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Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre

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Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre

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© 2008 Bryan Alexander and Alan Levine. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. 6 (November/December 2008)

A story has a beginning, a middle, and a cleanly wrapped-up ending. Whether told around a campfire, read from a book, or played on a DVD, a story goes from point A to B and then C. It follows a trajectory, a Freytag Pyramid-perhaps the line of a human life or the stages of the hero's journey. A story is told by one person or by a creative team to an audience that is usually quiet, even receptive. Or at least thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s what a story used to be, and thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s how a story used to be told. Today, with digital networks and social media, this pattern is changing. Stories now are open-ended, branching, hyperlinked, cross-media, participatory, exploratory, and unpredictable. And they are told in new ways: Web 2.0 storytelling picks up these new types of stories and runs with them, accelerating the pace of creation and participation while revealing new directions for narratives to flow.

Definitions and Histories

What is Web 2.0 storytelling? As the phrase suggests, it is the telling of stories using Web 2.0 tools, technologies, and strategies. Since the name is fairly recent (and not yet widely used), it may not bear out as the best term for this trend. Another name may emerge, one better suited to describing this narrative domain. However, the term seems to have met with quiet acknowledgment to date, so it may serve as a useful one going forward. To further define the term, we should begin by explaining what we mean by its first part: Web 2.0. Tim O'Reilly coined Web 2.0 in 2004, ¹ but the label remains difficult to acceptably define. For our present discussion, we will identify two essential features that are useful in distinguishing Web 2.0 projects and platforms from the rest of the web: microcontent and social media. ²

The first feature, microcontent, suggests that authors create small chunks of content, with each chunk conveying a primary idea or concept. ³ These pieces are smaller than websites in terms of information architecture and are meant to be reused in multiple ways and places. They are also often much smaller than websites in terms of the amount of storage that each chunk takes up: blog posts, wiki edits, YouTube comments, and Picasa images are usually only a few thousand bytes. Some types of microcontent, ironically, can be quite large from a storage perspective but are self-contained-namely, audio (podcasts), video (for web platforms, such as YouTube), or embeddable Flash applets. Their uploading to the web is a simple matter for the user and does not require anything in the way of web design expertise. Even creating a website through Web 2.0 tools is a radically different matter compared with the days of HTML hand-coding and of moving files with FTP clients. Creating Web 2.0 content requires only making a few selections from menus, choosing from a variety of well-designed templates, or adding a page name to another, already-established wiki page. One outcome of this authoring approach is a drastically lower bar for participation and publishing. Although some faculty members might hesitate to learn a website editor such as Dreamweaver, an arcane method of FTP, and local campus web directory structures, they can now begin telling the world about Mideast politics or biological processes after spending only five minutes learning how to use Blogger or Wikispaces. The technology thus becomes more transparent; attention is focused on the content. As a result, the amount of rich web media and content has grown in quantity and diversity. And any student of history would not be surprised to observe that out of those manifold ways of writing and showing have emerged new practices for telling stories.

A second essential component to Web 2.0 is what we used to refer to as Ã¢â‚¬Å"social software.Ã¢â‚¬Â Although Web 2.0 tools now generally offer multiple levels of privacy, and therefore host a growing amount of content inaccessible to a broad audience, Web 2.0 platforms are often structured to be organized around people rather than the traditional computer hierarchies of directory trees. Websites designed in the 1990s and later offered few connecting points for individuals, generally speaking, other than perhaps a guestbook or a link to an e-mail address. But Web 2.0 tools are built to combine microcontent from different users with a shared interest: a blog post and a comment; a Delicious page for a URL with many different users having bookmarked the same URL; a group of Flickr photos from different people connected by the common use of a descriptive tag; or multiple authors in a single wiki page. If readers closely examine a Web 2.0 project, they will find that it is often touched by multiple people, whether in the content creation or via associated comments or discussion areas. If they participate actively, by contributing content, we have what many call social media.

Combining social media with microcontent yields a series of synergistic effects, including conversations that occur across multiple sites and with multiple connections in between. A blogger posts a reflection. Another blogger adds a comment to that post, with a link to a related video. A third writes up a post on his blog (which may automatically send a "ping" to the original blog post as a connection). A fourth describes the conversation so far in her podcast, thus adding more commentary. Such distributed conversations occurred and continue to happen on other web platforms and, arguably, can be found in other venues (e-mail listservs, Usenet groups). But Web 2.0's lowered bar to content creation, combined with increased social connectivity, ramps up the ease and number of such conversations, which are able to extend outside the bounds of a single environment. Distributed discussion offers many points of entry, both for readers and for co-writers. And it offers a new environment for storytelling.

Another influential factor of Web 2.0 is findability: the use of comprehensive search tools that help story creators (and readers) quickly locate related micocontent with just a few keywords typed into a search field. Social bookmarking and content tagging add more tools to help share or recall what has been found. With findability connected to a growing amount of media content licensed under Creative Commons ( http://creativecommons.org/), the authoring process again becomes both easier and more fulfilling, with increased access to high-quality microcontent.

Defining the second part of Web 2.0 storytelling-that is, storytelling-is an easier proposition, partly because we have a far, far greater tradition of recognizing and reflecting on it. Storytelling is a rare human universal, present and recognizable across cultures and epochs. We can refer to it as the "art of conveying events in words, images, and sounds often by improvisation or embellishment." ⁴ Annette Simmons sees the storytellerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s empathy and sensory detail as crucial to "the unique capability to tap into a complex situation we have all experienced and which we all recognize." ⁵ A leading teacher of writing emphasizes the importance of characters' desires in a story: "Without a mobilized desire or fear, characters in a story-or life-wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t be willing to do much of anything in the service of their great longings." ⁶ Storytelling may also be seen as the set of cultural practices for representing events chronologically. Or for the purposes of this article, we can simply repurpose U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's classic line: "It's hard to define, but I know it when I see it."

Story can refer to either fiction or nonfiction, depending on the context. It's easy to think of nonfiction storytelling examples: marketing used to sell a product's story; the mini-stories so essential to any discussion of ethics; the use of storytelling for surfacing implicit information in knowledge-management practice. As popularized in education, the familiar form of digital storytelling is a narrated personal story of overcoming obstacles, achieving a dream, honoring a deceased family member, or describing an event. ⁷ Web 2.0 stories are often broader: they can represent history, fantasy, a presentation, a puzzle, a message, or something that blurs the boundaries of reality and fiction.

Storytelling with digital tools dates back to the early days of personal computers and the first networks. Early work on hypertext explored new ways of creating and experiencing narrative, often nonlinear and increasingly media-rich. Linked lexia (individual hypertext pieces) offered new forms of co-creation, in which a reader would help form the story by shaping a path through it. For example, Espen Aarseth coined the term "ergodic literature," with ergodic being a neologism from the Greek words for "work" and "path." ⁸ The spread of urban legends by newsgroup posts and e-mail messages constitutes something akin to a body of folklore, building up within the Internet. Once hypertext became prominent and familiar with the explosive growth of the web, storytelling by web pages developed a large, if underappreciated, record. This occurred both before and alongside the rise of Web 2.0. On one level, web users experienced a great deal of digital narratives created in non-web venues but published in HTML, such as embedded audio clips, streaming video, and animation through the Flash plug-in. On another level, they experienced stories using web pages as hypertext lexia, chunks of content connected by hyperlinks. Tutorials work in this way, telling the story of some process or object through a series of even static HTML documents-for example, Writing HTML ( http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/775/HTML-For-Beginners). An example in creative fiction is Ted's Caving Journal ( http://www.angelfire.com/trek/caver/page1.html), a series of web pages leading forward and backward in one sequence. And as the web grew, storytelling approaches combined hypertext with rich media. For example, the Dreaming Methods project ( http://www.dreamingmethods.com/) has produced a series of multilinear stories more like environments than classic tales, using Flash to deepen the atmosphere and tone. Web-based narratives grew in number through the 1990s and into the twenty-first century, with Ã¢â‚¬Å"net.artÃ¢â‚¬Â and the field of electronic literature developing rapidly. ⁹

While HTML narratives continued to be produced, digital storytelling by video also began, drawing on groundbreaking video projects from the 1970s. This pedagogical method was developed in Berkeley by a group of community theater activists who wanted to link performance with digital tools. The result was a pedagogy far more narrow than what the term digital storytelling encompasses: a three-day, intensive event in which participants learn enough technological skills to create a personal story in short video form. ¹⁰ Instructors and participants found that the combination of digital tools with personal story was an energizing and powerful form of expression for both the creator and the audience. Learners lost some nervousness about the technology when they saw it in the service of a far more recognizable cause: their own story or the stories of others. In turn, the expressive capabilities of the technology produced personal and community knowledge.

By the time of the emergence of blogs and YouTube as cultural media outlets, Tim O'Reilly's naming of Web 2.0, and the advent of social media, storytelling with digital tools had been at work for nearly a generation.

Principles and Practices

To claim that there is now such a thing as Ã¢â‚¬Å"Web 2.0 storytellingÃ¢â‚¬Â invites risks. For one, some media reports suggest that this type of storytelling could be either hype or a danger. In addition, trying to pin down such a moving target can result in creating terminology that becomes obsolete in short order. Moreover, claiming that storytelling is happening online and is developing in interesting ways contradicts some current assertions about a decline in reading.

Accepting these risks, we suggest there is most certainly a new form of expression that is compelling to educators. Starting from our definitions, we should expect Web 2.0 storytelling to consist of Web 2.0 practices. And indeed, social microcontent is clearly present in projects like Postmodern Sass ( http://www.postmodernsass.com/blogger/), where many posts have attached comments from people who are (presumably) not the author. The interplay of Sass's descriptions and her commentatorsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ reactions forms a key layer of the overall story, apart from the series of posts. That interplay is common to the blogosphere and is different from the experience of static, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Web 1.0Ã¢â‚¬Â pages. The interwoven characters, relationships, settings, and scenes that result are the stuff of stories, regardless of how closely mapped onto reality they might be; this also distinguishes a Web 2.0 story from other blogging forms, such as political or project sites (except as satire or criticism!). The Million Penguins wiki novel project consisted (and consists, although no longer in editable form) of myriad edits to many wiki pages, rapidly altered by a large number of users. ¹¹ Lonelygirl15 ( http://www.lonelygirl15.com/), which started as a series of short videos on YouTube, grew to include a large number of comments, blog posts, wiki pages, parody videos, response videos, and a body of criticism. In each of these cases, the relative ease of creating web content enabled social connections around and to story materials.

Such connections can occur in any number of directions, in sharp contrast to the singular flow of digital storytelling. In the latter form, authors create linear narratives, bound to the clear, unitary, and unidirectional timeline of the video format and the traditional story arc. Web 2.0 narratives can follow that timeline, and podcasts in particular must do so. But they can also link in multiple directions. Consider the possibilities facing a reader (or a viewer or a listener) who approaches Postmodern Sass. One timeline follows blog posts in chronological order. Another follows comments to a single post. A third follows links between posts, such as when the author refers to an earlier situation or references an old joke. Web 2.0 creators have many options about the paths to set before their users. Web 2.0 storytelling can be fully hypertextual in its multilinearity. At any time, the audience can go out of the bounds of the story to research information (e.g., checking names in Google searches or looking for background information in Wikipedia).

