Over the years, I have had countless requests to teach creative writing. Parents have said that their child’s writing is, ‘too robotic,’ ‘doesn’t make any sense,’ ‘is going nowhere,’ and is fundamentally, ‘boring.’ I, too, have read too many samples in which I have seen an overuse of ‘fast as a cheetah,’ ‘as quick as a flash,’ and let’s not forget the, ‘and then, and then’ saga. Therefore, in honour of this very tired cheetah, I have compiled some key points to support the teaching of creative writing.

Firstly, make sure your child is reading, listening to stories, experiencing the spoken word, and immersing themselves in language rich materials. This is the bedrock of building those literacy skills at an early age. Think of it this way: If a child is never read to, they will have heard approximately 4,662 words by the time they are 5 years old. If a child is read to 1-2 times per week, they will have heard approximately 63,570 words by the time they are 5 years old. If a child is read to 3-4 times per week, they will have heard approximately 169,525 words by the time they are 5 years old. If a child is read to daily, they will have heard approximately 296,660 words by the time they are 5 years old. If a child is read 5 books a day, they will have heard approximately 1,483,300 words by the time they are 5 years old. (The Reading Framework, 2021). A vocabulary rich household, where children even see adults reading instead of ‘doom scrolling,’ will no doubt have a positive influence on a child growing up.

Writing for purpose is a great way to encourage present writing too. Whether it’s writing a birthday card, or a poem for a valentine, it will (hopefully), be from the heart. If the words are felt, emotionally, it is bound to already be better than something the author can’t connect with. The writer must believe what they are writing.

For 11+ writing, ensure all content is relevant and contributes to the paragraph.  We don’t need lists of synonyms making the same point in various ways. Good writing has pace. It grips the reader, and they want to read on. One tip for doing this, is to write with a pulse. Writing must have rhythm to it, and this is best produced by varying sentence length. Let me demonstrate this.

Each of these lines is brief. Just a few words. Simple. Direct. Easy to follow, yes, but strung together like this, they lose their spark. The cadence becomes flat. Predictable. Your attention starts to drift. It feels mechanical, repetitive, and dull. The reader’s mind begins to wander. But watch what happens next. I shift the pace. I stretch the flow. I let some thoughts breathe and others race ahead, tumbling over one another in a rush of sound and sense. This shift keeps you alert, your ear attuned. Now the writing moves-it dances. It has texture, rhythm, emotion. There are pauses. There are bursts. And sometimes, just when it seems we’ve settled into a steady beat, I launch into a sentence that climbs higher and higher, layering meaning and momentum until it spills over into something powerful, something alive, something that demands your attention.

Keep the plot simple. Sometimes, the best writing involves a well-planned, simple plot which is executed beautifully. That does not mean, one literary device after another. Incorporate oxymorons, similes, metaphors, clichés, hyperboles and all that sensory language without losing the point and plot for that matter!  Remember that story mountain? The beginning, build-up, climax, resolution and finally, the ending. Well, that is what we trying to achieve if we’ve been asked to write or continue a story.

Don’t overuse dialogue. If there is any direct speech then it must support the plot and therefore, be a meaningful statement. Otherwise, don’t include it. Some students make the mistake of overusing dialogue because it allows for space to be used up. Markers will see right through this. Avoid, at all costs!

Show, don’t tell – but sometimes, do tell! Some we must tell the reader. ‘By the next morning, Mia had reached the village, tired but determined.’  They don’t need to hear that, ‘Mia trudged down the winding path, every step heavier than the last. Her feet ached, her throat was dry, and the sun dipped low as she passed through empty fields and silent woods…’

My final titbit before this blog turns into an essay and I ironically lose my reader, is to create a hook. We won’t be writing fairy tales, so the Once upon a time really is not required. Your story can start with action. It can start with dialogue. It needs something that will grab the readers attention straight away or lull them into a false sense of security.

Remember, practise makes progress. Write in short bursts based on an image or a sentence continuation. Get used to writing, by writing!