The spark of creative excitement...

I am loving meeting the new and returning writers this week. The writer's workshops are off to a great start. I watch the spark of creative excitement light up one-by-one in the children's eyes as we create characters together and feel new stories taking shape. Watching that spark spread around the circle like a little fireworks show, seeing their eyes begin to shine, and then hearing the kids say, "Can we go write now?!" with such eagerness is the reason I keep teaching these classes. It makes me smile even now. :)

What makes the magic possible is the safety and freedom I establish in the group. It is not possible to fail. Spelling and punctuation matter, but not in the first write. We will fix those things later. I don't want the kids to think that spelling is what writing is about! We are up to much bigger things, and while its true that they will become better spellers and punctuators, what matters to me is that they become detail-noticers, world-creators, imagination-followers, confident storytellers who are able to engage in the creative process and not get too worried when they get stuck or when things turn out differently than they had thought. 

Writing is one way to make sense of ourselves and the world around us, and I am very happy to be writing with these amazing children.