Often, the paths do not necessarily follow routes and destinations entirely generated by the story's creator. User-generated content is a key element of Web 2.0 and can often enter into these stories. A reader can add content into story platforms directly: editing a wiki page, commenting on a post, replying in a Twitter feed, posting a video response in YouTube. Those interactions fold into the experience of the overall story from the perspective of subsequent readers. Web 2.0 stories tend to be accretions over time, imbricated layers of content on top of an original core. It would be difficult, for example, for viewers to experience only the videos published by Lonelygirl15's creative team: there are also the torrents of comments, video responses, tag-sets. A web search reveals numerous other strata of other-authored story pieces, covering a wide range of registers, from satire to tribute. On a less complex level, consider the 9th Btn Y & L War Diaries blog project, which posts diary entries from a World War I veteran. A June 2008 post ( http://yldiaries.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html) contains a full wartime document, but the set of comments from others (seven, as of this writing) offer foreshadowing, explication of terms, and context. Compare these cases with pre-Web 2.0, static, Web 1.0 pages. User-generated content would either be off-web (via e-mail) or housed in other, clearly separated web locations. This last point returns us to the distributed nature of Web 2.0 storytelling. Not all Web 2.0 stories are distributed across multiple sites, but the combination of social media and microcontent makes it likely that many can be. Creators can stage content from different sites. For instance, characters can have their own blogs in which they describe their parts in the larger story-as done, for example, in World Without Oil ( http://worldwithoutoil.org). Moreover, those sites can be different types of Web 2.0 platforms. Playing for Keeps ( http://www.playingforkeepsnovel.com/) includes blog posts (with comments), podcasts (each blogged, with those posts commentable), PDF downloads, a MySpace page, and additional blog posts from various content contributors, with these posts housed at their own locations. Likewise, Serial Blogger involves a series of blogs and video files accessed online but complemented by offline interactions in North Melbourne's Arts House ( http://2008.nextwave.org.au/festival/projects/59-serial-blogger).

At times, this distributed art form can range beyond the immediate control of a creator. For example, when bloggers create their own takes on a podcast story's plot resolution, web searchers can find both "versions." Or consider Hamlet by Facebook, a comic retelling of Shakespeare's tragedy by rewriting in Facebook's interface language ( http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v116/dalziel_86/hamlet.png). ¹² This sort of content repurposing, redesign, and republication can open up problems of version or content control, yet in return, it offers the possible harvesting of the storytelling energies of the creative world. In addition, some Web 2.0 stories hit the control problem deliberately: often the stories are not clearly labeled as stories. This puts a responsibility on the reader/viewer to determine if the stories are "real" or not. The simplicity of I Found a Digital Camera in the Woods ( http://community.codemasters.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42825) helps make it believable, as did its original placement in a common web discussion forum. The story consists solely of a series of images, and the interpretation is played out as people comment on and try to interpret the images. The Flickr stories pool ( http://www.flickr.com/groups/visualstory/) offers a similar mix of simplicity and Ã¢â‚¬Å"tricky truthÃ¢â‚¬Â status. As with the rest of Web 2.0, it is up to readers and viewers to analyze and interpret such content and usually to do so collaboratively.

Other forms leverage the Web 2.0 strategies of aggregating large amounts of microcontent and creatively selecting patterns out of an almost unfathomable volume of information. Reminiscent of I Found a Digital Camera in the Woods, the artist Jonathan Harris collects stories as found objects from other people ( http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jonathan_harris_collects_stories.html), stories that offer "a partial glimpse into someone's life rather than knowing the whole story." Harris and Sep Kamvar built a tool that continually scans new blog posts for occurrences of the words "I feel" or "I am feeling"; the software grabs a full sentence as a "microstory" along with any embedded photo, plus associated demographic information about the author (geolocation and weather). The We Feel Fine website ( http://www.wefeelfine.org/) presents a dynamic visual representation of the intersection of geography, climate, and how "we" are feeling-representing 15,000-20,000 sentences a day (11.5 million Ã¢â‚¬Å"feelingsÃ¢â‚¬Â as of July 2008). In a similar vein, Twistori ( http://twistori.com/) provides a real-time display of peopleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Twitter posts that use the words "feel," "love," "hate," "believe," "think," or "wish"-revealing, in an instant, a mashup of tiny stories tied by common action words.

The Twitter content form (140-character microstories) permits stories to be told in serialized portions spread over time. In Zombie Attack ( http://twitter.com/zombieattack), a science fiction narrative unfolds over a period of weeks (though never finished). Taking a different approach, Booktwo ( http://twitter.com/booktwo) used a web script, Swotter, to "read" one line (posted to Twitter) of James Joyce's Ulysses every fifteen minutes, taking eight months to finish. The Booktwo.org website states: "Running over a period of several months, Swotter will test the permanence of the electronic medium against that of the traditional book. It also poses several challenges: to what extent can we fragment (or Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmicrochunk,Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in the latest parlance) literature before it becomes incoherent? How many media can literature be forced into-if, indeed, there is any limit?"

Even more varied forms include movie trailer recuts, in which the story creator edits clips from a well-known Hollywood movie to make a preview that tells a different story. By simply reordering these bits and overlaying a movie announcerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s voice, the creator produces a different story. Examples include The Shining Recut ( http://www.thetrailermash.com/shining-romantic-comedy), which turns the original horror movie into a family-bonding love story, and Scary Mary ( http://www.thetrailermash.com/mary-poppins-horror/), featuring Mary Poppins as the main character in a horror story. ¹³ This method of storytelling has been promoted since 2007 at the Weigle Information Commons (University of Pennsylvania) student video mashup contest ( http://wic.library.upenn.edu/mashup/). Even farther out on the extreme end are ideas like Why Some Dolls Are Bad ( http://www.cornerdata.org/dolls/), a Facebook application that remixes photos drawn from Flickr (based on tags) with a set of texts that generate a dynamic graphic novel. After adding the application to a Facebook account, a user can save the generated pages from this novel and arrange them into a new story that can then be shared.

At a different-perhaps meta-level, the boundaries of Web 2.0 stories are not necessarily clear. A story's boundaries are clear when it is self-contained, say in a DVD or XBox360 game. But can we know for sure that all the followers of a story's Twitter feed, for example, are people who are not involved directly in the project? Turning this question around, how do we know that we've taken the right measure of just how far a story goes, when we could be missing one character's blog or a setting description carefully maintained by the author on Wikipedia? Artistic responses to this problem vary. On the one hand, some projects, such as alternate reality games (ARGs), work carefully on this blurry boundary. ¹⁴ On the other hand, some creators use Web 2.0 tools to publish while making formal moves to more clearly draw a boundary, blocking some of that social media. For example, Bruce Sterling's Harvey Feldspar's Geoblog ( http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/15-07/local) looks like many posts but is actually only one microcontent chunk-one that limits the number of points for commentary.

Perhaps the most developed forms of Web 2.0 storytelling are represented by ARGs, popularized mostly by efforts to create interest (or Ã¢â‚¬Å"buzzÃ¢â‚¬Â) in new video games (e.g., I Love Bees) or movies. Some have described The Beast ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynetter/761222536/) as the prototype of web-based storytelling. Developed to generate interest in Steven Spielberg's A.I. (2001) before the movie was released, The Beast was described by its developer, Sean Stewart: Ã¢â‚¬Å"We would tell a story that was not bound by communication platform: it would come at you over the web, by email, via fax and phone and billboard and TV and newspaper, SMS and skywriting and smoke signals too if we could figure out how. The story would be fundamentally interactive, made of little bits that players, like detectives or archaeologists, would discover and fit together. We would use political pamphlets, business brochures, answering phone messages, surveillance camera video, stolen diary pages . . . in short, instead of telling a story, we would present the evidence of that story, and let the players tell it to themselves.Ã¢â‚¬Â ¹⁵

50+ Ways

Web 2.0 productivity tools are approaching mainstream use. For example, we wrote this article in Google Docs ( http://docs.google.com), simultaneously editing the copy from different parts of the country. Indeed, some have even suggested that Google Spreadsheets constitute a virtual world. ¹⁶ For rich-media content creation, Web 2.0 tools have lowered the barriers by moving the process of (expensive) desktop video-editing software to (free) web-based applications ¹⁷ and at the same time ostensibly moving the focus from using the tool to telling the story with the tool.

In the summer of 2007, one of us (Alan Levine) was tracking a number of web tools that enable the easy creation of image slide shows paired with audio tracks. These included VoiceThread ( http://www.voicethread.com/), a tool in which images are sequenced and authors can record audio associated with each slide. The compelling feature of this tool is that once a slide show is published, other people can add narration via text or audio (and now video), so that shows can easily have multiple voices or commentary. At the same time, SlideShare ( http://www.slideshare.com/), a site that provides a YouTube-like interface for PowerPoint (uploaded files are converted to Flash, and content can be embedded in external websites), added the SlideCast feature, whereby a presentation can by synchronized with an mp3 audio file, essentially creating an audio-narrated slide show.

This led to the development of a project to see if there were fifty different Web 2.0 tool sites that allowed the mixing of multiple forms of media (text, images, audio, or video) to publish content. The test was to tell the same story-a simple story of a lost dog-in each of the fifty-plus tools in similar, but also subtly different, ways. ¹⁸ To be included, the tools had to be free, completely web-based, and able to produce a final product that could be viewed via a link and/or could be embedded into another site. Currently, The Fifty Tools website ( http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/StoryTools) features examples of stories created in fifty-seven tools, and the number is likely, as new tools continue to emerge, to top seventy soon. The point of the project was not to rank the tools but to demonstrate the breadth and rapid growth of creative outlets that are easily accessible. In addition, the project served as an illustrative example of the fact that no one can know about all of the possible web tools that are available.

Some of these tools have been around long enough to present us with a variety of well-developed forms. Within the blogosphere, for instance, blog fiction can be characterized within a typology, ¹⁹ consisting of a wide range of materials: written works published in journal format, such as the Orwell Diaries ( http://orwelldiaries.wordpress.com/); chronologically identified documents, such as Draculablog ( http://infocult.typepad.com/dracula/); stories hosted entirely in a blog framework, such as The Glass House ( http://web.archive.org/web/20050518013842/www.invisiblejames.com/2004/12/08/you-dont-have-to-believe-it/); and examples in which the blog is a partial piece of a story played out in other Internet spaces (role-playing between blogs). Perhaps the oldest and best-known form of a blog is that of character self-presentation: the personal blog, the diary, the story of the strands of oneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s life over months or years. In that sense, personal bloggers have been Web 2.0 storytellers for years.

Wikis date back even farther than blogs and are in wide use for many knowledge-management and information-accretion purposes. Wikipedia, the most famous (or notorious) wiki-based project, has hosted Ã¢â‚¬Å"stories,Ã¢â‚¬Â if encyclopedia articles can be considered to be mini-narratives; in another, more negative sense, it has published Ã¢â‚¬Å"stories,Ã¢â‚¬Â as in not-quite-true accounts. But wikis have emerged as storytelling tools in a much broader sense as well. First, wikis are sometimes used as simple notepads for collaboration, as shared writing spaces for authors separated by space and time. Second, the accretive function of wikis, whereby content piles up over time, is well suited for world-building exercises, from fan fiction such as Lostpedia ( http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Main_Page) to the world of Latin in Vicipaedia Latina ( http://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagina_prima). Third, wikis can be platforms for a new form of writing, a kind of social microcontent round-robin, as in the Million Penguins project, noted earlier.

Although we discussed digital storytelling by video above, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s important to also identify web video storytelling, primarily through YouTube. This Google-owned platform hosts a huge number of stories, starting with the reposting of content published elsewhere (e.g., television, DVD, VHS). It has also become the base for webcam culture, where single narrators tell their camera (and viewers) stories on just about any topic, from breakfast to atheism. Telling a convincing story in that format requires a set of skills drawn from basic videography to public speaking and even performance art and stand-up comedy. All of this may be considered to be communication in a more general sense, but stories are easy to find, whichever definition of Ã¢â‚¬Å"storyÃ¢â‚¬Â we use. One example is 2009: A True Story, a series of video episodes on its own YouTube channel ( http://www.youtube.com/2009atruestory). More content is available on a traditional website ( http://www.2009atruestory.com/), which emphasizes background information, and still more content appears on a MySpace page ( http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=283901940), suggesting a character-based approach to the tale. Even more content is likely to accrue in the form of comments, posts, and fan fiction.

YouTube is also notable for having pioneered the "embed" concept for content, now available in a growing number of other Web 2.0 platforms, from SlideShare to Google Maps ( http://maps.google.com/). Indeed, of the current list of fifty-seven Web 2.0 tools that can be used for storytelling, three-quarters offer content that can be embedded elsewhere. ²⁰ Embeds allow content created on a site to be viewable intermingled with other web content. Thus stories built from microcontent (images, audio, video) are assembled into a new form that is itself re-usable microcontent.

