A few weeks ago I substitute taught a 6th grade English class. They had to write stories from an inanimate object’s POV. (They were studying personification).
After having taught high school, mainly 11th&12th graders at that, I was amazed at the creativity I saw in these kid’s stories. I was used to assigning something creative and getting maybe 1-2 assignments out of 100 that were actually creative. But, the majority of these 6th graders were very creative.
Now, maybe it’s a difference between private & public school, but I think it has something to do with age. The older we get in school, the more we seem to care about what our peers think. We begin to focus more on the end result (is this an A paper, or how quickly can I get this done and not fail). And when that happens, creativity often falls by the wayside.
I’ve always read. I’ve always written stories. I’ve never been able to give up that part of myself. My family is supportive but doesn’t understand. My father and sisters are not readers. My one sister is completely math & science oriented. My mother is a reader, but her creativity comes out in her garden. I have known my husband for 6 years and he has read 3 books in that entire time. I have a lot of friends who are readers, but none that are writers.
It’s why the internet has been a godsend for me. I’m able to connect with people who get it. I’m able to say I write. I write romance. I’m good at it. It is a joy. And really, really, really hard. I can bask in that creativity, not feel guilty when it gets in the way of a clean kitchen.
Writers are those kids who didn’t lose their creativity, or if they did, they found it again.
Nicole Helm 