benefits of creative writing for young learners article

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How creative writing can increase students’ resilience, students can find strength and community in sharing their stories through writing..

Many of my seventh-grade students do not arrive at school ready to learn. Their families often face financial hardship and live in cramped quarters, which makes it difficult to focus on homework. The responsibility for cooking and taking care of younger siblings while parents work often falls on these twelve year olds’ small shoulders. Domestic violence and abuse are also not uncommon.

To help traumatized students overcome their personal and academic challenges, one of our first jobs as teachers is to build a sense of community. We need to communicate that we care and that we welcome them into the classroom just as they are. One of the best ways I’ve found to connect with my students, while also nurturing their reading and writing skills, is through creative writing.

For the past three years, I’ve invited students in my English Language Development (ELD) classes to observe their thoughts, sit with their emotions, and offer themselves and each other compassion through writing and sharing about their struggles. Creating a safe, respectful environment in which students’ stories matter invites the disengaged, the hopeless, and the numb to open up. Students realize that nobody is perfect and nobody’s life is perfect. In this kind of classroom community, they can take the necessary risks in order to learn, and they become more resilient when they stumble.

Fostering a growth mindset

One of the ways students can boost their academic performance and develop resilience is by building a growth mindset. Carol Dweck, Stanford University professor of psychology and author of the book Mindset , explains that people with a growth mindset focus on learning from mistakes and welcoming challenges rather than thinking they’re doomed to be dumb or unskillful. A growth mindset goes hand in hand with self-compassion: recognizing that everyone struggles and treating ourselves with kindness when we trip up.

One exercise I find very useful is to have students write a story about a time when they persevered when faced with a challenge—in class, sports, or a relationship. Some of the themes students explore include finally solving math problems, learning how to defend themselves, or having difficult conversations with parents.

I primed the pump by telling my students about something I struggled with—feeling left behind in staff meetings as my colleagues clicked their way through various computer applications. I confided that PowerPoint and Google Slides—tools (one might assume) that any teacher worth a paperweight has mastered—still eluded me. By admitting my deficiency to my students, asking for their help, and choosing to see the opportunity to remedy it every day in the classroom, I aimed to level the playing field with them. They may have been reading three or four grade levels behind, but they could slap a PowerPoint presentation together in their sleep.

For students, sharing their own stories of bravery, resilience, and determination brings these qualities to the forefront of their minds and helps solidify the belief that underlies a growth mindset: I can improve and grow . We know from research in neuroplasticity that when students take baby steps to achieve a goal and take pride in their accomplishments, they change their brains, growing new neural networks and fortifying existing ones. Neurons in the brain release the feel-good chemical dopamine, which plays a major role in motivating behavior toward rewards.

After writing about a few different personal topics, students choose one they want to publish on the bulletin boards at the back of the classroom. They learn to include the juicy details of their stories (who, what, when, where, why, and how), and they get help from their peers, who ask follow-up questions to prompt them to include more information. This peer editing builds their resilience in more ways than one—they make connections with each other by learning about each other’s lives, and they feel empowered by lending a hand.

In my experience, students are motivated to do this assignment because it helps them feel that their personal stories and emotions truly matter, despite how their other academics are going. One student named Alejandro chose to reflect on basketball and the persistence and time it took him to learn:

Hoops By Alejandro Gonzalez Being good takes time. One time my sister took me to a park and I saw people playing basketball. I noticed how good they were and decided I wanted to be like them. Still I told my sister that basketball looked hard and that I thought I couldn’t do it. She said,“You could do it if you tried. You’ll get the hang of it.” My dad bought me a backboard and hoop to play with. I was really happy, but the ball wasn’t making it in. Every time I got home from school, I would go straight to the backyard to play. I did that almost every day until little by little I was getting the hang of it. I also played with my friends. Every day after lunch we would meet at the basketball court to have a game. … I learned that you need to be patient and to practice a lot to get the hang of things. With a little bit of practice, patience, and hard work, anything is possible.

Originally, Alejandro wasn’t sure why he was in school and often lacked the motivation to learn. But writing about something he was passionate about and recalling the steps that led to his success reminded him of the determination and perseverance he had demonstrated in the past, nurturing a positive view of himself. It gave him a renewed sense of investment in learning English and eventually helped him succeed in his ELD class, as well.

