Does your child write well already? Do they consistently write without spelling or grammar and punctuation errors? Then it is time to look at other ways to deepen the content and style of their writing!
Excellent writing provides colorful language and detail to really brings ideas to life. When writing, you want to arouse an emotion in your reader whether it be joy, excitement, anger, or disappointment. First ask yourself: what the emotion is that you are trying to arouse? Then paint with words to portray this emotion. If the mood or emotion is enthusiastic, use adjectives and imagery that conjures this image.
I like to tell my students that it is their job as a writer to paint a picture with their words. Their job is to bring the image to life for the reader. I should be able to imagine it it my mind just by reading the words. Literary devices and creative language are the paints they should use. Paint with words!
Don’t tell the reader that the story takes place in a crowded restaurant. Instead, put the image of this crowded restaurant in the reader’s mind by telling of the sea of people laughing and raising glasses in a toast. Tell of the cacophony of voices, some laughing and some in whispers of intimacy. Without ever saying the words “crowded restaurant,” the reader now has the image clear in his or her mind.
To raise the quality of your child’s writing, encourage him/her to add adjectives and imagery to everything he/she writes – not just creative pieces of fiction!