Writing With Kids

Dear Deb Lund, I was wondering if you would help me. I am writing a story that has to do with a talking dog but I don’t know how to end it. All the things I try my critic says that is so lame! Will you help me?

That’s the email I got from a sixth grade girl who met me during a school visit. Getting students to recognize their “inner critic” and move past their fears is a big part of what I do when I work with students, or adults for that matter. I miss working with kids and teachers on a daily basis, and I’m happy to be a silent partner in their writing and teaching. I didn’t have anything earth-shattering to tell her, But my reply went something like this…

Endings can be very hard. The events should lead toward the end, but not totally predict it. Play with some endings, and if nothing works, just write a few possible endings. I’ve done that with a couple stories, and I’ve been surprised at what happened each time.

I try out a few possible endings, writing them all one after another at the end of the story, and then I leave them alone for at least a few weeks. Sometimes a new thought comes along, or I see how to make the old ideas work. Just getting yourself to write anything down at the end can often be enough to let a new ending pop through. Good luck!

I’m glad this girl knew she could email me. Teachers are often apologetic when they have a question for me — as if they’re interrupting me, or I’m somehow too important to be bothered. It’s actually teachers who are the important ones, and I’m honored to be asked for support. I see my “partnership” with educators as part of my job, along with writing books. Teaching is a world you never leave, and for me, it’s a chosen world.

Got a question? Ask away…