Applications in Higher Education

From public intellectual podcasts to classroom blogs, from Wikipedia assignments to student projects in Twitter feeds, Web 2.0 platforms have been utilized in higher education because of their ease of use, ready availability, individual affordances, and network effects. Should Web 2.0 storytelling be considered for educational purposes as well? After all, not every art form needs to be used in academia. We believe that the answer is Ã¢â‚¬Å"yesÃ¢â‚¬Â and that Web 2.0 storytelling offers two main applications for colleges and universities: as composition platform and as curricular object.

First, Web 2.0 storytelling is a useful composition platform whenever storytelling is appropriate. The most obvious example is a creative writing class. Students can use blogs as character studies. Twitter's 140-character limit is a bracing one, drawing on the long tradition of fruitful restrictions in art. Fine art, music, and other media composition classes can follow this approach as well. Other examples can be found in the need to relate a series of events (physics, history) or describe a complex object (geography, music). These are situations in which an instructor or student can use a story form-not always, but sometimes-to better communicate an important subject.

For an example, consider Project 1968 ( http://www.project1968.com/). This blog consists of two voices, belonging to two young woman participating in that yearÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s chaotic Democratic Party national convention in Chicago. The two voices can be read separately ( http://www.project1968.com/amy/ and http://www.project1968.com/janines-journal/) or can be followed together from the main site. In addition there is a page containing explanatory text, historical resources (both off-line and online), and links to news accounts from that year, arranged by date ( http://www.project1968.com/visiting-for-the-first-ti.html). There is also a page describing the characters ( http://www.project1968.com/cast-of-project-1968.html). ThereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s even a MySpace site ( http://www.myspace.com/project1968), in the Web 2.0 storytelling mode of transmedia, cross-platform publication.

The main blog structure is similar to diary accounts, or newscasts, with short reflections on time-sensitive events unfolding over time. Each characterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s voice affords a different perspective, complementary to the otherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s. HereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s the opening of one Project 1968 post:

August 28, 1968
by Amy
12:10 a.m. - Lincoln Park

They were beaten. We watched them from afar. They beat the priests who gathered to protect us. Coleman asked Glasses if the priests knew what was about to happen. Glasses assured him that they did. They sent him away, and they stayed.

The reader is immediately engaged by this dramatic voice. Who is being beaten, and why? Who is Coleman? Is Ã¢â‚¬Å"GlassesÃ¢â‚¬Â a code name or a pseudonym? What will Amy (the writer) do, or what will be done to her? The reader is driven to read more, not only within the rest of that post but also across the other sites of the story: the archive of posts so far, the MySpace page, the resources copied and pointed to. Perhaps the reader ranges beyond the site, to the rest of the research world-maybe he or she even composes a response in some Web 2.0 venue.

To some extent, the power of such a post is due to the dramatic subject matter (a wrenching political event) and also to the writerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s skill. Yet the blog form, which accentuates this narrative, is accessible to anyone with a browser. Examples like Project 1968 offer ready models for aspiring writers to learn from. Even though the purpose of Project 1968 is not immediately tied to a class, it is a fine example for all sorts of curricular instances, from history to political science, creative writing to gender studies, sociology to economics.

Although the idea of imitating projects like this can be daunting, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s worth remembering that using Web 2.0 storytelling is partly a matter of scale. Some projects can be Web 2.0 stories, while others integrate Web 2.0 storytelling practices. Larger topics within a course might be suited to larger platforms. Consider podcasting. There are many ways to build the storytelling power of an audio narrative: pauses, to let the audience think or to indicate a change in topic; interruptions, to indicate excitement; the ending of a topic before its full resolution, to produce a cliffhanger; vocal intonation, pacing, and pitch; sound effects and music. A familiar speaker becomes a character, much as do announcers or television news anchors, building a connection with the audience. Other platforms can be integrated to enhance the podcast. For example, a podcast series on a major historical topic can use blog posts to add contextual information, as done in The Missing Link ( http://missinglinkpodcast.wordpress.com/). Blog posts can deepen the impression made by one podcast, enriching the experience and expanding the topical world, as evidenced in Open Source ( http://www.radioopensource.org/) and Napoleon 101 ( http://napoleon.thepodcastnetwork.com/).

Yet storytelling approaches can work on a smaller scale also. A single course blog, for instance, tells the class Ã¢â‚¬Å"story.Ã¢â‚¬Â Considering the course blog as a narrative project, an instructor thinks not in terms of producing static content but instead in terms of capturing an audience, of adding an emotional hook to the content. Lecturers are familiar with telling stories as examples, as a way to get a subject across. They end discussions with a challenging question and create characters to embody parts of content (political actors, scientists, composite types). Imagine applying those habits to a class Twitter feed or Facebook group.

The second possible application for Web 2.0 storytelling in higher education is its use as curricular object. For media studies, this emergent genre embodies a range of digital media topics. For narrative studies, Web 2.0 stories offer an unusual blend of formal features, from the blurry boundaries around each story to questions of chronology. For information science, addressing the issues of how best to preserve and access these digital stories in the future may be a useful exercise. In addition, archival or documentary programs can be enhanced through Web 2.0 storytelling projects. For example, reading, commenting on, or republishing texts in a temporally-structured document such as a blog can open up the time dimension of such texts. Pauses and delays, silences and gaps, as well as flurries of activity, appear to the interactive reader in a live, almost synchronous way. An epistolary novel, trial documents, a lab experiment, or a soldier's diaries-for example, WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier ( http://wwar1.blogspot.com/) -come to life in this new format.

Microblogging offers a similar experiential advance. The size limitations of microblogging tools, such as Twitter or FriendFeed, force the readerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s attention into discrete chunks distributed in time. For example, epigrams are well suited to being republished or published by microblogging tools, which focus the readerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s attention on these compressed phases. An example is the posting of Oscar WildeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young (1894), on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/oscarwilde). Other compressed forms of writing can be microblogged also, such as FÃƒÂ©lix FÃƒÂ©nÃƒÂ©on's Novels in Three Lines (1906), also on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/novelsin3lines). As Dan Visel observed of the latter project: Ã¢â‚¬Å"FÃƒÂ©nÃƒÂ©on . . . was secretly a master of miniaturized text. . . . FÃƒÂ©nÃƒÂ©on's hypercompression lends itself to Twitter. In a book, these pieces don't quite have space to breathe; they're crowded by each other, and it's more difficult for the reader to savor them individually. As Twitter posts, they're perfectly self-contained, as they would have been when they appeared as feuilleton.Ã¢â‚¬Â ²¹

These two applications of Web 2.0 storytelling for colleges and universities-as composition platform and as curricular object-can also blend over time. A publicly shared Web 2.0 story, created by students for a class, afterward becomes something that other students can explore. Put another way, this learning tool can produce materials that subsequently will be available as learning objects.

Our enthusiasm, however, should not be taken as a blanket endorsement of using Web 2.0 storytelling for all educational purposes. Web 2.0 storytelling is a rapidly evolving genre, developing as new platforms emerge and moving in pace with the creativity of the human mind. We anticipate that new storytelling forms will emerge from todayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s tools for microblogging, social networking, web-based presentations, and microblog-like videos ( http://seesmic.com/). We expect to see new forms develop from older ones as this narrative world grows-even e-mail might become a new storytelling tool. ²² Moreover, these storytelling strategies could be supplanted completely by some semantic platform currently under development. Large-scale gaming might become a more popular engine for content creation. And mobile devices could make microcontent the preferred way to experience digital stories.

For now, perhaps the best approach for educators is simply to give Web 2.0 storytelling a try and see what happens. We invite you to jump down the rabbit hole. Add a photo to Flickr and use that as a writing prompt. Flesh out a character in Twitter. Follow a drama unfolding on YouTube. See how a wiki supports the gradual development of a setting. Then share with all of us what you have learned about this new way of telling, and listening to, stories.

During the month of November 2008, the authors invite colleagues and EDUCAUSE Review readers to contribute to a structured discussion about the topics in this article as well as to share educational examples of Web 2.0 stories. Visitors may add text, links, or even their own Web 2.0 stories at http://web2storytelling.wikispaces.com/.

1. Tim OÃ¢â‚¬â„¢Reilly, Ã¢â‚¬Å"What Is Web 2.0,Ã¢â‚¬Â oreilly.com, September 30, 2005, http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html.

2. See Bryan Alexander, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Web 2.0: A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning?Ã¢â‚¬Â EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 41, no. 2 (March/April 2006), pp. 32-44, http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/Web20ANewWaveofInnovation/40615.

3. Anil Dash, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Introducing the Microcontent Client,Ã¢â‚¬Â Magazine, November 13, 2002, http://www.anildash.com/magazine/2002/11/introducing_the.html

4. As defined on Wikipedia, August 15, 2008, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storytelling.

5. Annette Simmons, The Story Factor: Secrets of Influence from the Art of Storytelling, 2d ed. (New York: Basic Books, 2006), p. 34 (see also pp. 45, 94).

6. Charles Baxter, The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot (Saint Paul: Graywolf Press, 2007), p. 37.

7. See Joe Lambert (Center for Digital Storytelling), Digital Storytelling Cookbook (Berkeley: Digital Diner Press, 2006), http://www.storycenter.org/cookbook.html, and Jason Ohler, Digital Storytelling in the Classoom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2008).

8. Espen J. Aarseth, Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997).

9. See N. Katherine Hayles, Electronic Literature: New Horizons for the Literary (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2008).

10. Joe Lambert, Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community (Berkeley: Digital Diner Press, 2002); Lambert, Digital Storytelling Cookbook; EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), Ã¢â‚¬Å"7 Things You Should Know about Digital Storytelling,Ã¢â‚¬Â January 2007, http://connect.educause.edu/Library/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAbout/39398.

11. Bruce Mason and Sue Thomas, Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Million Penguins Research Report,Ã¢â‚¬Â Institute of Creative Technologies, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom, April 24, 2008, http://www.ioct.dmu.ac.uk/projects/amillionpenguinsreport.pdf.

12. Original text from Sarah Schmelling, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hamlet (Facebook News Feed Edition),Ã¢â‚¬Â McSweeney's, August 2008, http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2008/7/30schmelling.html. Thanks to "Bill" for pointing out the source: August 10, 2008, comment at http://infocult.typepad.com/infocult/2008/08/retelling-hamlet-via-facebook.html#comment-125956268.

13. See more examples at The Trailer Mash: http://www.thetrailermash.com/.

14. See International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Ã¢â‚¬Å"2006 Alternate Reality Games White Paper,Ã¢â‚¬Â http://www.igda.org/arg/whitepaper.html, and Christy Dena, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Emerging Participatory Culture Practices: Player-Created Tiers in Alternate Reality Games,Ã¢â‚¬Â Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. 14, no. 1 (February 2008), online augmentation to web version of paper in http://www.christydena.com/research/Convergence2008/TieringandARGs.html. See also John Gosney, Beyond Reality: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming (Boston: Thomson, 2005).

15. Bruce Sterling, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dispatches from the Hyperlocal Future,Ã¢â‚¬Â Wired Magazine, vol. 15, no. 7 (June 26, 2007), http://www.seanstewart.org/interactive/args/.

16. Tony Walsh, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Google Spreadsheet as Virtual World,Ã¢â‚¬Â Clickable Culture, March 28, 2008, http://www.secretlair.com/index.php?/clickableculture/entry/google_spreadsheet_as_virtual_world/.

17. For example, JayCut ( http://www.jaycut.com/) and Jumpcut ( http://www.jumpcut.com/), web-based video editors, have most of the features that one would find in desktop software such as iMovie or Movie Maker.

18. Alan Levine, Ã¢â‚¬Å"50 Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story,Ã¢â‚¬Â http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/50+Ways, and Ã¢â‚¬Å"50 Ways to Tell the Dominoe Story,Ã¢â‚¬Â http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/Dominoe+50+Ways.

19. Angela Thomas, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Fictional Blogs,Ã¢â‚¬Â in Axel Bruns and Joanne Jacobs, eds., Uses of Blogs (New York: Peter Lang, 2006).

20. Alan Levine, Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Fifty Tools,Ã¢â‚¬Â http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/StoryTools.

21. Dan Visel, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Twittering from the Past,Ã¢â‚¬Â if:book, August 11, 2008, http://www.futureofthebook.org/blog/archives/2008/08/twittering_from_the_past.html.

