There are many reasons creative writing is rarely taught, but we’ve found that two main reasons dominate. The first is that the student is a reluctant writer - either they don’t enjoy writing (at all!), or they think they aren’t creative and don’t want to write a story. The second is that the parent is reluctant to teach creative writing. They don’t have the right tools. It’s not a core subject, and so there are few resources out there. The parent believes that they aren’t creative, and so can’t teach creativity. They feel ill-equipped, and no one wants to start to build something without the right tools and knowledge. Creative writing, for both student and teacher, can be intimidating. It can be embarrassing to share your attempts - there is a great deal of vulnerability in sharing a story you’ve written. All of these reasons make it easy to say, I don’t have time or I don’t want to, and then the opportunity seems gone.

Wondertale Press has created a curriculum that solves these two problems in one easy to use workbook.

For the reluctant writer who simply doesn’t enjoy writing at all, A Pirate’s Guide t’ th’ Grammar of Story breaks the process down into something so simple and fun and non-threatening that most students find themselves looking forward to doing creative writing each day. We’ve had several reviews from homeschooling moms who say that their reluctant writer loves A Pirate’s Guide, and it’s the first thing they pull out in the morning. Because we start with small and easy to do exercises which build incrementally and with the help of pirates and monkeys, students shed their fear of “having to write a whole story” and just enjoy the process of being creative. For the writer who is reluctant because they are think they aren’t creative, we’ve created exercises that draw the creativity out naturally, because, honestly, it’s in there.

For the parent who is reluctant because they lack the creativity or tools, we’ve removed those barriers by creating a curriculum that is self-taught to the independent learner (younger students, or those with learning issues, may require guidance). And since we believe strongly that ALL people are creative, we encourage you to read along and (at least mentally) go through the exercises with your student; your creativity will surprise you!

Nothing need stop you from teaching creative writing, because actually, it’s pretty simple. Unlike most subjects, which require knowledge, or a teacher’s manual, or lots of hands on teaching, our creative writing curriculum requires you to do one thing: to listen. Really listen. Encourage your child as they dive in. Guide them to press on, or take a break. Review their exercises and ask questions that show you care (more on that here). Be present to them as their creativity emerges, and you’ll both find that creative writing isn’t so hard after all. You might even love it.

So what’s stopping you?