This afternoon, three young writers walked into my classroom and our little creative writing club was born.

I’ve been working collaboratively with young writers since 2007, and it’s a lot of fun. I highly recommend it. I remember what it was like as a young person who wanted to be a writer but was too afraid to step out and try. Any chance I get to encourage young writers to take new steps and courageously step out and write one’s thoughts, I take it! I don’t want them to end up like me – paralyzed with fear over how bad my writing was. It only cost me twenty years of idleness.

I’ve been conducting drama writing groups with students these many years. We’ve created a lot of cool plays and musicals which we’ve seen staged. The experience has been awesome and it has simply spurred on my love for writing.

Today, we started a new incarnation of a writing club. We each shared what we like to write. (They young writers like to write fantasy which is typical of young writers.) I shared with them my story of drama-writing which lead to novel-writing. I also shared my foray into independent publishing.

We agreed as a group that we would make this a creative writing group where we would actually write something together. Once teen said, “I like the thought of writing something that can be used immediately.” I do too. So we will probably be writing some short dramas together which will be produced in a variety of settings. This is always one of the main draws of writing with young writers. They don’t often get to see their writing USED! Often times it ends up in a drawer as a cast-off idea.

But not in my creative writing club. They will get to see their name in print in some program. They will get to see their creation come to life on the stage. Immediate feedback for what they have produced. It’s pretty cool!

So I’m excited to get rolling with our club and can’t wait to see what we’ll be able to produce.

If you haven’t worked with young writers, try it out. You’ll enjoy the experience and you’ll help spur on the next generation of great writers!