Sometimes Knowing the Basics is Not Enough

Creative writing now plays a huge role in Western Australian schools. According to the K-10 Curriculum, a third of the English Pre-primary to Year 10 students produce is imaginative. And a large part of the GATE test students take to get into selective schools is also creative by nature.

Teachers do their best to provide the basics. In creative writing and a task like writing a story, this may mean teachers telling students to provide a setting, a character or characters, conflict and a resolution. However, GATE assessors look for stories that stand out.

Reading contemporary stories can show students that it is acceptable to play with structure. And analysing hint or flash fiction can also illustrate how less is more.

Teachers often do not have the time to read or to keep up to date with developments in contemporary fiction or hint or flash fiction. Or may not know where to start.

Writers, on the other hand, are required to seek out and read the latest in order to know what work publishers or editors are looking for if they are to stand any chance of being published themselves.

Sometimes knowing the basics is not enough. If you wish to improve your child's story writing ability and make them stand out from the crowd, I would encourage you to look at the writing workshops that I offer with Intuition Education Support or think about having your child tutored in the subject.