| bottom-link"> | | | | So, to get back to the roots, the essence of the story |
| | | | and the character - the things that matter the most to |
| Being a gifted/learning-disabled child has afforded me | | | | kids - I have created a game. I call it Legends of |
| the unexpected privilege of discovering new regions of | | | | Druidawn, based on a science fiction/fantasy world |
| my brain that few have ever explored. Because of | | | | developed by my writing club kids. The game is so |
| this, I've come to look at things upside down and | | | | different from the typical process of writing that kids |
| backwards. This tendency comes in handy while | | | | are used to trudging through in school, that they don't |
| teaching Language Arts at the Brideun School for | | | | even know I've tricked them into writing. The interaction |
| Exceptional children. Brideun kids are unique learners | | | | and sheer fun of the game is a wonderful disguise. It |
| who have blockages in their input or output capabilities. | | | | frees them from the mechanics of putting words on |
| Our job as teachers at Brideun is to find alternative | | | | paper and allows them to create the stories that live in |
| pathways in order to get to the same knowledge | | | | their imaginations a place where words are heard and |
| destination. | | | | scenes are visualized, but little is actually written at first. |
| Creative writing is my favorite thing to do and my | | | | In the game, we start with a character sheet. A very |
| favorite thing to teach. And it was my favorite activity | | | | long, detailed character sheet, where the only thing the |
| when I was a young child too, though god only knows | | | | kids have to do is fill in the blanks. But the questions |
| why. I was a terrible speller. I couldn't sequence to | | | | proposed on the sheet cause young writers to think |
| save my life, and with my poor memory, I tended to | | | | about their characters on a much deeper level than |
| lose track of where my story was supposed to be | | | | what they're used to. They can't play the game until |
| going. On top of this, my teachers dwelled endlessly on | | | | they have a fully fleshed-out person on paper who |
| the importance of good grammar, punctuation, | | | | grabs them emotionally. Next we start the story. The |
| sentence structure and how to spot a verb, but never | | | | story is presented in a completely verbal, interactive |
| taught me how to tell a good story that would keep | | | | format. The game leader, or Legend Guardian, places |
| my audience interested. I was never taught how | | | | the newly made characters into an imaginary setting, |
| exciting the written word can be when presented in a | | | | with a plot already planned. The setting is described in |
| thoughtful way. | | | | great detail, as settings should be, and then the conflict, |
| My greatest barrier of all was that I was a poor | | | | the goal, and the reward for achieving the goal are all |
| reader to boot, so I couldn't learn by the example of | | | | presented to the players. The players then set off on |
| other authors either. | | | | an imaginary adventure, led by the Legend Guardian, |
| Writing for me was feeling around in the dark with no | | | | during which time they fight monsters, find treasures, |
| guidance, other than how to put properly spelled words | | | | discover new places and struggle for their lives against |
| in a proper order on paper and make sure the periods | | | | many obstacles. Finally the ending comes when the |
| were in the right places. I couldn't make my readers | | | | players achieve their goal and win the reward. This |
| care about what it was that my words were saying. I | | | | game is played with nothing but paper and dice. |
| had incredible stories with realistic characters going on | | | | I find that when I start this game, kids who were tense |
| in my head all the time, but no idea how to make them | | | | in the beginning when they learned that they would be |
| real on paper how to make other people see what I | | | | doing creative writing, are now happy, relaxed, and |
| saw in my mind's eye. | | | | more than a little fired up. The pressure is off. This is |
| Despite all of these disadvantages, I continued to write | | | | fun! |
| for my own pleasure all through my school years. No | | | | The game part offers students a setting and a plot to |
| thanks to some of my Language Arts teachers, who, | | | | use in their stories if they don't have any ideas of their |
| if I hadn't had such an internal drive to write, would | | | | own of what to write. But it is also a great lure. They |
| have quickly driven all interest in writing out of me in | | | | don't realize that they already have been writing a |
| the first year, with their aimless rantings about proper | | | | story just by playing the game. The only thing they |
| grammar. I learned my grammar all right, which came in | | | | haven't done is translate it into words on paper. |
| quite handy when writing technical papers, but until just | | | | Now here's the catch. The only way their characters |
| recently, I didn't know how to put two words together | | | | can move up levels in the game is to put words on |