Maintaining a hopeful outlook

Another way to build resilience in the face of external challenges is to shore up our inner reserves of hope —and I’ve found that poetry can serve as inspiration for this.

For the writing portion of the lesson, I invite students to “get inside” poems by replicating the underlying structure and trying their hand at writing their own verses. I create poem templates, where students fill in relevant blanks with their own ideas. 

One poem I like to share is “So Much Happiness” by Naomi Shihab Nye. Its lines “Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house / and now live over a quarry of noise and dust / cannot make you unhappy” remind us that, despite the unpleasant events that occur in our lives, it’s our choice whether to allow them to interfere with our happiness. The speaker, who “love[s] even the floor which needs to be swept, the soiled linens, and scratched records,” has a persistently sunny outlook.

It’s unrealistic for students who hear gunshots at night to be bubbling over with happiness the next morning. Still, the routine of the school day and the sense of community—jokes with friends, a shared bag of hot chips for breakfast, and a creative outlet—do bolster these kids. They have an unmistakable drive to keep going, a life force that may even burn brighter because they take nothing for granted—not even the breath in their bodies, life itself. 

Itzayana was one of those students who, due to the adversity in her life, seemed too old for her years. She rarely smiled and started the school year with a defiant approach to me and school in general, cursing frequently in the classroom. Itzayana’s version of “So Much Happiness” hinted at some of the challenges I had suspected she had in her home life:

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness. Even the fact that you once heard your family laughing and now hear them yelling at each other cannot make you unhappy. Everything has a life of its own, it too could wake up filled with possibilities of tamales and horchata and love even scrubbing the floor, washing dishes, and cleaning your room. Since there is no place large enough to contain so much happiness, help people in need, help your family, and take care of yourself.   —Itzayana C.

Her ending lines, “Since there is no place large enough to contain so much happiness, / help people in need, help your family, and take care of yourself,” showed her growing awareness of the need for self-care as she continued to support her family and others around her. This is a clear sign of her developing resilience.

Poetry is packed with emotion, and writing their own poems allows students to grapple with their own often-turbulent inner lives. One student commented on the process, saying, “By writing poems, I’ve learned to be calm and patient, especially when I get mad about something dumb.” Another student showed pride in having her writing published; she reflected, “I feel good because other kids can use it for calming down when they’re angry.”

To ease students into the creative process, sometimes we also write poems together as a class. We brainstorm lines to include, inviting the silly as well as the poignant and creating something that represents our community.

Practicing kindness

Besides offering my students new ways of thinking about themselves, I also invite them to take kind actions toward themselves and others.

In the music video for “Give a Little Love” by Noah and the Whale, one young African American boy—who witnesses bullying at school and neglect in his neighborhood —decides to take positive action and whitewash a wall of graffiti. Throughout the video, people witness others’ random acts of kindness, and then go on to do their own bit.

“My love is my whole being / And I’ve shared what I could,” the lyrics say—a reminder that our actions speak louder than our words and do have an incredible impact. The final refrain in the song—“Well if you are (what you love) / And you do (what you love) /...What you share with the world is what it keeps of you”—urges the students to contribute in a positive way to the classroom, the school campus, and their larger community.

After watching the video, I ask students to reflect upon what kind of community they would like to be part of and what makes them feel safe at school. They write their answers—for example, not being laughed at by their peers and being listened to—on Post-it notes. These notes are used to create classroom rules. This activity sends a message early on that we are co-creating our communal experience together. Students also write their own versions of the lyrics, reflecting on different things you can give and receive—like kindness, peace, love, and ice cream.

Reaping the benefits

To see how creative writing impacts students, I invite them to rate their resilience through a self-compassion survey at the start of the school year and again in the spring. Last year, two-thirds of students surveyed increased in self-compassion; Alejandro grew his self-compassion by 20 percent. The program seems to work at developing their reading and writing skills, as well: At the middle of the school year, 40 percent of my students moved up to the next level of ELD, compared to 20 percent the previous year. 

As a teacher, my goal is to meet students where they’re at and learn about their whole lives. Through creative writing activities, we create a community of compassionate and expressive learners who bear witness to the impact of trauma in each others’ experiences and together build resilience.

