So you want to write, right?

Lucky you! All you need is a pencil and a memory. A piece of paper and a feeling. Or, if you’re a fancy pants, an antique quill and a clever conclusion!

But what if I have no ideas?

Oh no! Not the dreaded writer’s block! Fret not. If you have a brain, you have ideas. (I’m assuming you have a brain.) What’s the most revolting meal you’ve ever eaten? Now tell me about your most gruesome injury! How about this? Which animal would you rather have as a pet: a hamster the size of an elephant or an elephant the size of a hamster? I knew you had ideas!

Always talk before you write. It’s an easy way to get to know your characters. If your protagonist walked into the room right now, what would they be wearing? What would they say to you? When they left, where would they go next? What if they went in the opposite direction? Are they worried about something? Most of us are! At least you’re not worried about not having ideas! (Assuming you have a brain.)

But where do I start?

Believe it or not, start right in the middle! One of my favorite books is Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. The story begins in the middle of a chaotic scene: a stray dog running loose in a grocery store, knocking over onions and green peppers. We meet the main character, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni, as she decides if and how to help the store’s flustered manager.

Did DiCamillo need to tell me India’s whole life story first? Nope! Instead, the author plunges us right in the middle of a succulent scene. The reader immediately gets to see the main character react to a stressful situation…and show her character. What would you do in that moment? India decides to claim the dirty dog as her own and we are hooked. As the story progresses, DiCamillo fills us in with back story. We learn that India is a resilient underdog in search of a family just like her new stray, Winn Dixie. But first things first, this great writer started in the middle.

But what if I can’t spell?

Every kid is a writer learning to spell. Not the other way round. When you’re trying to spell a tricky word, sound out each syllable super slowly and put the parts together. To-geth-er! Underline the words that don’t look kwite right and just keep going. First drafts are meant to be messy! Now ask an adult to help you fix your underlined words. They will be quite impressed by your editing efforts!

While you’re in fixing mode, check that each sentence starts with an upper-case letter and ends with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point. Spacingbetweenwordsisalsoreallyimportant!

But what if I don’t have anything to write on?

Now you’re just being a lazy slug! Grab that napkin, or an old scrapbook, or Dad’s tablet, or one of those never-ending CVS receipts and just get going! Scribble a To-Do list by a campfire. Eat some s’mores then list s’more chores. Pen lyrics for a catchy country song about Mozart. It doesn’t matter that Wolfgang never wore blue jeans! Heck, you could write an entire novel about a lazy slug. Just don’t be one!