Writing Skills

Writing may very well be the hardest thing your brain has to do. It's like a huge concert going on with all these instruments and you are the conductor. When most of us write, we don't really think too much about what our poor brains are going through but I'm going to tell you.

First your brain is actually thinking about super small stuff. If you are writing by hand, it has to think about how the letters are shaped and whether or not you are holding the pen properly or pushing down on the paper too lightly or too hard. Then it has to think about what letters in the word come next. Then it has to think about what word comes next, what sentence comes next and what punctuation you need. After that it is thinking about the organization of what it is you are trying to say. At the same time, the brain has to hold on to the main idea and the topic while it is doing all these other things. 

Someone who hates writing usually has a breakdown along any one of these points. If it is the writing itself, like with a pen or pencil, then it is called a graphomotor problem. That can frequently be solved with the use of a word processor and some keyboarding lessons. If the breakdown in writing has to do with spelling, that can be solved with spell check.

But a lot of kids have trouble with writing because they think they should be able to produce "A" quality in a first draft. See? Even the best authors can't do that so why should we?

In order to write well, you need to understand that all good writing requires a few days of work. You need to give yourself 24 hours between a first draft and the next revision. For people who have weaker working memories, three or four drafts may be necessary.

There are some other items you need, as well, along with an order in which you write.

Steps For Writing Well

Using Graphic Organizers and Samples of Graphic Organizers

Taking Notes 

Understanding My Strengths and Struggles