As a symbol of community and strength, I had a poster in my classroom of a boat at sea with hundreds of refugees standing shoulder to shoulder looking skyward. It’s a hauntingly beautiful image of our ability to risk it all for a better life, as many of my ELD students do. Recognizing our common humanity and being able to share about our struggles not only leads to some beautiful writing, but also some brave hearts.

About the Author

Laura Bean, M.F.A. , executive director of Mindful Literacy, consults with school communities to implement mindfulness and creative writing programs. She has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and presented a mindful writing workshop at Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth Conference in San Diego in 2016.

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How to Cultivate Confident Writers Through Daily Practice

A consistent writing activity gives students the opportunity to practice a skill that will benefit them throughout their lives.

“I am not a writer.” These are powerful words that I’ve heard in every class that I’ve ever taught in my almost 15-year career. How can teachers battle years of insecurity and the lack of self-confidence that students have in regard to their writing identity? Writing is a crucial skill for learners in a classroom, but students often lack confidence in themselves as writers to produce content.

Teachers also struggle with getting students to write “enough,” if they even write at all, because students often misuse the time they’re given to write by finding excuses to leave the classroom or talk with their classmates, which in turn disturbs the whole class. In my experience teaching, students misuse time when content isn’t relevant or when they don’t have confidence in the task at hand. It is emotionally easier to just not do the assignment than to attempt it and fail. 

I was inspired to tackle this issue with the students in my classroom by Kelly Gallagher’s work with his students . Gallagher is an influential teacher who shares strategies to revolutionize the teaching of reading and writing in the classroom . He encourages daily writing to increase students’ volume of writing, for the opportunity to practice the skill, and to build confidence in their abilities as writers.

Construct the Writing Time

I implemented a daily writing prompt in my two college-prep English classes (one for 11th grade and one for 12th grade). This 10-minute writing time was implemented at the beginning of the school year and is now a normal activity that students expect every day. After a short bell-ringer activity upon entry into the room, the students get out their writing notebooks, I read the prompt and then start a digital 10-minute timer on the screen, and students begin writing.

Students are given a different writing prompt each day; some writing prompts are connected to our topics of study, and some are random. I also give my students the opportunity to free-write; if they can’t find a connection to the given writing prompt, they can write about anything of interest. 

Getting Comfortable to Write

Students can sit wherever they want in class, but especially during writing time. I’m a believer in flexible seating , as I feel that comfort is most important in engaging students to learn. Students can listen to their music or watch a show on their phones as they write. Part of the rationale behind this thinking is that students need to discover what helps them best to write—is it silence, do they need background noise, etc.? I do have a stipulation that “writing time is quiet time.” I should get a tattoo of this phrase because I say it so often. 

I emphasize that students should respect other people’s time to write by being quiet. Another requirement of writing time is that students use pencil or pen and paper only. Students may not type their responses. Gallagher expressed that this was crucial in his daily writing practice with students. It’s important for students to physically connect with what they’re writing. There are also studies that note that students retain information better when they handwrite rather than typing .  

Students may choose not to write, which my classes termed “taking the L.” If they have homework for another class, have an upcoming assignment, are watching a game film for sports, or just need a break, students can make that choice. In my own research study for my dissertation, I found that when students are given the choice in their learning, they are intrinsically motivated to learn; they were more invested in the writing when they were given the choice not to write if they weren’t inspired. 

Students Guide the Assessment Process 

I allow students to choose which writing pieces I assess. I grade them three times for a “check-in” (every five to six weeks) and assess them with a cumulative look at the end of the semester. Assessment feedback is like a conversation with the check-ins—a conversation between me and the student. The semester assessment has more formal feedback. If the students improve in their writing, I go back and change their previous grades to acknowledge the growth. I don’t focus on grammar and spelling, only content (per Gallagher). 

So, what did I notice in my assessment and observations of student writing? Learning and productivity look different for each individual student. What did writing physically look like? Students were physically seated comfortably, and most students were using earbuds. There were slow writers and fast writers. What did “taking the L” look like? Students who chose not to write were usually sleeping on their phone or working on other work. This is a layered practice. Learning can’t be forced. If someone needs the rest, they can take it. I always monitor, and if it’s a habit, I have a conversation with the student and I let their parents know.

