Sometimes we don’t know what it looks like to be an engaged listener and encourager of our young writers. This winter I had the opportunity to listen in on some conversations between a middle schooler who is writing a short story and Chris, the author of PGGS. I thought a series on what a conversation between a student and parent looks like would help all of us engage with our students better. Here’s the first installment:

Background: at this point, the student had come up with her story idea, the main characters, and the basic setting. She was on the fence with two ending options. This was the first time she’d shared the entire idea with someone outside her peers, and she was a bit nervous (especially knowing that Chris was an expert). Her main question - is my story ready to write?

As she shared, Chris listened. Where I might have interjected with ideas or encouragement, he simply listened, nodding to say he understood, but allowing her to share from start to finish all she had in mind. They hit a point where she wasn’t sure what the main character should do, and Chris merely asked a question. “What is the character’s problem?” In other words, defining the Act of Villainy - the conflict or problem that the character is trying to solve. As the student shared several things the main character might be trying to solve, he suggested that she try to define one meaningful thing, rather than having multiple things the character wants to do.

Together they brainstormed the different things the character could do, and what each one would be solving. Chris continued to ask her questions: “it sounds like the character is worried about x, or is it something else?” Each question allowed her to make choices and imagine other options, until she came to a place where she felt she could say, “yes, this is what my character’s problem is, and how they can solve it.”

Once she had that in place, she can write the story and create tension around the problem and its solution. Throughout the conversation, I heard Chris say things like “here’s how I see what you’ve described to me. You can always change this, but it is what I see.” This allowed her to hear what she’d been sharing from another’s perspective, while maintaining her right and ability to make changes, always keeping it her project.

When they reached the point of knowing what the problem was, and what the solution would likely be, the student is ready to move to the next step - writing a first draft. More on that in another “Overheard” post.