Published or not, you are writer when you write.
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Bentley. Bentley knows ideas are everywhere, and he's crafting an exciting chapter book based off of a character from a game that he loves to play. He's getting to know his character. He's learning what his character wants, and how far that character will go, creating a plot.
Bentley is a writer.
One of the best aspects of being a writer, is getting to know other writers like Bentley. During school visits, students will share their wonderful stories with me. They can be quite good!
In a 3rd grade class, with Mrs. Wright in Oregon, we took stories written for class, and broke the class into groups. We formed critique groups. Students shared their stories, reading them out loud. Group peers then shared what they felt was strong or weak about the story. They shared what they liked, which excited the author. Then, they also shared where they felt the story needed work. They learned about the balance of a good critique. From the authors, there were a lot of nods.
In creating a book, there is a lot of critique and revision. Those suggestions can help a writer to revise their story to make it stronger for a reader's enjoyment. Sharing isn't the easiest thing for younger writers, but sharing can give an author new perspective and unique ideas. You might hear someone say "What if." What if is a golden opportunity. It expands the world a character lives in.
If you enjoy writing, play with different characters. Place them in odd and interesting scenarios. What if a boy has a pet ant. What if the ant was blue? What if his ant could talk? What if his ant started becoming very comforable with the boy's home, and it started to become bossy? What if this ant is SO bossy, the boy no longer wants it for a pet? Can you see a story developing? What if is key to story growth.
Have fun creating and share those stories that only you can tell.
I hope your school year is off to a great start! Keep your eyes, nose, fingers, heart, and tongue, experiencing the world all around you. You never know what stories will come from your wide awake senses.
Ideas are everywhere.
Happy Autumn!
Lori