22. Nathan Yau, Ã¢â‚¬Å"21 Ways to Visualize and Explore Your Email Inbox,Ã¢â‚¬Â FlowingData, March 19, 2008, http://flowingdata.com/2008/03/19/21-ways-to-visualize-and-explore-your-email-inbox/.

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web 2.0 storytelling: emergence of a new genre

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Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre

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© 2008 Bryan Alexander and Alan Levine. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. 6 (November/December 2008) A story has a beginning, a middle, and a cleanly wrapped-up ending.

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What lies behind creative writing teaching?

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What lies behind creative writing teaching?

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The Inch Of Writing blog (all about fiction and creative non-fiction writing)

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I get asked this amazingly often, considering that no one ever asks if you can teach the doing of other arts, but, just as I took ages to get on to that other old chestnut, " What is literary fiction?" and my own personal Ancestral Elephant, it's taken me till now to sort out what I think clearly enough to answer the question. My answer, mind you, depends on how long I've got, but it comes from someone who wrote for fifteen years before being taught, (and my thoughts on the pros and cons of writing courses are here) but now teaches, and knows hundreds of writers who have been taught, and hundreds who haven't been taught, and not a few who teach:

1) Yes.

2) Yes, you can teach it, just as you can teach painting or sculpture, or choreography or writing music. Writing's no different.

3) Yes, you can teach within the limits of what that person has in the way of potential, but it's impossible to know what a student's potential is until you have been teaching them for a bit. What I'm really saying here is that all "teaching" should really be called "helping students to learn".

The next question is often about whether it's unethical or unkind to take money off people, 99.9% of whom won't ever be published. I do understand the anger that snake-oil salesmen induce in the rest of us, and scriptwriter Jon Spira has written about this (and draws a fascinating contrast between the scriptwriting-teaching industry he knows, and the atmosphere at the York Festival). But the fact that some sellers of courses and how-to books are deluded or dishonest doesn't mean the rest of us should refuse to teach something that people want to learn. Here's why:

1) Getting better at something creative is always a good, human thing, whatever the outcome. And helping others to get better is part of that good, human stuff. Many of the good reasons for doing creative things are nothing to do with the objective aesthetic value of the result; they're about making something which in some essential way speaks of that person's self.

2) Besides, as good teachers know, if a thing's worth doing it's worth doing badly. That's partly because it's only by doing something badly (those wonky ducks) that we learn to do it well, and partly because of those other good reasons for doing something creative: just for the value of doing it.

3) I'm not so arrogant as to say that I can tell for sure whether a potential student will get published [insert your criterion of choice for writerly success], and so I'm not going to refuse to help anyone with their writing, just because I don't think they've got much hope. Of course I won't suppress the truth about what I think needs doing, or about how much (or little) hope I think is realistic for them, even if that means they flounce off in a huff and tell dozens of writers conferences not to hire me. And when it comes to talking about the industry, I'm always explicit about how I'm neither an agent nor a publisher. But to quote Vaughan Williams, who was rebuked for being too encouraging to weak students, "I would rather encourage a fool than discourage a genius".

4) Provided the teacher and the promotors of a course are honest about the height and nature of the bars in our art and our industry, and that it's not in the course's gift to get the students over those bars, then caveat emptor: some students just don't want to hear what you keep saying about how far they still have to go, while others are genuinely and honestly detached from extrinsic criteria.

The difficulty for the teacher with 3) is that if a student's going to learn, they have to feel that all the hard work is worth it, just as professional writers do. So it's not enough to just tell them endlessly how difficult it is and how hopelessly bad they are. And yet it's not enough either to tell them endlessly how terrific their work is - which it may be at the micro level - without ever relating that to the brute fact that it may not be terrific enough, or not terrific in the right ways. Keeping both kinds of feedback in relation with each other is perhaps the hardest and certainly the most emotionally demanding part of my job.

So, what are you teaching when you teach Creative Writing?

1) You're teaching craft: what makes a well-built story or paragraph or poem, a compelling voice or a beautiful or powerful phrase, and then how to build some of the students' own.

2) You're teaching technique: how to control the materials of the craft such as words, grammar, syntax, prosody. Then there are the tools: point-of-view, showing and telling, narrative tense, psychic distance, rhyme and rhythm, structure, and so on. Sometimes you're just supplying names and ways of thinking for things which instinctive writers have been doing all along, so that they can wrestle with them more consciously; sometimes you're dropping a bomb-shell, such as writing a scene from the other point of view, which will re-configure their writerly instincts.

3) You're teaching process: how to recognise materials and ideas when they arrive that might make a story or a poem; how to go looking for them when they don't arrive; what to do with them next; how to develop them, work them, draft them, refine them, revise them.

4) You're teaching how to read great writing and fellow-students' writing, not just to train instincts and conscious craft and technique, but also because it's the only way students can learn to read their own writing as others do.

5) You're making trying to write better manageable, by breaking what it takes down into individual ways of looking at it: by showing that how it comes out isn't just chance, but something you can control and change. No one expects tennis players to learn solely by playing whole matches, or art students to do nothing but 6ft canvases. The teacher's job is to help the student to separate, understand and develop the myriad elements (foot position when serving, say, or drawing hands) and then put them back together.

6) You're giving permission to experiment, and to try things which may not succeed - those wonky ducks again - because no one ever learnt anything by staying within the boundaries of what they can already do well.

7) You're giving permission to fail, by setting small exercises there's not much riding on. And by pointing out the successful things inside a piece which overall doesn't succeed - why the failure was still worth it - and what's been learnt from the experiment.

8) You're giving permission to take writing seriously, which some students aren't able to give themselves. It is worth it, you're saying explicitly or by implication: writing better is a worthy ambition. If you're saying they're entitled to take writing seriously, then you're also saying that they're entitled to grieve when their hopes are dashed by a failure, and entitled to get back on that horse once they've got their courage back.

9) You're providing a mirror by reflecting a student's work back to them, and facilitating the rest of the group's acts of reflection. In expressing how others read something, you're helping the student's imagination to jump the gap between what they read in it, and what the rest of the world reads.

10) You're reflecting the student's writerly self, so they develop their understanding of how they're wired as writers. And you're offering a place to think about different processes which might work better.

11) You're providing a framework of reality, and not just about the extrinsic rewards and demands of the art form, and those of the industry if that's what your students are interested in. You're also providing information about the intrinsic qualities of the student's work: you're teaching them to be bad, if you like. If they really are bad, the challenge for the teacher is to help them through this stage so they don't give up, but reach a place where they genuinely feel they're getting better, and that it's worth it.

For all of these, of course, what you're really doing is helping the student to learn to do these things for themself. (Or you're trying to do: I've never come out of a teaching session without kicking myself for not saying something, or not having handled something better. Every time, I have to forgive myself for those.) And, no, you can't, by sheer force of teaching, make a student into a writer that they're not equipped to learn to be. You can teach technique and process, but how the student puts it all back together on the racetrack or the canvas or the page is no more in your gift than it is for the trainer to give the runner that longed-for gold medal.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't offer to teach them. And it doesn't mean they're foolish and deluded to ask - or even pay - to be taught. If those who can do, then those who can and can teach that doing, are doubly skilled. And yet I was once accused of being arrogant when I said that, as a teacher, I believe almost anyone can be taught to be at least a somewhat better writer than they are, if only by the teacher's reflecting back the writing and pointing out some possible roads the writer could take it down.

Double-skilled, but not miraculously so: teaching and learning, arguably, are two of the most fundamental but most highly evolved social skills of a highly evolved and social species, whether what's being taught and learnt is the art and craft of hunting woolly mammoths, or building Salisbury Cathedral or creating the Olympic Opening Ceremony. If all these things can be taught, it would, rather, be arrogant to say that creative writing can't be.

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I get asked this amazingly often, considering that no one ever asks if you can teach the doing of other arts, but, just as I took ages to get on to that other old chestnut, "What is literary fiction?"

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The magic and power behind storytelling

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The magical science of storytelling | David JP Phillips | TEDxStockholm

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know-how about storytelling

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Storytelling - Become An AMAZING Storyteller!!!

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Everyone from Kurt Vonnegut to Ernest Hemingway has shared his ideas on crafting solid narrative writing. One of the most recent sages to join the canon is Emma Coates, Pixar's former story artist. Her list of the 22 Rules of Good Storytelling gleaned on the job has been gaining Internet traction since it was published last June.

Twenty two? That's twenty more than Tolstoy. I know some people enjoy a lot of direction, but those of us who relish bushwhacking start to chafe when the road is that heavily signposted.

By all means, sample Coates' Pixar 22 (see them all below). Apply any and all that work for you, though don't get your hopes up if your ultimate goal is to sell a story to Dreamworks or Disney. They've got formulas of their own.

As for myself, I am repurposing #4 - the only rule that doesn't contain an implied order or some derivative of "you" - as an extremely jolly parlor game.

Here it is in its original form:
Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
While it's entirely possible to fill in those blanks with the fruits of your own imagination, it's a true joy to subject one's most cherished literary, cinematic, and dramatic works to this retroactive Mad Lib. (It works pretty well with established religions too, but I'm not here to tread on the faithful's toes.)

Warning: there are some major spoilers below. Now that that's out of the way, let the guessing begin!

Once upon a time there was a poor family in Oklahoma. Every day, they tried to make it work on their hardscrabble farm. One day their last speck of top soil blew away. Because of that, they decided to seek a better life in California. Because of that, every able bodied young male left the family. Until finally their oldest daughter ends up breastfeeding a starving stranger.

How about this?

Once upon a time there was a poor young soldier. Every day, he dreamed of rising above his station. One day he met a beautiful rich girl named Daisy. Because of that, he bought a mansion where he threw enormous parties. Because of that, he hooked back up with Daisy. Until finally, he gets shot to death in his pool.

There's no denying that it fits this one like a glove:

Once upon a time there was a kid. Every day, he played with his cowboy doll. One day he got a spaceman doll. Because of that, his interest in the cowboy took a serious nosedive. Because of that, the cowboy and the spaceman each swore vengeance upon the other's house. Until finally there's a bloodbath from which no one emerges unscathed.

I could keep go on forever, but I don't want to come off as a toy hog. Instead, I invite you to share your filled out Number Fours in the comments section...or tell us which of the other twenty-one seem most suited to its intended purpose.
Pixar's 22 Rules for Storytelling
#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

#2: You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.

#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

#8: Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

#9: When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.

#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.

#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th - get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.

#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.

#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.

#17: No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.

#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?

#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write 'cool'. What would make YOU act that way?

#22: What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

via BoingBoing
- Ayun Halliday was not raised to question authority.

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Everyone from Kurt Vonnegut to Ernest Hemingway has shared his ideas on crafting solid narrative writing. One of the most recent sages to join the canon is Emma Coates, Pixar's former story artist. Her list of the 22 Rules of Good Storytelling gleaned on the job has been gaining Internet traction since it was published last June.

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The Guardian's article on  teaching creative writing to primary and secondary school children

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The Guardian's article on  teaching creative writing to primary and secondary school children

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From birds chirping aloft the trees to sapphire blue lakes sparkling in the sun, the sights and sounds of summer make it the perfect time of year for a spot of creative writing. Getting students to put pen to paper is a good way to spark their imaginations, develop reading and writing skills, and teach about empathy.

To help you and your class get inventive, this week's how to teach brings you a selection of ideas and resources to inspire the creativity of young wordsmiths.

Primary students

Author Nick Hesketh recommends that before children start writing, you should discuss what makes a good story. He shares this and other advice in his creative writing video series for the Scottish Book Trust. Get students thinking with these "badly written" exemplars, which provide a handy baseline to work from.

Next, capture young imaginations by getting students to think about the story they want to tell. Where is it set? At what time of day? What is the weather like? What can you hear, see, smell or feel? This worksheet by Creative Writing Now will help students get to know their main character, while this plot questionnaire will encourage them think about what is going to happen. Then get your class penning their masterpieces, writing just a few sentences to begin with. Stress that they shouldn't worry about spelling, instead, just put a wavy line under any words they are unsure of. There are examples of well thought-out sentences here.

Creative writing should be fun, and playing games is good way to help students develop story ideas. Try an alternative word association game in which you think of words that are at odds with each other (such as "boat" and "rock") instead of words that are connected (such as "boat" and "water"). The aim is to show that good story ideas often involve some sort of tension. We also have instructions for a fun game called The Invisible Book, which involves students coming up with the first three sentences of a story on the spot, which helps them find their writer's voice.

