With the emphasis in the school systems on writing 5 paragraph essays, why teach about writing creative stories?
From my experience, students who learn to write a cohesive, original short story practice many of the same skills which they use when writing 5 paragraph essays. Namely, they must be focused, organized, show elaboration, and use style– as well as practice all grade-appropriate writing conventions. But, writing an original story is more fun and draws upon students’ imaginations in ways that writing an expository essay doesn’t. As I say in my book, “Students who learn fiction-writing skills such as show, not tell, through vivid verbs, specific nouns, and figurative language can also use these same skills when writing a persuasive essay. In the end, teaching your students to write fiction will benefit their expository writing as they add interest and detail to all their writing.” I am also concerned in our age of computer and video games that young people are losing the ability and pleasure of creating something which they can call their own. Your book covers writing instruction from 4th
