Encouraging Young Writers in Idaho

When you’ve spent your life learning something, there are few things as rewarding as sharing what you’ve learned.

I got to do a little of that last week. I was invited to speak to a high school creative writing class here in my home town.

Better yet, I got to read a sample of the students’ writing before I went. The teacher, Mr. Hansen, and I agreed to hold a contest where the kids could complete an assignment and be entered to win.

Encouraging Young Writers: They’re So Creative!

Since my new book, The Curse of King Midas, is a historical fantasy, I gave the students a writing assignment that asked them to combine their favorite myth, fairy tale, or Disney story with a real historical event in history to create the beginning of a story.

The entries were so creative! I really enjoyed reading them. One combined the story of The Three Bears, for instance, with WWII. Another combined Hansel and Gretel with the Civil War. Yet another combined Jack and the Beanstalk with the Great Fire of London. It’s cool how using this type of combination can result in new ways of looking at a story!

All of the stories were wonderful. One really stood out, and I was glad to award that writer a free copy of The Curse of King Midas as well as Your Writing Matters. I gave the other students smaller prizes as well, as everyone deserved to be encouraged.

Sharing My Story

The other part of my presentation was about the real King Midas. I got to share with the students the story of the real man behind my novel. We played a game as we went, and it was fun to see their interest in something that occurred 3,000 years ago!

I’ll be presenting on this topic again at a local bookstore soon. Check out this page for more information if you’d like to attend.

To all young writers out there, I hope you keep writing. You never know what may come of it, but no matter what, creating stories will benefit your life!