If ideas aren't flowing, kickstart things by stepping outside of the classroom and into the playground as suggested in this resource by WordSpace. Give students unusual things to write on, such as the back of an envelope, a leaf, or a rough piece of wallpaper. Or challenge them to write a short story in just 50 words.

A quick way to conjure up story ideas is through pictures. Use prompts such as this image of two boys sitting on the wing of an aeroplane or this one of a dinosaur in the garden, which can work really well. Another tip from writer and teacher Heather Wright is to ask students to start several stories then choose the one they want to finish. This writing checklist will help students evaluate their work when it's finished.

Secondary students

Challenge secondary students to write a story in just six words or get them to compile a list of objects for an imaginary cabinet of curiosity. These are just some ideas offered by the Writers' Centre Norwich, a literature development agency based in England's only UNESCO City of Literature. They have produced an easy-to-use 20-page activity pack for the classroom, which introduces a range of genres and draws on a variety of writing stimuli including photographs and poems.

If students want to get to the heart of a character, ask them to address the audience as their favourite fictitious creations. Writing a monologue is the focus of this key stage 4 resource by the Poetry Society. A second resource encourages students to create a piece of writing based on what they can - and can't - see out of an imaginary window. The aim is for students to make effective use of descriptive detail as they write short lines of poetry in response to a series of prompts. As a homework task, ask students to repeat the exercise while looking out of a real window.

Students doing creative writing at A-level need to work in a whole range of written forms and genres including creative non-fiction and web content. They should be prepared to share work-in-progress with others, responding to feedback and developing drafting and editing skills. They should also write regularly to deadlines and keep a journal of writing ideas. You'll find useful advice on approaching the first term of teaching in this guide by AQA. You'll also find additional ideas to support learning and teaching here.

For those who are eager to take creative writing even further, this resource offers useful information on how to set up a creative writing club.

Finally, remember to encourage young people to read as often and as widely as possible - this is one of the most effective ways to teach creative writing. With this in mind, be sure to set your students off on the Summer Reading Challenge. You'll find lots of reading and writing activities in this year's pack.

Follow us on Twitter via @GuardianTeach. Join the Guardian Teacher Network for lesson resources, comment and job opportunities, direct to your inbox.

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From birds chirping aloft the trees to sapphire blue lakes sparkling in the sun, the sights and sounds of summer make it the perfect time of year for a spot of creative writing. Getting students to put pen to paper is a good way to spark their imaginations, develop reading and writing skills, and teach about empathy.

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Eight part video series by Scottish Book Trust

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1 - Engaging Pupils with Creative Writing

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How do you sell the idea of creative writing to children, particularly reluctant readers and writers? Author and illustrator Nick Hesketh explains how writing your own bad story and sharing it with your class can give you a great base to work from.

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The Guardian's article on teaching story writing 

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The Guardian's article on teaching story writing 

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Some of the most popular summer homework projects involve story writing. The Guardian Teacher Network has resources to help students of all ages to write stories at home over the summer or next term.

The first step is great storytelling, especially before children's writing skills have caught up with their speaking and listening. Sso thanks to primary school teacher Des Hegarty for sharing with us some simple story maps for retelling the classic tales of The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. Also find story openings, an oral activity to help pupils explore different ways to open re-tellings of familiar stories.

Children's author and illustrator Alexis Deacon, creator of primary school classics Beegu and Slow Loris, has shared a really interesting lesson plan aimed at key stage 2 teachers. Ingredients of a story has been based on workshops Alexis does in schools to help children think about what makes a story, the rules and vocabulary of some of the stories they know - and to explore the instinctive way human beings tend to make characters and stories from the world around them.

The Phoenix weekly comic book team has created some really lovely resources that will particularly help reluctant writers get in the swing of story writing. The Thought bubble challenge will help to develop text and dialogue in stories and what makes a good character encourages children to explore their visual literacy and really think about the characters in their stories.

For secondary school-aged story writers, here is some inspiration on the importance of developing great characters: Faulkes on Fiction: a story of the novel in 28 characters is a book by Sebastian Faulks, shared here in PDF form, which examines the most famous and dazzling fictional characters and their impact on British culture, from Sherlock Holmes to Mr Darcy to Emma Woodhouse and James Bond. Can your students create a unique character over the holidays or next term? There's more motivation for older writers from secondary English teacher Alex Frost who has written this poem on story genres.

Inexperienced or less confident writers may need help with structure to stop the curse of the rambling story. A good beginning and good ending are vital ingredients - which is why Primary Leap has created its writing a story series. The Magical Boots, The Lost Island and Super Hero will help students learn how to tie up loose ends and make their stories interesting and engaging.

The craft of writing is further explored in King Onomatopoeia and other stories.

You don't want your students writing stories to a formula, but these handy checklists from Twinkl will help younger writers keep their stories on track. Here's a checklist on writing a great story opening and one on creating tension in stories. Download and print out checklists on story resolution, story problems and on creating the perfect setting for a story. Children can add their own points to the lists. This writing frame on analysing structure problems will also help children to explore possible solutions to their story problems.

Sometimes a picture prompt is all that's needed to spark the imagination - find these creative writing worksheets on a football match, camping holiday and magic potion. Students look at the picture and think of an interesting story to go with it.

These Pie Corbett-inspired story recount frames The Papaya that Spoke and Monkey See, Monkey Do have been designed to improve children's fluency in retelling this story, both in the spoken and written word.

It's amazing what a lovely border in which to write a story can do to get the creative juices flowing. Twinkl has created a whole load for every mood and topic including night time, star and moon, monsters, fruit and veg, Africa, fairies and transport.

Of course readers make writers, so set your students and/or children the summer reading challenge over the holidays. You can find out more from the Reading Agency. This year's theme is Creepy House.

And finally, some great tips for young writers from master storyteller Michael Morpurgo, including the importance of reading stories aloud. These have been put together as part of the Wicked Young Writers Award, which is open from 2 September. Find this guide to the competition - a chance to share those fabulous stories students have written over the summer perhaps?

Join the Guardian Teacher Network for free access to teaching resources and an opportunity to share your own as well as read and comment on blogs. There are also thousands of teaching, leadership and support jobs on the site. Visit http://jobs.theguardian.com/schools.

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Some of the most popular summer homework projects involve story writing. The Guardian Teacher Network has resources to help students of all ages to write stories at home over the summer or next term. The first step is great storytelling, especially before children's writing skills have caught up with their speaking and listening.

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Creative writing five top tips - School of English

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Pixar in a box "The art of storytelling" on Khanacademy 

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Pixar in a box "The art of storytelling" on Khanacademy 

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If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

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The art of storytelling | Pixar in a Box | Partner content | Khan Academy

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How To: Tell A Great Story— 5 storytelling tips

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TEDEd  Lessons worth sharing                           

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TEDEd  Lessons worth sharing                           

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Circle of a hero's life

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The Hero Archetype in Literature, Religion, and Popular Culture: http://tatsbox.com/hero/ (along with a useful PowerPoint presentation teachers can download at this URL: http://tatsbox.com/hero/powerpnt.htm )
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (users embark on their own hero's journey): http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/journey/
An American Masters Lesson from PBS for Teachers on George Lucas, the Power of Myth, and the Hero's Journey: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/lessons/george-lucas-and-the-power-of-myth/lesson-overview/1292/
And an interactive approach to the Hero's Journey: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/herosjourney/
And of course, information about Joseph Campbell's works on the subject, on the Joseph Campbell Foundation site:
The Hero With A Thousand Faces http://www.jcf.org/new/index.php?categoryid=83&p9999_action=details&p9999_wid=692
The Hero's Journey (semi-biographical film): http://www.jcf.org/new/index.php?categoryid=83&p9999_action=details&p9999_wid=681
Compare the stories of (a) Odin hanging from the world tree, Yggdrasil, (b) the Buddha seated under the Bodhi Tree, and (c) the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Do all of these religious episodes follow the pattern of the hero's journey? Find a comparable story from another continent. Does it follow the hero's journey pattern?
Challenge the paradigm. Is the hero's journey formula so flexible that it can be applied to any story with a main character and a beginning-middle-end story arc? Try to identify a successful book or movie that defies the hero's journey pattern. Consider how that story could be modified to conform to the hero's journey. Compare the two versions.
Bill Moyers interviews Joseph Campbell http://video.pbs.org/video/2201676017/
Video featuring respected screenwriter Chris Vogler's interpretation of Campbell's work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB_Q1gFsvIw
New Mexico State University iTunesU course on Mythology http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/mythology/id497995501

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What trials unite not only Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins but many of literature's most interesting heroes? And what do ordinary people have in common with these literary heroes? Matthew Winkler takes us step-by-step through the crucial events that make or break a hero.

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How to grasp readers' attention with good writing

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How to write descriptively - Nalo Hopkinson

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How to build a fictional world - Kate Messner

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 A practical guidelines on how to teach creative writing 

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 A practical guidelines on how to teach creative writing 

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Creative writing workshop materials on how to teach creative writing in Elementary, Secondary and High School

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Primary creative writing resources

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Teach - Primary creative writing resources - BBC

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A collection of creative writing resources for use with primary-aged pupils.

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taken from the Guardian's article

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1. The rules of writing

I always tell students that there are no set rules for writing and they can write whatever they like. I don't subscribe to the notion that all good stories must have, for example, an attention-grabbing opening, a turning point, a twist at the end and an extended metaphor. Incorporating these into writing doesn't automatically mean a story works, and you will read wonderful writing follows none of these rules. Pupils should be aware of what they are, of course, and why and where they might choose to use them, but it shouldn't be prescriptive.

That said, there are two rules of writing that I encourage them to follow. These rules are: "show, don't tell" and "all adverbs must die". Not the most original rules, perhaps, but if kids can master them their writing becomes much more powerful.

For "show, don't tell", I display a selection of sentences that tell the reader something and ask the pupils to rewrite them in a way that shows the same information. For example, "the man was angry" could become, "the man clenched his fists and hissed beneath his breath". It's about unpacking the emotions and finding ways to let the reader see the story for themselves.

When teaching "all adverbs must die", I concentrate on the importance of giving the power to the verb. "I ran quickly" becomes "I sprinted". "I shouted loudly" becomes "I screamed". Once pupils realise the potential in this, they quickly kill adverbs and load the power of the action onto the verb.
2. Characterisation
Not the most original method I'll wager, but this is tried and tested. Pupils divide a page in their jotter and give each quarter the headings likes, dislikes, motivations and flaws. These need to be explained and discussed; I use Homer Simpson and Edward Cullen as models. What makes these complex and rich characters? What makes them get out of bed every morning? What stops them from achieving their ultimate goals in life? How would they react in various situations?

Once pupils have thought about these characters, I ask them to complete the page in their jotter with as many pieces of detail as they can for their own character. They swap with a partner and, using another person's character notes, write a monologue beginning with the line, "I lay away, unable to sleep, and all because..." What is this new character excited about, or scared of? What have they done or what will they have to do? This exercise is always busy, exciting and produces promising and complex pieces of writing.
3. Video clips
There's something a bit weird about the idea of being a writer; it's a vague, wishy-washy concept for students. They don't yet understand the hours of admin, self-promotion, editing, graft, grief and rejection that writers go through. Many pupls seem to think writers have great lives, are fabulously wealthy and sit around all day making up stories, all of which go on to be published without much bother at all. So I always like to find video clips of writers talking about writing, sharing the pain they've gone through, their thought processes and daily routines. If you can find video clips of a writer whose work you're using as a model or studying in class, then this can really help pupils to engage with their work.

YouTube is full of interviews with writers, recordings of book festival appearances and spoken-word performances. Being a Scottish teacher working in Scotland, I use of a suite of videos filmed and hosted by Education Scotland, which features a number of writers discussing their inspirations and motivations, how to create characters, how to write in genre and how to redraft. The videos are all around five minutes long which makes them excellent starter activities; you can find them here.
4. Narrative distance
This can be modelled in class by the teacher projecting their work onto the whiteboard. Most pupils assume that once they've chosen a narrative perspective and tense, their narrative voice will take care of itself. But with a little coaching and training, maybe we can hone their skills and abilities that much more.