Students were the most productive in their writing that I’ve ever seen in my career. The writing took on different forms. One student drew a lot; he created artwork in his notebook followed by interesting stories. Students whom I’ve taught in previous years that I would not have considered gifted writers were filling their pages with content. It was the quickest I had seen improvement in my students.

Data Tells a Story  

Throughout the daily writing practice, I keep formal and informal data. I want to see the “story” of the data—how did my students feel about writing every day? I formally collect data through the use of reflective Google Forms after students write. The informal data is collected through my own writing (sometimes following the prompt or free-writing), reflection, and notes. When reviewing the data, I look for commonalities and connections in the student responses—the story that the data tells me about students’ experiences in writing. 

Three stories from my students became clear: improvement , confidence , and connection . Many students noted significant improvement in their writing: “I have improved my writing” and “I can write for longer and I always have something to say.” They also had more confidence in their writing: “I have improved on my content and confidence in writing,” and “I try to explain myself more instead of using short sentences.” 

To me, the most meaningful story is connection —students are engaged in class and the writing process. Statements like “I leave a little of myself in my writing,” “It gives me time to think,” and “We practice writing in the best possible way, through our own experience” highlight the fact that students are connecting with writing, which increases the relevance of their learning.

Daily Writing Practice Improves Perspective

Reading and writing are the pillars of an English class—why wouldn’t we be practicing these skills daily? Through this activity, students experience a stress-free opportunity to practice a skill that benefits them throughout their future lives. Students shift from an insecure perspective of “I’m not a writer” to a confident one: “What am I going to write next?”

Think It, Write It: Creative Writing Across the Curriculum

Explore strategies and tools that students can use to write creatively across the curriculum.

The internet has been the most significant amplification of the written word since the Gutenberg printing press. It has introduced us to websites, blogs, social media posts, email, and so much more. In many ways, people write more today than ever before, and modern writers have an unmatched opportunity to share their thoughts with an extensive audience—essentially anyone with a computer and internet connection.

This writing revolution has opened up almost endless opportunities for our students to express themselves through the written word. Of course, this doesn’t mean they need to be limited to text alone. Writing can be shared in many formats and is often mashed up with other forms of media, like images, video, and audio recordings.

It’s tempting to think that academic writing is the responsibility of language arts teachers, but writing is an essential skill for our students all across the curriculum. Writing in subject areas other than language arts provides students with an authentic context for their writing, and it forces them to think more deeply about the subject matter being studied.

Writing is one of the most cognitively complex tasks that we can ask our students to perform. It can and should be done in every subject area. Writing boosts critical thinking and requires the mental organization of new learning. In turn, it increases retention while deepening the understanding of that new learning. Writing can also be leveraged to have students dive deeper into the metacognitive aspect of the learning process. This type of writing can help students better understand their thought processes while identifying how they learn best.

No matter the context or subject area, writing can help develop critical communication skills, and when shared with authentic audiences beyond the teacher, it can increase motivation and relevance for the student. In many ways, writing across the curriculum is a win–win dynamic. Students gain a deeper understanding of their content and learning process while they simultaneously develop the writing skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.

In this article, we’ll explore seven different digital formats that can be integrated across all subject areas. Within each of those formats, we’ll share writing tools and strategies that you can use to get students writing in your classroom.

7 Digital Formats to Get Students Writing

There will probably be times when you determine the writing format for your students, and there will also be times when it’s better for your students to choose their own format. Whenever it makes academic sense, consider allowing your students to choose the format. This will increase their interest and motivation in the writing project. This often keeps them more engaged and results in a better final product. While we will not list every writing platform available to you in the classroom, the following list will highlight seven top choices to get you started.

In this familiar format, students use a word processing program, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, to write something. Here, the message and writing take center stage, and the visual format is secondary. Once the core writing has been completed, this text can be repurposed and reformatted in many ways.

Writing Tools:

• Microsoft Word
• Google Docs

Integration Ideas:

• Position paper
• Research report

Blogs are personal essays published online. Typically, bloggers will set up a website where they continue to add posts on a regular basis. Many blogging sites allow people to “follow” a blog. This allows followers to get notified whenever a new post is published. Blogs have become a popular way for writers to share their ideas with a wide audience at minimal to no cost. Blogs also allow readers to respond to posted ideas, making it more of a dialogue than a stand-alone piece of writing.

