
there are quite a few publications for teens) or to contests is
incentive, we've found that the social aspect of writing: collaborating
with other teens on plot, editing and illustration, geting positive
feedback from other people (regardless of age) and the intrinsic
satisfaction of writing are the best incentives we've found.

What NOT to do is over-edit your son's work. You can point out aspects
of plot or character development that you enjoy, point out the
occasional problem in a piece, but don't overdo it! Teen egos can be
pretty fragile, and you don't want your son abandoning a piece of
writing based on your feedback. Instead, you want him to be encouraged
about what he CAN do, and work to fix the problems that he can handle.

Finally, make sure he has access to a lot of literature (not just SF/F)
and literary criticism (not of his own work, but of famous works) so
that he continues to build his critical reading skills. Those will help
him learn to criticize his own writing so that he continues to develop
his writing and self-editing skills.

I hope these ideas help.
--Beth Kevles
-THE-COM-HERE
http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the GMAIL one if you would
like me to reply.
  #3  
Old December 4th 07, 07:25 PM posted to misc.kids
motherbear
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default Ideas for teenage would-be writer???

On Dec 1, 8:48 pm, (Beth Kevles) wrote:
Hi --

One of my sons is also an avid writer. He's only allowed to write
fiction when he's completed his other work. (This has been an incentive
both to write AND to get his other work done!) We've let him take the
occasional writing class, he participates in his school's literary
journal, and he's made his writing social by having other kids read his
work and sometimes illustrate it.

Although some people think that submitting work for publication (and
there are quite a few publications for teens) or to contests is
incentive, we've found that the social aspect of writing: collaborating
with other teens on plot, editing and illustration, geting positive
feedback from other people (regardless of age) and the intrinsic
satisfaction of writing are the best incentives we've found.

What NOT to do is over-edit your son's work. You can point out aspects
of plot or character development that you enjoy, point out the
occasional problem in a piece, but don't overdo it! Teen egos can be
pretty fragile, and you don't want your son abandoning a piece of
writing based on your feedback. Instead, you want him to be encouraged
about what he CAN do, and work to fix the problems that he can handle.

Finally, make sure he has access to a lot of literature (not just SF/F)
and literary criticism (not of his own work, but of famous works) so
that he continues to build his critical reading skills. Those will help
him learn to criticize his own writing so that he continues to develop
his writing and self-editing skills.

I hope these ideas help.
--Beth Kevles
-THE-COM-HERE
http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html-- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the GMAIL one if you would
like me to reply.


Thanks, Beth!!! Lots of good ideas. I especially like the one about
getting friends to
illustrate some of DS's stories--that would give him some human
interaction around his writing
to supplement his audience on the web. I hope I'll be able to find a
writing class
to give him for Christmas.

 




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