Narrative distance is the proximity of a reader's experience to the character's thoughts. How close will we get? A close-up narrative would allow us to share the character's complete thought process, hear their heartbeat, feel their discomfort. A mid-distance narrative would give us key insights into pertinent thoughts the character has, but not bother us with every detail; we would see the character going into a coffee shop and have to surmise their mood and personality by observing how they react and interact. This is more of a film director's vantage point. And for a long-distance narrative, we only see the character from a distance - in the midst of other people, operating in a vast and complex society. We would come to understand them from the way they move through the world and the opinions that other characters have of them. It's a bird's eye view.

There is a lot in here, and mastering these narrative distances would take considerable effort and time. But if pupils could get to grips with them and become comfortable in zooming in and out on a story, then they will have developed some intricate and powerful writing abilities.
5. Story prompts
The oldest trick in the book, perhaps, but still a good one. Writing Prompts is an excellent website full of creative writing resources to use in class. I get pupils to choose one at random, and as they write, I write. It's important to set attainable goals for this - agree that by the end of five minutes everyone will have written 50 words, say, including the teacher.

Plug away at this and I always check the class for any strugglers at the end of regular intervals; if someone is stumped, I'll ask them what the problem is, what they tried to start writing at the beginning, what their last sentence is, and give them a couple of options for where to go next. By writing together it's possible to get a whole class writing happily, and at some stage they'll be content and confident enough with their stories to want to be let free to write without being asked for regular progress reports.
Alan Gillespie teaches English at an independent school in Glasgow. He writes stories and tweets at @afjgillespie
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Looking for your next role? Take a look at Guardian jobs for schools for thousands of the latest teaching, leadership and support jobs.

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Creative writing in the classroom: five top tips for teachers

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1. The rules of writing I always tell students that there are no set rules for writing and they can write whatever they like. I don't subscribe to the notion that all good stories must have, for example, an attention-grabbing opening, a turning point, a twist at the end and an extended metaphor.

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Stories are powerful. Stories shape our ideas about what's possible. What stories will your students choose to tell about the world? To expand your classroom toolkit of storytelling resources, try these 5 TED-Ed Innovation Project ideas with your students:

1. Listen to the voices of history.

Every human being sees world events from a unique vantage point. In Texas, TED-Ed Innovative Educator Lamar Schrader helped his students to connect with the living voices of history through a storytelling partnership with local elders. "Knowing what things my elder went through gave me a new way to look at various world events," writes one of Lamar's students. "I learned a lot about the Dust Bowl and the era of the Great Depression," writes another student participant.

"Any chance to look at the world through another person's eyes is an amazing opportunity." - high school student, Texas

To bring this project to life, Lamar invited students to build a relationship with a senior citizen in the Lake Travis community, and to conduct a progressive series of 4-5 interviews with this person about their heroes, hard times, and high points. The final interview was recorded using the StoryCorps app and then uploaded to the Library of Congress for preservation. "As a scaffolding step in the process, students were assigned The Great Thanksgiving Listen, a similar project which allowed them to interview a grandparent over the Thanksgiving break. This allowed them the ability to practice asking and listening to a family member they were comfortable with, and also gave them practice using the StoryCorps app," says Lamar. Other interview questions were inspired by the Legacy Project. In addition, "students were challenged to write two reflection papers that not only summarized stories from their elder partner, but also explored what lessons they had learned in the process. They were required to share these written thoughts with their elder partner as well, for their approval and to express gratitude for sharing." Ready to try this with your students? Here's a tip from Lamar: "Start by building a working relationship with the directors of senior living facilities in your community. Ask for their help and for their willingness to work with students, which will require patience, grace, and coaching."

2. Create a school legacy project.

Do you know the history of your school? In Argentina, TED-Ed Innovative Educator Yau-Jau Ku decided to document the rich heritage of his 80-year-old international school, Asociación Escuelas Lincoln. To record memories of the school, students used the StoryCorps app to interview alumni. "The main objective was to see if this particular project could capture the elusive 'special sauce' identified by so many within the Lincoln community," he says. The final result? A multimedia school portrait that incorporates photos, documents, and audio clips about the school's past, present, and future. The coolest part of this project is listening to the recorded audio clips with students, says Ku.

"The ability to go back and listen makes this a living museum." -Yau-Jau Ku, educator, Argentina

3. Bring storytelling events outside.

Education doesn't stop at the classroom door. In Serbia, TED-Ed Innovative Educator Bojana Golubovic encouraged students and teachers to share their ideas with the community through live storytelling, digital storytelling, and creative writing on given issues. Her goal? To help students develop their creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. One tip: Aim for "big thoughts, small steps. No matter how many problems are there to be solved in the world, the only way they could be solved is by solving the problems in your surrounding," she says.

4. Make a video tour of local landmarks.

"Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you don't." - science educator Bill Nye. In Korea, TED-Ed Innovative Educator Sunkyong Choi demonstrated the truth of this idea with a video storytelling project. In this project, students take the viewer on a walking tour of local landmarks, sharing personal stories along the way. Each video is narrated in English, with English subtitles. The end result is an engaging introduction to what students care about in their school and community. The idea itself is easy to replicate elsewhere. One tip: if you're not quite ready to have your students create a video tour of their school and local landmarks, try starting with a community map project.

Aim for "big thoughts, small steps." -Bojana Golubovic, educator, Serbia

5. Build a culture in which everyone's story matters.

Storytelling can be a powerful tool for change. In Minnesota, TED-Ed Innovative Educator Susan Herder led a video storytelling project to create a more inclusive school culture. After interviewing a diverse group of staff, students, and teachers, students created a narrative of their school that defines diversity as a school strength. Ready to try a similar video storytelling project in your school? Here's a tip from Susan: "Provide students with multiple ways to record their interviews. This places an emphasis on the information they gather, instead of creating the perfect video," she says. "The message is what is important."
This article is part of the TED-Ed Innovation Project series, which highlights 25+ TED-Ed Innovation Projects designed by educators, for educators, with the support and guidance of the TED-Ed Innovative Educator program. You are welcome to share, duplicate and modify projects under this Creative Commons license to meet the needs of students and teachers. Art credit: TED-Ed/StoryCorps.

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5 creative storytelling projects recommended by teachers, for everyone

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Stories are powerful. Stories shape our ideas about what's possible. What stories will your students choose to tell about the world? To expand your classroom toolkit of storytelling resources, try these 5 TED-Ed Innovation Project ideas with your students: Every human being sees world events from a unique vantage point.

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UCLA Extension Writers' Program instructor and non-fiction writer Barbara Abercrombie gives a tip for aspiring writers. Check out her full list of publications and bio here: http://writers.uclaextension.edu/instructors/barbara-abercrombie

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an interesting idea of writing stories together by strangers

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Synopsis

A coffee table book full of unfinished short stories. Anyone can pick up a pen and write the next bit.

Once Upon a Pancake is a coffee table book full of unfinished short stories.

You pick up a pen and write inside. Add a little bit or a longer bit - go wherever your imagination takes you. Then pass the pen. The next person keeps the story going, riffing, joining the dots and sparking ideas, and then the next person, and so on, and so the story grows.

The book is a great way to get creative together, whether just for a giggle or with the aim of stretching your imagination and lateral thinking skills.

Every copy will be a one-of-a-kind: full of stories made unique by you and your friends' collective imaginations.

"I wrote this book because it's fun to make stuff up together," says Rick Benger, creator of Once Upon a Pancake. "It's wonderful to share your imagination, try to bend and squish little stories together."

There are over 100 unfinished short stories inside. It will make office coffee tables more fun and it will offer a productive break from being productive. Each story can be thought of as an exercise in collaborative creativity. To contribute, it's best to adopt a spirit of play and shake off the fear of saying something silly. Each writer will bring their own genius, skew and divergent associations. But what diverges must ultimately converge; it's a team effort, after all, and the story must end when the page does... How far to open it up before you wrap it up?

The challenge is to put unexpected things together, think about how others are thinking, and balance your own voice with others' voices.​

To find out more about the project, or simply to get Once Upon a Pancake book for yourself, for your family or for your business go to Kickstarter page HERE.

Follow Once Upon a Pancake on social media:

Tags: imagination, once upon a pancake, rick benger, storytelling

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by

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Once Upon a Pancake: Stories We Write Together

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A coffee table book full of unfinished short stories. Anyone can pick up a pen and write the next bit. Once Upon a Pancake is a coffee table book full of unfinished short stories. You pick up a pen and write inside. Add a little bit or a longer bit - go wherever your imagination takes you.

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Storybird -  the power of artful storytelling.

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Storybird -  the power of artful storytelling.

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Writing stories to beautiful sets of pictures.

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Storybird - Read, write, discover, and share the books you'll always remember.

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Become a better writer with Storybird's creativity tools. Online courses, challenges, and reader feedback will help you improve your writing.

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Great way to make your students write a story together

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Collaborative writing:)

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The online creative writing game.

For adults

storium.com

Write original stories by playing a game with online friends. Storium builds your skills as a writer, exercises your creative juices, and helps you meet new people.

For youth and students

StoriumEDU is a collaborative writing game designed to help young writers build their confidence and skill. Inspired by Storium.com, it can be played either in class or at home and is designed for safety and privacy.

"Storium is a do-not-miss experience."

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Tell stories with your friends in an innovative online storytelling game. Over 98M words written. Sign up now - it's free.

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Online writing tool to inspire the kids to write 

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Online writing tool to inspire the kids to write 

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Great website with lots of interactive resources!

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Night Zookeeper is a children's brand on a mission to make learning fantastically fun and help kids unlock their creativity.

Our reading & writing program has helped over 1 million children aged 6-12 to develop their reading, writing, and creative thinking skills.

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Home | Night Zookeeper - Fantastically Fun Learning

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Night Zookeeper is a children's brand making learning fantastically fun and helping kids unlock their creativity. Home to the #1 reading & writing program.

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Powered by Aardgo

Mixing it up

Plot Generator

Our aim is to inspire you to write your own stories, using common genres and themes. We'll help you set the scene then build characters, describe them, name them, and work out how they fit together in an interesting story. We draft a compelling blurb to get you started.

Quotes About Plot Generator

"This is the best thing to exist ever."
"So I used a generator to create a random story and it turned out to be hilarious."
"This is fun. A little silly. It tried a few variations and got some very quirky results. It might be good for a little inspiration, as a writing exercise, or if you're bored."
"Plot Generator is really best if used completely randomly (press 'fill in) and see what happens. We got a completely zany storyline that included robots poking each other."
"Plot Generator can be a fun way to jumpstart your plot."

How to plot a good story

1. Choose a theme from our selection of plot generators.

2. Give us some keywords to play with or let us prompt some ideas at random.

3. We automatically create a plot, title and a cover for your novel or film.

Masterpiece Generator refers to a set of text generator tools created by Aardgo. The tools are designed to be cool and entertain, but also help aspiring writers create a range of different media, including plots, lyrics for songs, poems, letters and names. Some generated content parodies existing styles and artists, whilst others are based on original structures.

Our first generator, Song Lyrics Generator was launched in 2002 as a student magazine project. After it proved popular, we expanded to include plots, and the project grew from there.

We're proud to see work we've helped you create pop up on blogs and in fun projects. We enjoy watching you read your creations on YouTube. We're currently developing a cool app based on our site.

Story Idea Generator - Random Story Maker - Novel Prompts - Create Storyline Ideas - Movies / Film Plot Lines - Story Titles - Book Plots - Creative Short Story Ideas - Synopsis Maker - Writing Prompt Generator - Story Generators

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Hilarious random plot generator. Answer a few quick questions and this website will automatically write a story or blurb for you using your keywords. Select from a variety of genres including romance, mystery or teen vampire. Plots suitable form books or films

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great source provided by BBC bitesize

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BBC Bitesize - KS1 English - Types of text

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KS1 English Types of text learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers.

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Creative writing and storytelling for kids 

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Creative writing and storytelling for kids 

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A great webpage with plenty of practical activities and ideas!

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Super Easy Storytelling - creative writing website for kids

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The creative writing and storytelling website for kids. Try our Super Easy Storytelling formula to tell or write fun stories instantly. Story writing and storytelling how-to, worksheets, games and more.

