[davemchine]

I have a 12 year old daughter who writes very long and detailed stories every single day. She fills notebooks with her stories one after another. I would like to encourage her interest by finding a way to improve her writing skills and possibly get feedback or published in an appropriate medium. I did some googling today and was absolutely overwhelmed with all of the options out there. I could spend days researching this. So I humbly ask if anyone here has advice?

[subego]

Strictly in the realm of encouragement, I bet she'd love something like Dungeons & Dragons. The hobby was created by someone who had a massive vocabulary and really loved writing. This set a precedent which is still with the hobby. Though writing isn't required, it very easily and naturally can become a part of it.

The most important part though, is its a game. It's fun. It'll be way easier than getting her to read Strunk & White.

[subego]

A much harder sell, but something which will be invaluable to her skills in English, is learning a foreign language.

[Salty]

If she's 12 then she probably isn't really ready for critique. The first time somebody goes through your manuscript and suggests a laundry list of changes it can be hard to take.

Big things are, try and help her learn what proper grammar looks like. How to properly use a comma, avoid run on sentences etc. Also make sure she knows how to go back and edit something. I used to write papers and stuff all the time, had no idea how many mistakes and unfinished thoughts I put down. (Though you should never edit while you write, it's a good way to get bogged down.)

There's also a few good books about plot structure. If you can explain the idea of a three act story that would probably help her writing a lot as she grows up.

Hmmm, other than that, try and make sure she's reading a lot. Only writing will leave her in a vacuum of her own thoughts. Reading good books will expose her to ways of writing she never thought of.

[Athens]

The most important thing is that she is writing. Its a skill lost on most in this generation with computers. I really really wish growing up I was forced to write instead of type. I think all home work should be in written form through out all school levels including post secondary.

Reading good books, watching well done plays and just exposure her to culture should go a long way in improving creativity, language and general writing.

[Salty]

Why? In the real world I almost never write anything down on paper. Also using computers keeps a whole lot of trees from being cut down for paper. Also speaking as someone who's actually written a book, (granted didn't get published, but I got a lot further than most do) I type way faster than I hand write. Typing things also makes the editing process easier. And it's far easier to make sure you don't lose any drafts.

[subego]

Yeah. I can't say I see much value in handwriting, at least in and of itself.

[Athens]

Math, Music, Language, Writing all have positive effects on the brain, the brains ability to learn, to coordinate, creative thinking. They are all art forms. Its not so much if you will ever use it later in life as it has more to do with how it develops your brain while you are young which you do use later in life.

[design219]

I have a 13 year old who has written a couple stories, and what she had written is rather amazing. The thing I credit is her reading. She reads voraciously, to the point it's difficult to find age-appropriate material. And I mean like a novel a day. She is now a big Terry Pratchett fan and has read all his books.

I guess my point is I would suggest reading as much as anything else to improve writing. We also talk about the stories she reads, so sometimes we get into technique a writer uses.

Best of luck, let us know when she publishes her first.

[SSharon]

As a former English major my advice is to get her to read as much as possible. The hard part about that is finding good material outside of your comfort zone. There are plenty of book/author recommendations that I've gotten from either the forums here or from podcasts I listen to that I never would have gotten if all I did was go to the library and read similar books over and over.

Have you spoken to any of her teachers about her writing?

[Salty]

It sounds as if she enjoys fiction. Maybe even watch some of her cartoons and stuff with her (if she likes TV.) Or any other forms of story. Again I really recommend if you want to help her pace any story some day, read up on the three act story (Every story worth being told has three acts. I think Lost have 57.). It will SERIOUSLY help her tame the sometimes sprawling ideas that come forth.

Also as I mentioned before, one of my biggest problems despite actually being a pretty talented writer, was structure. When she's handing in stories for school and what not. Mark every grammar mistake in her story, (like highlight it) and have her go back and fix her errors. A big thing that people don't realize is just how often they make mistakes and how important it is to edit it after you've had a few hours away from it. That will also teach her not to procrastinate on papers in college. (Like I did.)

[Waragainstsleep]

I used to hate reading through stuff I'd written. If I'd written it more than a few hours ago then it invariably sounded awful to me when I read through it. Makes it really hard to get things done.

I think reading lots is the most cost effective advice on here, exposure to culture is also a good one. If its an option, travel will help with that. Take her somewhere really different.

Beyond that, you can try and match content that she might find inspirational to the sorts of things she writes. Historical documentaries or accurate movies can be a good source of locations or events to describe or refer to if you can't get to see them in person. Museums too. Old photos maybe.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Athens 

Math, Music, Language, Writing all have positive effects on the brain, the brains ability to learn, to coordinate, creative thinking. They are all art forms. Its not so much if you will ever use it later in life as it has more to do with how it develops your brain while you are young which you do use later in life.

But I'd say the physical act of writing on paper provides diminishing returns in this regard.

It'd be better to encourage, say, drawing.