Blogging Tools:

• Google Sites ( Tips )
• Seesaw Blogs
• A full-class blog (class news, highlights, etc.)
• A passion project/topic
• Reflections on class content
• Book discussions
• Student perspectives on current events
• Class blogger of the week (students take turns)

3. Websites

Websites have become so common that we might be tempted to take them for granted. However, allowing students to create their own sites can be extremely empowering, and it offers many opportunities for creativity. Written messages can be combined with images, video, audio, interactive maps, and more. One significant supplementary benefit of students creating their own websites is that the process demystifies the concept of a website, often making students more informed and critical consumers because they know how a website is set up.

Website Creation Tools:

• An overview of a year in history
• A research project
• A documentation of the scientific process
• A learning journal documenting class progress
• A collection of creative writing
• An instructional site about a topic
• A how-to guide
• A personal learning journal

Comic strips are fun to read, but they can also serve as powerful learning artifacts when students create them to communicate a message or demonstrate their learning. Comics also allow students to be creative and tap into their artistic and visual skills. This can be very motivating for some students. To help guide students in the process, there are several online tools that provide frames, characters, settings, and more. Students can also use a slideshow or word processing tool to create their own comic strip from scratch.

Comic Strip Tools:

• Google Slides
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• StoryJumper
• MakeBeliefsComix
• Storyboard That
• Recreate a historical conversation
• Engage in digital storytelling
• Introduce a concept or topic
• Raise awareness of a social issue
• Apply vocabulary and subject-matter concepts
• Communicate satire or parody
• Tell a story

Students often take a great deal of pride in their writing when they see it published in book form. It provides an increased sense of accomplishment and affirms the worth of their words. Fortunately, it’s easier (and cheaper) than ever before for students to publish their work as a book. Several websites allow students to create digital books for free, while some charge only if you want to have them printed. Digital books provide the added advantage of being able to add multimedia alongside the written text. Again, the authentic product at the end of the process can increase student motivation in the project.

Book Creation Tools:

• Book Creator ( Tips )
• Write a piece of historical fiction
• Retell history from different points of view
• Write a biography
• Tell an original story
• Document learning
• Teach a concept
• Create a book of poetry
• Make a picture book

6. News Articles

Students can integrate newswriting into many of these formats. Specifically, this would fit well with the creation of a website. It could even be a class news site, with each student adding their own article. However, you could also take a more traditional approach and have students create a print newspaper or magazine. This defined format helps give them focus and purpose. It’s also fun to see the final result printed out and displayed in the classroom. If you are teaching remotely, the finished pages can be posted digitally to your learning management system.

Newswriting Creation Tools:

• Feature a day or year in history
• Create a tribute to a scientist or mathematician
• Publish a paper recounting events in a novel
• Be a journalist for your school
• Create an opinions page with editorials
• Make your own version of a real magazine

7. Online Discussions

Most learning management systems have discussion tools built into their platforms. These can be great ways to get students writing collaboratively. It’s one thing to write for the teacher, but when a student knows that classmates will also be reading the posts, it changes the dynamic and motivation. In addition, it gives students a chance to think beyond their original post and reflect on feedback from their peers. Of course, you will want to define discussion protocols, model effective posts, and have students practice these skills. This process can ensure that the discussion experience is a positive and respectful one for all involved. Explore additional ideas for fostering substantive and respectful online discussions in a previous AOA article .

Discussion Tools:

• Learning Management System ( Canvas , Schoology , Google Classroom , etc.)
• Discuss a controversial topic
• Conduct a virtual Socratic Seminar
• Pose questions
• Reflect on learning
• Consider the impact of an event or opinion
• Brainstorm ideas

Extend Your Learning

• Why Students Should Write in All Subjects (Edutopia)
• Blogging Resources (Ditch That Textbook)
• Free Newspaper Templates (Free Google Docs Templates)
• Google Slides Newspaper Template (Templates for Teachers)
• Over 1,000 Writing Prompts for Students (The New York Times)
• Best Apps for Creating Books and Storybooks (Common Sense Education)
• Stimulate Classroom Time With These Student Website Project Ideas (WordPress)
• Comic Strip Creations Lesson Plan (Grades 3–5) (Scholastic)
• Five Ideas for Creating Comics in the Classroom (Creative Educator)

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Creative writing for language learners (and teachers) TeachingEnglish British Council BBC

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Why is Writing Important for Students and Young Children

Donald Graves , an American author, and educator who specialized in the field of writing education, once stated, “Children want to write. They want to write on the first day they attend school. This is no accident. Before they went to school, they marked up walls, pavements, newspapers with crayons, chalk, pens, or pencils…anything that makes a mark.”

