Assisting Young Writers To Increase Writing Output

 

Let's Turn Up The Volume In Student Writing!

 


A priority for any writing program should be to progressively build the stamina of young writers, enabling them to sustain their writing efforts for extended periods. The aim is for the writer to reach a stage where the ideas flow freely and the blank page surrenders to a relentless flow of words. We want young writers to view the blank page as an invitation to write, rather than something filling them with trepidation.

 


The answer lies in the act of writing. Too often young writers become distracted and a gap emerges between their intent and their action. The talking so vital in the pre-writing phase continues into the composing stage and the promise of words not surprisingly, evaporates. There should be plenty of time for talk and discussion when the writer has produced some words on the page. We owe it to the writer to provide such discussion time.

 

A range of issues may arise to interrupt the flow of writing. Some young writers get hung up on perfectionism. They censor and edit in their heads. Consequently, the words have trouble making it onto the page. on occasions they allow the flow of their writing to be halted for the sake of a single word. A solitary word, unfamiliar to the writer, hijacks the natural flow of the writing. Hundreds of words may in fact, be held up for the sake of a single word. I find myself frequently discussing this scenario with young writers.


What can you do to allow all those exciting words in your head to reach the page instead of being held up by a single word?’

‘What might you do if this situation arises in your writing?’

‘What strategies might you use to deal with that unfamiliar word so that you can move on with your writing?’ 

Circling, underlining, leaving a space were some of the options they offered to overcome this potential hazard. The aim is to deal with the word quickly and move on with your writing. 

So, how do we assist young writer to remain focused on the task, and also build the kind of stamina necessary to keep returning to the task each day? 

How go we assist the inexperienced writer to develop the determination to produce powerful words for others to read?

I continually ask young writers to give their special words the best chance of reaching the page by locking in the ideas discussed and planned during pre-writing.  ‘Don’t allow anyone, or anything to distract you from creating some magic on the page. Let’s see what happens when we give our undivided attention to this challenge. I think you’ll be surprised.’

Encouraging young writers to bring their best words to the page deserves to be a constant call. 

Let's encourage writers in our care to keep writing until their best words present themselves. We must encourage them to expect to see them emerging on the page...

Sometimes I play some quiet music to assist writers to remain focused. I ask them to remain focused on their writing while the music plays and respect the writers around them. This playing of music is not a forever thing, but it does work well when you are initially attempting to grow some writing stamina. It heightens the writer's awareness of just how focused the writing session has become.

 


The room falls silent and they write with deliberate intent for prolonged periods, varying with age. They frequently groan when I reluctantly ask them to stop writing. They commonly provide feedback like this:

 

It was so calm, I could concentrate

I wrote so much more than I usually do

I was able to think of so much to write

It was easy to think because everyone was quiet.

The music helped me

Everyone around me was writing. I liked it.

 

The confidence of  young writers grows as they feel an increased sense of accomplishment. Their stamina for writing will grow too. The volume of words in their notebooks will expand and give their teachers more evidence of their writing strengths, - as well as vital data on where teaching needs to be directed.

Alan j Wright


An opportunity to build writing stamina

 












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