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Updated 4/18

Materials: Paper, pens/pencils, markers/crayons

Creative writing is a great way for children to express themselves. How do you get kids to want to write without complaining? Give them fun topics which they will learn about themselves while writing. Have them draw a picture or collage to go with their essay.

Creative writing is not just for older children. I've done this many times with children as young as 1st grade. I have them concentrate less on the writing and more on drawing a picture that goes with the topic. Children are great with expressing themselves through art.

1. Have the children write on top of the page: I Am Special Because....
2. If I was a super hero what kind out super hero would I be and what powers would I have (This can also be done using villains)? 3.What do I want to be when I grow up and why? 4. If you were given 3 wishes what would they be and why? 5. If I could invent a new animal what kind of animal would I make (i.e sounds, diet, where the animal lives etc...)? 6. If I could invent a new toy what kind of toy would I create and why? 7. If I could make something disappear in my life what would it be and why? 8. All About me essay. Have children write about all their likes and dislikes. 9. What ways do I help my family? Have children write about the ways they help their families (i.e chores, help mommy cook etc...). 10. How can I be a better friend? Have children write about things they can do to be a nicer, kinder friend. 11. If you could be invisible what would you do and why? 12. What do you think about bullies and why? 13. Why is it important to be honest and not lie? 14. What would do if you won a million dollars? 15. If you could change the world what would you do and why? 16. If you were a king/queen what would you do and why? 17. If you could invent a video game what kind of game would you create and why? 18. Write about a time when you had to be brave, what did you do, how did it feel? 19. Write about a trip to the moon, how did you get there, what did you see, was it fun or scary? 20. Write about something you are really good at? 21. Write about 1 thing you want to learn about? 22. Write about a time when you worked really hard to get something. 23. Write about 5 things you could de better if you worked really hard and gave more effort. 24. If you had to give away $1,000 what would you do with it, who would you give it to? 25. What is the best thing someone has ever given to you? 26. What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you? 27. Write about what you can teach others. 28. Did ever get into an argument with a friend for family member? How did that make you feel? 29. Did you ever hurt someone's feelings? Explain what happened, how it made you feel 30. Did someone ever hurt your feelings? How did it made you feel? Did you talk to that person about it? 31. Is there anyone you would like to switch places with? who and why 32. What does it mean to be loyal? 33. When was a time you were loyal to a friend or a friend was loyal to you? 34. Has a friend ever betrayed you? How did it make you feel? What do you think your friend should have done differently. 35. Have you ever been friends with someone who was unpopular or not part of the group? 36. When was a time you felt you were treated unfairly? How did it make you feel? 37. Is it fair to give someone a head start in a race? When is it fair? When is it not fair? 38. Write about a time when you had a strong opinion about something? Why did you feel so strongly about it? 39. Write about a time you made a big mistake. How did you fix it? 40. Write about a time when you were very angry. What happened? 41. If you heard a rumor about a friend that you new wasn't true what would you do? How would it make you feel? 42. Write about a time when you cheered someone up. What did you do, how did if make you feel, how did it make that person feel? 43. Write about a time that you used your inner strength to get through a tough situation. 44. Write about 3 things that are hard for you and why. 45. When was the last time you were afraid? What scared you, how did you react? 46. What is the bravest thing you have ever done? 47. Who is your hero and why? 48. What do you think risk taking is? Have you ever took a risk? 49. Write about your best friend. Who are they, how long have you known them, why are they your best friend? 50. What does it mean to have good character? Do you think you have good character, why?
51.Think about something you are not allowed to do but wish you could. Write about why you want to do it and why you should be allowed to do it.

52. If you could be on a t.v show which one would it be any why?

53. If you had to choose to be one age for the rest of your life which age would you want to be? Why?

54. If you could pick the perfect job what would it be?

55. You just found a treasure map, write about what you would do next. Do you decide to look for the treasure? Who is going to help you? What supplies do you need?

56. You just built a time machine. Where in time would you go? What did you do? What did you see? Would you want to stay there or come back to present time?

57. You just discovered a new land. What are you going to call your land? What kind of animals live there? What do you discover on your land? What are you going to build on your new land?

58. Group writing project. Create a fairy tale. Have each member of the group write one part of the story.

If you are working with younger children, instead of having them write, you can have them draw and answer questions about their drawing. Try some of these topics.

1 Create a monster. Your monster can be silly, scary, funny, big, little, colorful etc.. What is your monster's name? What does your monster eat? Where does your monster live? Is your monster nice or mean? You can write the answers to the questions on the paper for the child or have them come up and share their drawing, while they are showing their picture ask them the questions about their monster.

2. Create an animal. This is the same as the monster but just an animal instead.

Updated 4/18

Group Writing

I've been working with kids on group writing and art projects. The kids enjoyed these topics the best.

59. Create an amusement park. Discuss as a group the name of the park. Have each member of the group write about the parts of the park.

A. What is the theme of your park. Adventure, thrill rides, water rides, safari, etc...

B. Write about the type of rides at the park. Are there shows at the park?

C. Describe places to eat at the park, what type of food do they serve.

D. Do they have a gift shop? What do they sell at your park.

Art Project: On a large poster board have each member of the group draw a park map. List attractions, games, food, restrooms, gift shops, shows, etc..

60. Create planet - Your group has just discovered a new planet. Have a group discussion about the planet. What is the name? Do anyone live on the planet? Is there water on the planet? Did you find fossils, aliens, animals? Is there oxygen? Is there plants, trees or water? Have each member of the group write something about the planet.

Art Project: Make a planet out of paper mache. Once dry, paint and decorate the planet.

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Updated 4/18 Materials: Paper, pens/pencils, markers/crayons Creative writing is a great way for children to express themselves. How do you get kids to want to write without complaining? Give them fun topics which they will learn about themselves while writing. Have them draw a picture or collage to go with their essay.

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13 Exciting, Innovative Writing Prompts for Kids + 9 Bonus Creative Journaling Ideas

Are you looking for kids writing prompts that your children can use to write about in a journal or elsewhere? If so, then congratulations because you have just discovered a fabulous writing resource!

Sharing kids writing ideas, innovative writing prompts and helpful creative writing resources is a passion of mine. It is my joy to share this passion with you.

After you finish exploring the fabulous kids writing prompts on this page, stick around and peruse our other lovely kids writing resources. We have 1000+ kids writing ideas and writing prompts for you to check out. I know you'll love what we have to offer you! 😀

It is my sincere hope that you savor and enjoy these creative kids writing starters and journal prompts. Okay... without further ado, below are listed some of my favorite kids writing prompts just for you and your students!

Oh, and there's even a bonus listing of creative journaling ideas, too.

13 Kids Writing Prompts

1. Imagine that you can become invisible whenever you wanted to? What are some of the things you would do?

2. What would you do if you were in the middle of the lake and your boat springs a leak?

3. What would you do if you were the last person on earth?

4. What would you do if you could fly?

5. What if you were a snowflake... what would your day be like?

6. What would you do if you suddenly woke up in another country and no one could understand a word you said!

7. Write a poem about your favorite person, animal, or place.

8. What is your dream vacation? Why?

9. Write a story from the perspective of a rabbit going down a hole. What does the rabbit experience, see and feel?

10. What would you eat if you were on a deserted island? How would you catch your food?

11. How does it feel to be the floor in your house?

12. Imagine you are a mountain and you are sitting and watching the world. What do you see?

13. What dangers would you face if you were a chipmunk? How would you overcome them?

9 Creative Writing Ideas:
BONUS. Add some flair to your journals! Try these innovative creative writing and journaling techniques.

1. Summarize your day in 20 words or less.

2. Write one word across the journal page that best describes your day.

3. Write out the lyrics to your favorite song or print them out and paste them into your journal.

4. Draw a picture.

5. Write a poem.

6. Print out a copy of an Instant Message chat that you had with your friend or your parent, and paste it into your journal.

7. Compose a song.

8. Write in your journal using colorful markers, colored pencils or even crayons!

9. Cut and paste your favorite pictures from magazines into your journal.

I hope that you are as excited about these fresh and innovative kids writing and journal prompt ideas as I am. Until next time, write on!

Most kindly,

Jill Schoenberg, the creator and author of the innovative journaling books Journal Buddies for girls and for boys

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13 Exciting, Innovative Writing Prompts for Kids

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Are you looking for kids writing prompts that your children can use to write about in a journal or elsewhere? If so, then congratulations because you have just discovered a fabulous writing resource! Sharing kids writing ideas, innovative writing prompts and helpful creative writing resources is a passion of mine.

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creative writing prompts . com ideas for writers

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Creative Writing Prompts collection of writing prompts and story starters for writers. Come up with creative content for blogs and blog stories with the help of these creative writing ideas.

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more topics to explore

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Before ChatpGT went dark for me (can you get in right now? I keep getting told it's at capacity), I gave it a run at a bunch of writing prompts to see how well it handled them. I was actually surprised at how well it handled many of them, but there were some of them that it really did not handle well.

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The Dice Game: A Cooperative Story Writing Activity

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Students write a story together by completing sentences. Go to http://www.LitDiet.org for hundreds of free lesson plans and for virtual tours of classrooms.

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Various roll-a-dice exercises boosting creative writing 

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Various roll-a-dice exercises boosting creative writing 

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With my small group pull-out sessions limited to half-hour increments, I'm always looking for quick (fun!) reading and writing activities to reinforce literacy skills. For some reason though, when I think of dice games, my mind always jumps to math and probability. Little did I know, there's a whole WORLD of possibilities for using dice with literacy! My mind is churning (uh oh!) and I'm already making lists of all the resources I want to create. I have a feeling this year will be fun as I continue to explore and develop literacy-focused dice activities to use with my students. It may be a little loud, too...

Let's Shake & Roll!

Here's a sample of what I've been creating. I hope you find these resources helpful as you head back to school and continue to build up your own instructional toolbox!

Roll-a-Story!

This summer I taught a writing workshop at a local bookstore and had my students create story starters using the following Roll-a-Story chart. With each roll of the dice (three total!), the students had a character, setting, and problem to use as a basis for their creative stories.
(Download your copy here or click the picture below!)
Once students collected their three story elements, they recorded them on a graphic organizer (included in freebie!) and planned out the rest of the story. If they weren't happy with their story starter, they were able to roll again, but I did have to put a time-limit on this loud, rolling fun.

Roll-an-Emotion!

For fluency practice, I created a Roll-an-Emotion! activity to reinforce reading with expression. Essentially, students roll-a-dice two times... once to determine which word/phrase card to read, and a second time to determine which emotion to apply to their reading! Cards are not included in the sample, but you can use any cards you have that list simple words, phrases, or sentences.
(Want a copy of my Roll an Emotion activity? It is FREE for my email subscribers. If you'd like to download this activity, click here to . You will also receive exclusive access to my entire growing collection of free literacy resources! )
( Note: This is a sample activity page from my Fluency Boot Camp product which I referenced in my "Fluency Boot Camp!" blog post. It is my most popular product and includes everything you need to get started with fluency, including phrase and sentence cards. Feel free to check it out!)

Roll-a-Reading Partner!
(Download your copy here or click the picture below!)
It's "clock partners" with a twist! Each student has to find six reading partners and record their names on the planner, one partner in each spot (see picture below). The trick is for the partner to write the corresponding student's name in the same exact spot or it won't work! The teacher or class helper rolls the dice and whatever number is rolled will be the listed dice partner pairs for the task/activity. Big foam dice are perfect for this!
All Things Dice: Reading: Writing: Technology:
Other FREE Dice Activity Resources

( NOTE: For variation with activities, you can make choices more challenging by using numbers greater than 6 and having students add the numbers of the two dice!)

A Tip for Your Sanity

Here's a helpful management tip I came across that will prevent flying dice in your classroom! It's still loud, but it helps... a lot. Use small plastic container to contain the individual dice. (Isn't that brilliant?!) Of course, being slightly addicted, I found this wonderful idea on Pinterest (shared by Sunny Days in Second Grade, who also got the idea from Pinterest). For my small groups, I bought a package of small plastic containers and filled each with one or two dice. My sanity is still intact, and my teaching colleagues whom I share a room with don't hate me as much since my students aren't distracting their groups trying to find their dice. I guess I should change all my product titles to "Shake-a-Dice" activities now though. 🙂

If noise is an issue, you can use foam dice ( large or small ) or even colorful foam sheets as individual dice placemats for each student! It doesn't prevent rolling or bouncing, but it does help with the noise.

