: Re: My kid's first story So, my 11-year son has just written his first literature work yesterday: A short fantasy story about werewolves in a forest chased by a group of courageous men. Half-full

@Deb2945533

Vote Up Vote Down

What is "the right way"? Why do you consider it better than some other way to write a story? What do you consider "mistakes"?

You can ask your son about why he has made certain stylistic choices or plot choices, but at the end of the day, those are his choices to make. You can criticise aspects of the story that you feel are unoriginal, or have unfortunate implications, or do not work in your opinion for some other reasons. But those are not "mistakes" - those are artistic choices that you disagree with.

Spelling and grammar mistakes are not relevant either - they are secondary to the act of creation. You can point out that a certain word is spelled a certain way, but you shouldn't be focusing on that. Spelling and grammar are skills that your son will learn with time, regardless of whether he develops his writing skill or not. Going over those too much at this stage is focusing on minutiae, and ignoring the more important act of creating a story. In your son's place, I would be very much disappointed if I presented someone a story, and that's all they could see.

Really, I don't think that you should criticise. Just as you wouldn't criticise a child's painting for being "derivative" or for "lacking in expression". Instead, be specific with your praise. Don't say "this is very good". Mention instead what you particularly liked about the story - what you thought was original and interesting, expressive, etc.

And as @TotumusMaximus says, let your son read books in the genres that interest him, so that he may learn by observing the Masters.

(0)

Login to post a comment!