| that had an emotional effect on my readers. How | | | | paper. Words are like money. They're very valuable. |
| could I know? I was never taught this. I was never | | | | The more they use, the stronger their characters |
| taught how to create a character that other people | | | | become. Kids understand the process of moving up |
| could relate to, or what elements went in to making an | | | | levels. It's the basis of every video game they play. |
| exciting page-turning story. I was never taught that | | | | This is something they're quite familiar with. I'm not |
| concepts such as foreshadowing, symbolism and | | | | particular about what words they use at first. And I |
| metaphor add depth to a story and give it an artistic | | | | never check their spelling or grammar. The only rule is |
| edge. | | | | that whatever they're writing has to be something |
| A mechanically perfect paper devoid of decent | | | | they're willing to read aloud (maybe just to me, or |
| content is nothing but a showcase of surface | | | | maybe to the group). Kids won't write nonsense if they |
| knowledge. | | | | have to read it aloud. They'll write stories or poetry |
| Now I know these things, but only because I've had | | | | that matter to them. They'll also hear the flaws in their |
| adult writing mentors who have instructed me in the | | | | own work as they read it verbally. It will bother them |
| concepts. My sheer drive to write has guided me | | | | enough that they'll want to improve the words so they |
| toward finding the help I need. | | | | sound better. And THAT'S where the mechanics |
| Most children aren't so lucky as to have an internal | | | | come into play. Much later, in the second or third draft |
| drive to write. When they have a writing disability and | | | | of their story at a time when they've come to care |
| all they are taught is the horribly dry and seemingly | | | | about the words that are on their paper. When they |
| pointless method of mechanically correct writing, they | | | | want it to not only sound good but look good as well. |
| lose their creativity and imagination; they lose the joy of | | | | That's when I teach the more advanced writing |
| just telling a good story. For some of these kids it | | | | technique concepts to show them that there are |
| becomes mind-numbing just to lift a pen. | | | | millions of ways to manipulate words to get exactly |
| I'm not saying that grammar and spelling aren't | | | | what you want out of them. I like to show them how |
| important. Of course they are, but writing, just like math | | | | many fun ways there are to add depth to their work |
| or science, has to be taught with the application of the | | | | so that others will cherish the stories that they write. |
| skill being just as important as the skill itself. | | | | The only way you can get children to care about |
| At the Brideun School, I teach creative writing | | | | written mechanics (unless they're natural writers who |
| backwards, the way I wish it had been taught to me. | | | | are self-driven) is to get them to care about the |
| Backwards, meaning the application of the skill before | | | | stories they've created first. Writing is an emotional |
| the perfection of the skill. | | | | process. If you're not emotionally attached to your |
| In ancient times, stories weren't written down at all. | | | | characters and your story, you're certainly not going to |
| Spelling and grammar didn't exist. What was important | | | | care if it looks good on paper or not. |
| was the story itself. The characters, the plot, the | | | | To summarize, the volume of words written is the key |
| setting, the drama with which the story was relayed to | | | | to moving up levels. Children will care more about |
| a captive audience. In my family, Sunday nights were | | | | these words because they have to write something |
| reserved for read-aloud. My mother read to the family | | | | they'd be proud to read aloud. The editing and |
| from a cherished novel, and we were carried away | | | | mechanics come in later once they're hooked enough |
| by the amazing fantasy worlds that unfolded for us. I | | | | on their stories to seek out ways to perfect them. |
| was always so surprised by how different the | | | | Finally, if they're really into learning all they can, they are |
| experience was for me when Mom finished a book | | | | taught the art form of writing (adding symbolism and |
| and I loved it so much that I read it again to myself. It | | | | metaphor to give the words depth and meaning), but |
| never sounded or looked the same. The process of | | | | not all kids will make it to this stage. Only the real |
| decoding words on paper when reading a story can | | | | writers will, which is how it should be anyway. Just like |
| diminish the narrative in so many ways. Just as | | | | only the real mathematicians will make it to quantum |
| focusing on mechanics in writing, especially in the first | | | | mechanics. |
| draft, can cause a writer to lose sight of the story and | | | | It's teaching writing backwards. But it works to turn |
| the characters the things that matter most. | | | | non-writers into writers like nothing else out there. |