What’s in a Tale? 1 Super Simple Way to Get Your Students Writing in a Flash

Because Writing with Design is made up of writing coaches and educators just like you, we’re always on the hunt for ways to inspire our students to love writing even more. Likewise, once you have the Writing with Design system in your classroom, you’ll be just as eager to get them writing with every chance you get. In other words, there’s never a dull moment! Every day is another chance to write something new and explore a different topic or idea.

Sometimes, however, you might need a quick strategy to get a more reluctant student scribbling away. They could be suffering from a case of writers block that day or maybe they’re still working on discovering their own voice. Even though writing prompts are one handy tool in this sort of situation, there’s another one that’s almost sure to work. What could it possibly be?

Ask them to rewrite one of their favorite stories. That’s it! The reason this strategy works in a pinch is because nearly every writer, from young to old, has a favorite story. And it’s likely that story gets those gears moving right here, right now. The best part about this trick is that the student can draw from nearly any medium. Do they love the telling of Tolkien’s tales for the silver screen? Rewrite it! Are they obsessed with the latest comic or anime? Change the characters around and rewrite it!

Because writing is so flexible, they can reimagine the events in the story, swap out characters, or even mold the entire fictional world to their liking. With this tip, once those gears are turning and that pen is moving, you’ve saved the day in a flash!

“Every day is another chance to write something new and explore a different topic or idea.”

Using Writing with Design in your classroom is just as easy. If you know a writing teacher or two that would like to try it, give us a shout!