Children as young as two years of age demonstrate their writing abilities in various ways, such as scribbling, drawing, and making letter-like formations. This is an early foray into communicating and expressing their feelings with others. 

And the way in which parents respond to a child’s first attempts at writing can either support or hinder their natural desire to write. It is critical for parents and teachers to understand the importance of writing development and encourage positive associations.

Writing is linked to everything we do, and along with reading, it is one of the most essential skills children learn. Plus, there is a myriad of benefits of teaching children to write. This article will discuss four reasons why writing is important for all students and some activities to try with your child. 

Enhances Critical Thinking 

Well before your child puts pen to paper, research and planning are necessary in order for them to think about what they want to say in a logical and well-crafted manner. To do so requires critical thinking. 

Answering questions before they sit down to write, such as what their views are on the topic, what is the main message they want to convey, and how they can do so in the most effective and eloquent manner, requires a lot of brainstorming. The more often they practice writing, the more they will improve their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.   

Sharpens Memory Retention 

You can ask any teacher the best way for a student to learn their material and they will say inevitably say, “writing material down.” When your child writes, especially by hand, the sensory information increases the chances that the knowledge will be stored for later.

In other words, writing forces your child’s brain to process information in a more detailed way, which helps them successfully load that information into their memory for use later on during an assignment or test. 

Boosts Creativity and Imagination

Frequent writing offers an outlet for creativity and imagination. It allows your child to come up with one-of-a-kind concepts and broadens their horizons on a variety of subjects. 

The art of writing skills for kids goes beyond the academic world of assignments and exams. Stories, poems, journal writing, and even scrapbooking are great ways for children to explore their individuality.

Organizes Thoughts, Feelings, and Self-Expression

Just as children are taught how to communicate with others verbally, they also need to learn how to express their thoughts and feelings clearly through the written word. Especially when it comes to written reports, essays, and tests, the better your child can write, the more successful they will be able to communicate both in and out of school.

When we carve out time and space to write, we are able to sit down and organize our thoughts and feelings through our voice and self-expression. This is a skill that can be utilized throughout your child’s lifetime, at school, in their future career, and in building meaningful relationships.  

Creative Writing Activities For Kids

• Word prompts: pick up to four random words and ask your child to write a story that features all four terms.
• Script a new ending: you can take your child’s favorite story or movie and ask them to write a new conclusion and let their imagination run wild!
• Twist the tale: What if Goldilocks had walked in when the bears were still at breakfast? Or if Red Riding Hood got lost on the way to her grandmother’s cottage? This activity helps get your child’s creative juices flowing. 
• Writing summer camp: customized creative writing classes or related creative courses for kids are a great way to have them learn how to write better and do so in an interactive and fun way. 

We hope you enjoyed reading about why writing is important for students. While writing skills for kids do not develop overnight, consistent practice will boost your child’s confidence and help them focus on the craft, getting better over time.   

Plus, having supportive parents, teachers, and peers encourages their exploration and efforts and fosters a positive attitude. Because writing is baked into nearly everything we do in life, it’s important that your child has as many opportunities to practice the craft as possible. With that, your child will be well on their way to becoming a successful lifelong writer no matter what career path they choose!

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• Professional development
• Understanding learners

Creative writing for language learners (and teachers)

Creative writing normally refers to the production of texts which have an aesthetic rather than a purely informative, instrumental or pragmatic purpose.

Most often, such texts take the form of poems or stories, though they are not confined to these genres. (Letters, journal entries, blogs, essays, travelogues, etc. can also be more or less creative.) In fact, the line between creative writing (CW) and expository writing (ER) is not carved in stone. In general, however CW texts draw more heavily on intuition, close observation, imagination, and personal memories than ER texts.  

