Writing camp provides a writing community for young writers who wish to develop their writing, editing and critiquing skills and explore markets for publication. Allison Rowan, age 12 and participant at writing camp said, "There's something special about writing while you are surrounded by other people who love to write just as much as you do.”
Facility for Writing Camp
Ideally,the writing facility should be spacious and conducive to good writing (quiet and scenic). Outdoor seating for a change of scenery in season is a great option. Decorate particularly bland rooms to create a writing ambiance. Load up on coloured writing pens and markers, different kinds of paper and books. If at all possible a room for games and crafts for stations or use during free time gets youth moving and imaginative.
Authors as Writing Facilitators
Writing facilitators create a safe place for young writers to write and have like minded company on their writing journey. It is not enough for facilitators to be good writers themselves. They must also be creative and passionate about inspiring young people to tap into and discover their writing potential.
Guest Authors Give Workshops
Invite a few guest authors from the area to share their writing process and life, offer workshops and read from their books. Choose authors of varying genres and interests. They too should be more than good authors themselves and be passionate about paving the road for writers to drive the writing forward.
Merchandise Tables to Sell Books
Young writers value the books written by their facilitators and guest authors. Give guest facilitators and authors of age appropriate books the opportunity to sell signed copies of books to participants.
Writing Prompts and Exercises
Engaging participants with interactive writing prompts and exercises builds relationships and fuels the tanks of their writing engines. Participants will find it fascinating how each person writes the same exercise and writes in different direction.
There is a plethora of writing prompts and exercises available online to woo the writers’ muse. While writing exercises get writers writing, these young authors often have writing projects of their own percolating around their brains. So allow for free writing time.
Freefall Writing
To help young writers find the story behind all the stuff on their mind or move beyond the bank page, provide writing prompts and ask participants to write, write, write for a period of time. Begin the first freefall writing time at ten minutes and each day lengthen the time.
Genre writing
Give opportunities to writers to discover new genres. Illustrators may create picture books and graphic novels, playwrights draft scripts, poets write poems, but for variety, have writers explore genres that are new to them. Have fiction writers attempt non-fiction writing exercises and poets write prose. Writers will discover skills in new forms of writing.
Critiquing Guidelines
Offer guidelines to critique group members’ writing, summarize what critiquers have shared and finish with word of encouragement.
- Always respect authors who read their work with active listening and constructive feedback
- provide two suggestions about what works well before suggesting something to improve upon
- share poignant words, phrases and imaginative characters, settings and descriptions
- note what is unclear or out of character
- note any jarring statements that take the reader out of the story
Publishing and Publishers
Not all young writers are ready to send their work out for publication but writing camp is a great opportunity to make them aware of the growing number of story and book publishers who are open to publishing the writing of young authors. The Young Writer’s Guide to Getting Published by Kathy Henderson gives tips on how to prepare writing, standard manuscript format and a comprehensive listing of over one hundred markets that accept young writers’ work.
Look beyond traditional forms of publication to online forms of writing and contests. Alert participants to writing scams and the likelihood of rejection. Make young writers aware that accomplished writers expect to receive rejections not just new young writers. Those participants who are fragile may need to mature before seeking a publisher.
Author Reading
Culminate Writing Camp with an Author’s Reading Night. Invite a well known guest author to share their writing journey and read from their work. Participants from camp invite guests and rally their courage to read what they have written during camp. Celebrate with a reception that honours the hard work of the young authors.
Chapbook of Camp Writing
Produce a chap book of one finished piece of writing and bio of each participant. Take a photograph to include with the bio. Provide time to create covers for chapbooks and obtain signatures of the authors. These mementoes will be treasured by writers and their families for years to come.
The importance of a writing community and writing mentor for young writers cannot be overstaged. Loris Lesynski, guest author and illustrator at writing camp said "spending a week at writing camp will be rememberd by young writers all of their lives."
Young Writer’s Resources:
Grant, Jane E. The Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Writer. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing Inc., 1995.
Henderson, Kathy. The Young Writer’s Guide to Getting Published. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 2001.
Forty of the Best Web Sites for Young Writers
Lynda Allison - With an eye toward building confidence in writing and presentation skills, Lynda facilitates and directs seasonal writing and drama ...
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