Write Like a Child

Being an English teacher, I get to see thousands of stories pass through my classroom each day. I’ve had stories about Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. I’ve had princesses and Lords of Darkness. I’ve even had an amazingly weird/cool story that was reminiscent of Neil Gaiman.

Although my students may not be the best writers in the world, the potential is there. They are incredibly creative and their imagination has yet to hit the wall of reality. They write what they are feeling and what is going on in their drama filled world. Their love stories are cheesy, yet pure. They write of adventure and heroes like they are really living it. Their hopes and dreams come through the page.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat at my desk at the end of the day, re-reading these stories. They are so inspiring and uplifting. I used to think that teaching writing was a daunting task, but it’s not. Teaching the grammar, spelling, punctuation etc. is the daunting part. But the creativity and stories are already there. They just have to be cleaned up a bit.

The reason I’m telling you this is because I think we should all free write like this. Maybe not all the time, but perhaps every once in a while. Just let go and write what’s in your heart. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Just write!