One of the chief distinguishing characteristics of CW texts is a playful engagement with language, stretching and testing its rules to the limit in a guilt-free atmosphere, where risk is encouraged. Such writing combines cognitive with affective modes of thinking. As the poet, R.S. Thomas once wrote, ‘Poetry is that which arrives at the intellect by way of the heart.’ The playful element in CW should not, however be confused with a lax and unregulated use of language. On the contrary, CW requires a willing submission on the part of the writer to the ‘rules’ of the sub-genre being undertaken. If you want to write a Limerick, then you have to follow the rules governing limericks. If not, what you produce will be something other than a limerick: obvious, perhaps, but important too. The interesting thing is that the very constraints which the rules impose seem to foster rather than restrict the creativity of the writer. This apparent paradox is explained partly by the deeper processing of thought and language which the rules require.

What are the benefits of CW for learners?

• CW aids language development at all levels: grammar, vocabulary, phonology and discourse. It requires learners to manipulate the language in interesting and demanding ways in attempting to express uniquely personal meanings. In doing so, they necessarily engage with the language at a deeper level of processing than with most expository texts. (Craik and Lockhart 1972) The gains in grammatical accuracy and range, in the appropriacy and originality of lexical choice, in sensitivity to rhyme, rhythm, stress and intonation, and in the way texts hang together are significant.
• As mentioned above, a key characteristic of CW is a willingness to play with the language. In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the role of play in language acquisition. (Carter 2004, Cook 2000, Crystal 1998) In some ways, the tsunami of the Communicative Approach has done a disservice to language teaching  by its insistence on the purely communicative functions of language. Proponents of ‘play’ point out, rightly, that in L1 acquisition, much of the language encountered by and used by children is in the form of rhythmical chants and rhymes, word games, jokes and the like. Furthermore, such playfulness survives into adulthood, so that many social encounters are characterized by language play (punning, spontaneous jokes, ‘funny voices’, metathesis, and a discourse which is shaped by quasi-poetic repetition (Tannen 1989)). These are precisely the kinds of things L2 learners are encouraged to do in CW activities. This playful element encourages them to play creatively with the language, and in so doing, to take the risks without which learning cannot take place in any profound sense.  As Crystal (1998) states, ‘Reading and writing do not have to be a prison house. Release is possible. And maybe language play can provide the key.’
• Much of the teaching we do tends to focus on the left side of the brain, where our logical faculties are said to reside. CW puts the emphasis on the right side of the brain, with a focus on feelings, physical sensations, intuition and musicality. This is a healthy restoration of the balance between logical and intuitive faculties. It also affords scope for learners whose hemisphere dominance or learning-style preferences may not be intellectual or left brain dominant, and who, in the normal process of teaching are therefore at a disadvantage.
• Perhaps most notable is the dramatic increase in self-confidence and self-esteem which CW tends to develop among learners. Learners also tend to discover things for themselves about the language… and about themselves too, thus promoting personal as well as linguistic growth. Inevitably, these gains are reflected in a corresponding growth in positive motivation. Among the conditions for promoting motivation, Dornyei (2001: 138-144) cites:  
• “5. Create a pleasant and supportive atmosphere.
•  6. Promote the development of group cohesiveness.
• 13. Increase the students’ expectation of success in particular tasks and in learning in general.
• 17. Make learning more stimulating and enjoyable by breaking the monotony of classroom events.
• 18. Make learning stimulating and enjoyable by increasing the attractiveness of tasks.
• 19. Make learning stimulating and enjoyable for learners by enlisting them as active task participants.
• 20. Present and administer tasks in a motivating way.
• 23. Provide students with regular experiences of success.
• 24. Build your learners’ confidence by providing regular encouragement.
• 28. Increase student motivation by promoting cooperation among the learners.
• 29. Increase student motivation by actively promoting learner autonomy.
• 33. Increase learner satisfaction.
• 34. Offer rewards in a motivational manner.”   
• All these conditions are met in a well-run CW class. The exponential increase in motivation is certainly supported by my own experience in teaching CW. Learners suddenly realize that they can write something in a foreign language that has never been written by anyone else before, and which others find interesting to read. (Hence the importance of ‘publishing’ students’ work in some form.)  And they experience not only a pride in their own products but also a joy in the ‘flow’ of the process. (Czsikszentmihaly 1997).  
• Finally, CW feeds into more creative reading. It is as if, by getting inside the process of creating the texts, learners come to understand intuitively how such texts function, and this makes similar texts easier to read.  Likewise, the development of aesthetic reading skills ( Kramsch  1993, Rosenblatt 1978), provides the learner with a better understanding of textual construction, and this feeds into their writing.