Happy Back-to-School Teaching!

**This post contains affiliate links. Click to learn what that means!

Looking for Additional Materials?

Check out my Roll-a-Dice Activity category page here which includes my popular interactive, monthly " Roll-a-Story" Writing Activity resources!

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Roll-a-Dice Literacy Fun - MsJordanReads

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With my small group pull-out sessions limited to half-hour increments, I'm always looking for quick (fun!) reading and writing activities to reinforce literacy skills. For some reason though, when I think of dice games, my mind always jumps to math and probability. Little did I know, there's a whole WORLD of possibilities for using dice ...

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Check out this clever literacy dice game from Kristin Jordan at Reading Writing Thinking Sharing - Just click on the picture above t...

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A vast source with creative writing tools online!

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Boom Writer - Writing Motivator (Sign-up Required)

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Story starters for children in Elementary school 

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Story starters for children in Elementary school 

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Story Starters & Writing Ideas for Elementary Kids - Oh the many joys of journaling!

I love to write about journaling tips, creative journaling, and journal writing techniques. But I am most often asked for a listing of journaling topics and prompts.

Writing in a journal is one of my very favorite activities, and I hope it is one of your student's favorite activities, too. Personally, I am rarely at a loss for something to write about in my journal, but many people need some help to get them started writing. This seems to be the case, especially for elementary kids. This is why writing prompts are so helpful to them.

Elementary Writing and Journal Prompts and Story Starters for Kids

So, without further ado... here's an amazing list of elementary writing prompts and writing starters for your students!

1. Imagine that you can become invisible whenever you wanted to? What are some of the things you would do?

2. I am very proud because...

3. If I were President I would...

4. If I were a turtle living in a pond, I would ...

5. I am afraid to________ because

6. Name on thing you do really well? Give lots of details telling why.

7. What is your favorite room in your home and why?

8. Describe what it means to be a good neighbor?

9. What is your favorite time of day? Why?

10. Describe your best day ever?

11. How do you deal with people who bug you?

12. What excites you?

13. Describe your favorite hobby.

14. What is your favorite quote by a famous person? Why?

15. What is your favorite song and why?

16. Climbing trees is...

17. I wish trees could ___________ because....

18. I want to be a ________ when I grow up. Then I will....

19. I wish there were a law that said.....

20. I wish I could forget the time I ___________ because....

21. I wish I could do ___________ because.....

22. Older people are...

23. Younger people are...

24. The perfect place in the whole wide world is ___________ because ...

25. What makes you feel sad? Why?

26. What makes you feel happy? Why?

27. What can you do to help you feel better when you're feeling blue?

28. Name your favorite book and why?

29. If I were a raindrop, I'd ...

30. What I know about rabbits is that

31. If I were an Easter egg...

32. For lunch today...

33. Pretend that you can fly whenever you wanted. Where would you go?

34. Pretend that there is no such thing as television, the Internet, or video games. What do you do with all your time?

35. My favorite stuffed animal or toy is...

36. Imagine if cows gave green juice instead of milk! What would the world look like?

37. Imagine that all the streets are rivers? How do you get around?

38. What would happen if it really did rain cats and dogs?

39. If I were a snake, I'd ...

40. Use descriptive words like amazing, incredible, outrageous, super-fun or mind-blowing in your journal entry.

41. If I could choose a different name, I would choose...

42. Let's go _______________. Describe your adventure.

43. Write a letter to your Mom, Dad, friend, cousin, classmate.

44. What would happen if animals could talk?

45. What questions would you like to ask animals and what would their answers be?

46. What would you do if you were in the middle of the lake and your boat springs a leak?

47. What would you do if you suddenly woke up in another country and no one could understand a word you said! What would you do?

48. Write a poem about your favorite person, animal, or place.

49. What is your dream vacation?

I am always looking to expand my listing of journaling prompts and would love to hear your ideas. I'd invite you to add to this list of elementary writing prompts by posting your comment below!

May your student's journaling adventure be filled with joy, fun, and creativity.

Happy journaling....

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48 Thought Provoking Elementary Writing Prompts for Kids

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Story Starters & Writing Ideas for Elementary Kids - Oh the many joys of journaling! I love to write about journaling tips, creative journaling, and journal writing techniques. But I am most often asked for a listing of journaling topics and prompts.

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Stuck for inspiration?

Don't panic! It happens to all writers.

Here are ten of the best creative writing exercises to inspire you to start (and finish) that book.

1. 7x7x7
Find the 7th book from your bookshelf (or digital library). Open it up to page 7. Look at the 7th sentence on the page. Begin a paragraph that begins with that sentence and limit the length to 7 lines. Repeat. Read them out and choose the one with the most promise.

2. Dictionary
Open the dictionary to a random page. Find a word that you do not know how to define. Write an imaginary definition for it. Repeat until one inspires you.

Maybe that's how Terry Pratchett come up with his ideas 🙂

3. First
Describe a first. Your first kiss, your first kitten, your first day of school-all will make excellent stories.

4. Magazine Puzzle
Cut out interesting words, phrases, and images from a magazine. Place them in a bowl, close your eyes and pull out two of these magazine snippets. Write a mini-story of not more than 250 words. You've now created the basis for your first book.

5. Pin the Atlas
Find a world map and blindly put your finger on a spot. Then pretend you're a travel writer and write about a weird experience you had in that particular country.

6. Sell the pet
Write an advert selling a boa constrictor as a family pet. What happens next?
7. Hello, you!
If you want to write a non-fiction book, write a letter to your future self. What do you want to say?

8. Found Ads
Find two ads in the newspaper. Create a book idea only using words from the two ads.

9. "I remember..." Start a paragraph with, "I remember..." and let your memories dictate what you write.

10. Switch Persona
Write a mini-story in the first person. Take on the persona of someone with a different gender, different nationality, and different age. Again, this can form the basis for a great book.

I hope these creative writing exercises helped you move forward with your book.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

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10 Creative Writing Exercises to Inspire You | WTD

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Stuck for inspiration? Don't panic! It happens to all writers. Here are ten of the best creative writing exercises to inspire you to start (and finish) that book. 1. 7x7x7 Find the 7th book from your bookshelf (or digital library). Open it up to page 7. Look at the 7th sentence on the page.

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Millions trust Grammarly's free writing app to make their messages, documents, and posts clear, mistake-free, and effective.

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Hemingway Editor makes your writing bold and clear.

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Practice is the key to mastering and improving grammar skills! Here are eleven elementary grammar worksheets teachers can use in the classroom to reinforce key concepts.

11 PRINTABLE ELEMENTARY GRAMMAR WORKSHEETS
RESOURCE 1: SUBJECT PREDICATES
Simple subjects and simple predicates are the "must -haves" in sentence structure. These two words are the foundation in which grammar and writing are further built on. Use the Simple Subjects and Predicates Grammar Worksheets, to review this important concept with students.
RESOURCE 2: CORRECTING FRAGMENTS AND RUN-ON SENTENCES
One of the main concepts that continues to appear throughout grammar and writing teachings are fragment and run-on sentences. It is extremely important to teach the basics of a complete sentence early in the development of your students' grammar and writing skills. Use the Correcting Fragment and Run-on Sentences Grammar Worksheets, to review these important concepts with students!

RESOURCE 3: MORE COMMAS

Give your students practice correctly using commas when writing! With the More Commas Grammar Worksheets your students will get the reinforcement they need to identify comma usage and then apply it in writing.

RESOURCE 4: SUBJECT PRONOUNS

It is important for students to understand how the proper use of a pronoun will clarify to readers what noun the writer is talking about. Use the Subject Pronouns Grammar Worksheets, to review subject pronouns, pronoun antecedents, and present-tense verbs!

RESOURCE 5: ADVERBS
An adverb is a word that generally describes a verb. Adverbs describe verbs by telling how, when, or where an action happens. Use the Adverbs Grammar Worksheet to help students recognize adverbs.

RESOURCE 6: PRESENT-TENSE VERB

A tense of a verb tells when an action happens. A verb in the present tense tells about an action that happens now! Give your students present-tense verb practice with the Present-Tense Verb Grammar Worksheets.

RESOURCE 7: COMPLEX SENTENCES

A complex sentence combines related ideas with a subordinating conjunction. Use the Complex Sentences Grammar Worksheets to help students begin to understand subordinating conjunctions and complex sentences.

RESOURCE 8: WORDS OFTEN MISSPELLED

One of the reasons the English language can be so difficult to learn is due to the number of homophones. Use the Words Often Misspelled Grammar Worksheets, to review commonly misspelled words that confuse elementary students!

RESOURCE 9: PARTS OF A FRIENDLY LETTER

Letter writing is a skill that elementary students can apply in order to strengthen their writing and grammar skills. Use the Parts of a Friendly Letter Grammar Worksheets to help students learn how to properly compose a friendly letter.

RESOURCE 10: PERFECT VERB TENSES

Verbs have three perfect tenses. The perfect tenses describe actions that have been completed. Give your elementary students practice on this important grammar concept with the Perfect Verb Tenses Grammar Worksheets.

RESOURCE 11: PRONOUNS

Help students become pronoun pros! Give your students pronoun practice with the Pronouns Grammar Worksheets. Whether for guided instruction or independent practice, your students will get the reinforcement they need for using subject and object pronouns.

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11 Elementary Grammar Worksheets That Will Improve Students' Writing

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Practice is the key to mastering and improving grammar skills! Here are eleven elementary grammar worksheets teachers can use in the classroom to reinforce key concepts. RESOURCE 1: SUBJECT PREDICATES Simple subjects and simple predicates are the "must -haves" in sentence structure. These two words are the foundation in which grammar and writing are further built on.

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We found 540 items

Build solid creative writing skills with our extensive collection of printables, graphic organizers, and lessons plans. Encourage your students to demonstrate their creativity-and their writing skills-with our resources. You'll find poetry activities, short-story writing exercises, journal topics, printable worksheets, art projects, and more!

Creative Writing Printables, Grades K-2

Teach students nouns, adverbs, adjectives and more with a fun Mad Libs® story printable. Further aid them in writing stories with our fun holiday themed fill-in stories!

Third Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Use our third grade worksheets to help your students advance their creative writing skills. Printables include writing prompts, proofreading checklists, inspiration for writing, and puzzles to improve vocabulary.

Fourth Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Use our printable writing prompts, research paper guide, and poem templates to improve the writing skills of those in grade 4.

Fifth Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Our printable writing templates and guides will enhance the creative writing ability of your grade 5 class. Also included is a worksheet designed to introduce students to the world of journalism.

Sixth Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Use our printables to guide your 6th grade students through writing expectations, writing terms, journalism, writing prompts, and quizzes to test their knowledge of all the above.

Seventh Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Our 7th grade printables include activity packets, poem guidelines, and literary analysis and interpretation rubrics.

Eighth Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Enhance the creative writing abilities of you 8th grade class with our printable scoring rubrics, story starters, proofreading checklist, and more!

Ninth Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Add drama to your 9th grade creative writing class with our drama rubrics and "The Black Cat" play activities. Our worksheets also include scoring rubrics, discussion guides, and much more!

Tenth Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Aid your 10th grade class with our creative writing worksheets which include quizzes, writing prompts, poetry guidelines, and rubrics.

Eleventh Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Use our scoring rubrics, proofreading checklist, writing inspirations, and more to teach your 11th grade class creative writing skills.

Twelfth Grade Creative Writing Worksheets

Add some introspection to your 12th grade creative writing class with our worksheets. Worksheets include writing prompts, poetry guidelines, scoring rubrics, and more!

Browse Latest Resources

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Creative Writing Resources for Teachers (K-12) - TeacherVision

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We found 540 items Build solid creative writing skills with our extensive collection of printables, graphic organizers, and lessons plans. Encourage your students to demonstrate their creativity-and their writing skills-with our resources. You'll find poetry activities, short-story writing exercises, journal topics, printable worksheets, art projects, and more!