Mary Emma’s Writing Tips – Sketching First
November 16, 2008 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Parenting
Writing Tips
Although I always thought of story writing as something achieved with words first and pictures after (even though I might have scenes in my head), I’ve discovered that many young writers work better if they start out by sketching.
“I like to doodle,” one youngster told me during a writing workshop I taught at his school. “Then when I see something taking shape, I write about it.”
Other youngsters draw realistic pictures about the stories in their heads, then put the ideas into words. Maybe they’ll draw a picture of something they see from a window, viewed on a outing, or did at home.
This practice also is used most of the time with youngsters I work with in kindergarten or first grade. They might draw a picture in their journal or on a piece of paper, then write some words describing it or dictate the words to their teacher or parent.
If you haven’t tried drawing pictures for story beginnings, why not do it yourself and with the children in your class or family? These don’t have to be good pictures…just something to get the ideas flowing.
(Amazon image)
