Forty kid-friendly journal prompts plus simple tips for turning a few minutes of daily writing into a habit that sticks.
Journal Prompts for Kids: 40 Ideas to Build a Daily Writing Habit Read More »
How to use images as writing prompts for kids, with go-to questions and 15 picture-prompt ideas that get reluctant writers talking—and writing.
Picture Writing Prompts: Spark Kids’ Imagination with Images Read More »
Writing prompts for fall, winter, spring, and summer—plus a simple way to turn them into a year-long writing keepsake.
Seasonal Writing Prompts for Kids: Fresh Ideas for Every Time of Year Read More »
Thirty irresistible opening sentences for young writers, plus simple ways to grow a single line into a full story.
Story Starters for Kids: 30 First Sentences That Beg to Be Finished Read More »
Fifty kid-friendly writing prompts—adventure, silly, mystery, and more—plus simple tips to help young writers get past the blank page.
50 Creative Writing Prompts for Kids (That Actually Spark Ideas) Read More »
There is a particular kind of novel that stops being a story and turns into a sermon with characters. You can feel the moment it happens — the dialogue goes stiff, somebody starts saying things no human says out loud, and the book quietly stops trusting you. I write faith-informed fiction, and avoiding that trap
Writing Faith Without Preaching Read More »
Ask a room of kids to “write about your weekend” and watch a certain number of them go completely still. Pencil down. Eyes on the desk. That stillness isn’t laziness. It’s the blank page doing what blank pages do best: scaring people. I make writing-prompt resources for teachers and parents, and the single most common
How to Get a Reluctant Writer to Write the First Sentence Read More »
Children are the toughest dialogue critics alive. They may not tell you your kid character sounds fake. But, they may just quietly decide the book is “for babies” and never pick it up again. I learned a lot about this writing a book narrated by a seven-year-old. Here is what actually makes a young character
Writing Dialogue a Kid Will Actually Believe Read More »
In a cozy mystery, the setting isn’t just scenery. It’s more like one of the characters and it’s usually the nosiest one in the book. I’ve been working on a series called Wiregrass Roots, set in a small South Alabama town, and the longer I work on it the more convinced I am that the
Writing a Town That Feels Like a Person Read More »
Writing a mystery is hard. Writing one for a reader who’s never read a mystery, and handing the whole thing to a six-year-old narrator, turns out to be a different sport entirely. That’s the job The Boll Weevil Bandit handed me. Maisie Jo is in the first grade, and she has decided that she’s going
How Do You Write a Detective Who’s Seven? Read More »
