I used to write about chickens. My mom had a coop full of fancy, French hens and they became characters in books I would create for her as Christmas gifts. The illustrations were fun because I loved drawing and watercolor painting, but the writing part was what kept me going forward. I knew my mom enjoyed clever and hilarious stories, and by featuring her chickens, it made them even more appealing to her, my audience.
Eccentric as these hens were, I wrote them as elaborate creatures. They had feelings and motives and got into trouble, even stealing jewelry from my mom’s bedroom. If anyone else read these stories, they hardly seemed fabulous. But to my mom, they took the cake because I wrote them with her in mind.
So, who is the audience for this blog? I have a friend, Katie, and she said she uses my writing prompts each Monday for a homeschool activity with her three children. This gives me a specific audience and challenges me to write well for these dear friends.
If you're reading this and find any of my writing prompts helpful, please share my blog with other homeschool families or novice writers who want to grow in their writing habits. I'll be sure to talk about books and reading, too, so please bookmark my website and check back here weekly.
(On a side note, Katie and her family love good literature, and they told us about the Wingfeather Saga books by Andrew Peterson, a series that's next on our to-be-read list).
Writing Prompt: Choose a fairy tale to re-tell, but before you put words on a page, consider whom you want for your audience. Will you choose words to captivate your listener? Imagine this person, and write accordingly.