The real reason we write

A family that writes together…

Writing is not so much about putting pen to paper. Or finger to key.

The activities around writing are just as transformative. Things like research, idea compilation, information synthesis, clear communication - skills that extend far beyond the act of writing.

Kids want to do this stuff, and you don’t need to be “good” at writing as a parent to teach them. That would be like putting a barrier to entry on speaking.

Everyone is a speaker, and everyone benefits from building the skill. It touches every aspect of your life. If you can’t speak well enough, you can’t even get an honest blue-collar job.

It's important to be a good speaker, even if you have no aspirations of ever speaking on a stage. Similarly, it's important to write even if you never plan to be an author.

Especially in the future, writing is essential. Again, not because your kid needs to know how to put finger to key – but because, increasingly, they need to know how to think. Writing is the most effective training in clear thinking. Clear thinking leads to a purposeful life.

With simple games together, you and your kids can explore the joy of writing - and all the hard and soft skills that come with it.

You’ll see what we mean…

Write short stories and share them

Famously, Mary Shelley, her husband, and her friends had a little writing contest, while trapped inside on a rainy day in the summer of 1816. 

They retreated to their own corners and write ideas for a ghost story. That afternoon, Mary came up with Frankenstein and pretty much invented science fiction. 

There are a few things to learn here: 

1. Writing in the context of play can make the process much less daunting.

2. It’s best to write with an audience in mind. Even better if you know them well. 

3. Getting together and sharing makes mistakes funny, not humiliating. 

Common wisdom implies that writing is a difficult activity that must be done in solitude with a very serious attitude. But often, the best writing comes from a sense of light-heartedness. 

Beyond the accolades and craft, writing together is fun. 

Each person feels excited to show off what they can do. The others get the opportunity to be a good sport and listen until it's their turn. It’s like watching TV together but 1000x more involved. 

Don’t get us wrong, there is nothing wrong with a family movie night. But what if you replaced one night with a short story? 

Set the bar low. No one needs to be as good as Mary Shelley (Mary Shelley probably felt like she wasn’t as good as Mary Shelley, and she revised Frankenstein for another 2 years). Write something fun. Have a laugh together. 

Journaling

Journaling is a private act, but you can take a moment during dinner to allow everyone to share a piece of something they wrote the night before. It could be a sentence or an essay – whatever they want to share – as long as they get the chance to express something they took the time to articulate with words. 

Of course, they can “pass” if they would rather not share. But most kids will jump at the chance to show off and express themselves – and they love a game with a structure. 

This motivates your kids (and you) to write down your thoughts the night before, so you have something to share at dinner the next day. 

Having dinner together is a place to share about everyone’s day spontaneously – and you can supplement this effect by encouraging everyone to have something prepared. 

Thoughts written down take on a new life. They are thought through. They are a stake in the ground that has to be defended… or revised. That means you can’t hide behind, “I meant to say…”

Research shows us writing physically alters the brain's structures and makes the writer more articulate and verbally powerful. 

Write a family history

Adding to the benefits of chronicling thoughts and sharing them to be discussed, it’s also powerful to sit down and write a family history. 

This orients you and your kids in the world by giving them the context for their existence. 

What is the character of your family? What are their greatest virtues? What are their greatest vices? You are a part of that unbroken chain. Just like anything else, it’s best to know.

You would be shocked by what you can find on ancestry websites. Go on a hunt together. Check the library. Call distant relatives. Dig deeper into curious stories. Go to Grandma’s house and ask her to talk about her childhood. Take notes. Make a family tree together. 

This is the embodied work that goes around writing. 

You might find out that one of your ancestors came to America from France to farm the land, but became a spiritual healer when he broke his leg and couldn’t work. You might be able to track down his last living son. 

Kids love this sort of thing. It’s a real-life mystery/treasure hunt.

At the heart of all this is the power of taking vague notions of speech and making them into the more concrete written word. With solid conceptual frameworks at their command, your kids will have enormous power in the world.

Don’t let them miss out. 

Thanks for reading,

Taylor + rebelEducator team

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P.S.

What we’re looking at:

Yes, I Judge Books by their Cover

Austin Scholar @AustinScholar

"The object of education is to teach us to love beauty." ~ Plato Learning should be about discovering the patterns and mysteries and beauties of the world–not memorizing formulas.

To Improve Students' Writing, Teach Them to Construct Sentences and Outline Paragraphs

Quotes we’re pondering:

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” — Mark Twain

“You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” — F Scott Fitzgerald

“Good writing isn’t a science. It’s an art, and the horizon is infinite. You can always get better.” — David Foster Wallace