And teachers? I argued in the first article that teachers, as well as learners, should engage with extensive reading.  In the same spirit, I would argue that there are significant benefits to teachers if they participate in CW.

• There is little point in exhorting learners to engage in CW unless we do so too.  The power of the teacher as model, and as co-writer is inestimable.
• CW is one way of keeping teachers’ English fresh and vibrant.  For much of our professional lives we are in thrall to the controlled language of textbook English and the repeated low level error-laden English of our students.  As teachers of language, we surely have a responsibility to keep our primary resource alive and well.
• CW seems to have an effect on the writer’s level of energy in general.  This tends to make teachers who use CW more interesting to be around, and this inevitably impacts on their relationships with students.
• The experimental stance with regard to writing in general appears to fee back into the teaching of writing.  Teachers of CW tend also to be better teachers of writing in general                

My evidence for these assertions is largely anecdotal, backed by a survey of writing teachers I conducted in 2006.  One of the interesting facts to emerge was a widespread belief among teachers of writing that CW had a positive effect on students’ writing of Expository texts and helped them develop that much- desired but rarely-delivered ‘authentic voice’. Space does not allow me to expand on these findings, nor on some of the possible activities teachers might try.  I will attempt to make good these omissions in some of my blogs during the month of December. I will also make reference there to ways in which CW intersects with some of our major current concerns. Meantime, anyone interested could sample some of the books from the list below: Fry (2007), Koch (1990), Matthews (1994), Spiro (2004, 2007), Whitworth (2001) and Wright and Hill (2009)

• Carter, Ronald.  (2004)  Language and creativity: the art of common talk.  London: Routledge.
• Cszikszentmihalyi. M. ( 1997) Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention.  New York: Harper Perennial
• Cook, Guy (2000)  Language Play: Language Learning.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Craik, F.I.M  and R.S Lockhart   (1972)  ‘Levels of processing: a framework for memory research’  Journal of  Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour.  11.  671-685
• Crystal, David (1998) Language Play. London: Penguin
• Dornyei, Zoltan (2001)  Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Fry, Stephen (2007)  The Ode Less Travelled.  London: Arrow Books.
• Koch, Kenneth. (1990)  Rose, where did you get that red?  New York: Vintage Books.
• Kramsch, Claire (1993)  Context and Culture in Language Teaching.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Matthews, Paul (1994)  Sing Me the Creation.  Stroud: Hawthorne Press.
• Rosenblatt, Louise  (1978)  The Reader, the Text, the Poem. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press.
• Spiro, Jane (2004)  Creative Poetry Writing.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Spiro, Jane (2007)  Storybuilding. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Tannen, Deborah. (1989)  Talking Voices: Repetition, dialogue, and imagery in conversational discourse.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Whitworth, John.  (2001)  Writing Poetry.  London: A and C Black.
• Wright, Andrew and David S.Hill.  (2009) Writing Stories.  Innsbruck: Helbling

By Alan Maley

Please note Alan's now finished writing on the site and will not be able to reply personally to your comments.

CW- not an easy task

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All about Creative writing

                         Thank you very much for your extremely useful and highly productive article On creative writing for learners and teachers. In fact I am looking for a great person of your stature who will guide me in my poetic and writing pursuits. I have already requested you to have a look at my poems and you have read them but not offered me suggestions or compliments. I hope you will read my other 2 poems The street children and the typical Indian railway journey and send your comments either to my e-mail or express them in your comments as response.

You have given a detailed information about creative writings and expository writings,how they are useful to the students and teachers,which books they should refer to and which activities they should attempt very clearly and lucidly. I hope you will talk more about in your ensuing blogs.

I believe in constructivism and so your articles appeal to my art. Language acquisition is the need of the hour in non native english speaking countries like India. Since I am text book writer for Andhrapradesh, I would like to interact with you further. I hope you will help me improve my poetic and creative writing skills.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

JVL NARASIMHA RAO

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