It’s a question all authors ask, whether they’re in first grade or fifth, whether they’re still wet behind the ears or an award-winning, well-published professional.
There’s a debate out there brewing about the value and feasibility of what student authors in the elementary grades “should” write. That “should” doesn’t set well with me. As though there’s a right and wrong list of topics and genres for kids.
Some people feel that the only “authentic” narrative writing young people should engage in is the personal experience memoir – in other words, writing about what they’ve experienced first-hand. Some even go so far as to say that writing narrative fiction or fantasy is “too sophisticated” for the elementary school set.
For a long time this went against the grain of my own experience as a teacher and as an author. It took me awhile to figure out why.
Yes, I know, we’ve all heard people say: Write what you know. But does that mean I can only write about what I’ve actually experienced? If that’s true, how do science fiction writers do what they do? Or, for that matter, mystery writers, or...what about J.K. Rowling? If she’d been limited by this “authenticity” rule there’d be a lot less voracious readers out there today! Personally I do what most authors do – I combine my own first-hand experience with second-hand “experience” - using what I’ve learned from others, from TV and movies, books, and then I mix in generous portions of “what if” and “why not”. Thank goodness authors do this, that they take this artistic license, because if this were not the case there’d be a lot less creative, inspiring fiction out there in the world!
As a teacher, when I think about students I’ve known through the years I’m keenly aware of the range of life experiences, both enriching and challenging, that these youngsters carry. I’ve had students who, by second grade, have visited the Louvre and hiked the Rockies. Others have rarely left the confines of their tiny backyards, didn’t own a book, spending free time in front of the television. Place before them the challenge of writing a meaningful piece about “an interesting place they’ve visited” and you begin to see how effectively disadvantaged students are kept at a disadvantage.
Why not level the playing field a little? Fantasy and “make believe” – these are the great equalizers. No one in my class has ever taken a magic carpet ride or explored a haunted cave. So everyone has an equal shot at success.
And this is just the practical part – more importantly, encouraging students to explore fantasy and “make believe” taps into something much more powerful than literal personal experiences. Fantasy allows children to touch into the unconscious - to represent their inner lives in healthy, creative, and symbolic ways. Here we see the archetypal images of the fairy tale, of dreams and metaphors that can only be fully understood in retrospect. This fictional mining of the unconscious is extremely satisfying for both author and reader.
After taking years to explore and define this in my own mind I stumbled on an extremely thought-provoking, well-written book titled Welcome to Lizard Motel by Barbara Feinberg, published by Beacon Press (ISBN 0807071447). It’s all about reading and writing and the power of “making things up”. Feinberg explores, from another perspective, the same ideas that have intrigued me for years. It’s definitely a must-read for anyone involved in teaching reading and writing, or, for that matter, anyone interested in what makes kids tick.
So, what are your thoughts on the power of “making things up”? What do your students like to write about? Do you encourage or discourage them from writing fantasy, and why? And, if you’ve read “Welcome to Lizard Motel” I’d love to hear your thoughts.
