Ruby

Ideas for writing won't pop into our mind by itself.

We need fuel or a matchbox to kick off the writing. The fuel needs not be as big as a nuclear plant - in some cases, it may simply be four hours of train delay (if you were JK Rowling). That's what I shared with my daughter when we read the picture book Ralph Tells a Story during breakfast today. We learned that a great story can be about something very small ... as small as an inchworm for Ralph, a kid stuck with writer's block. A funny boy who ended up with nothing on his paper after staring at the ceiling, going to the water fountain, roaming the school hallways, and then bathroom. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Not until he saw a wiggly inchworm.

My daughter's writing class at school is an excellent example of looking for that inchworm. Her teacher starts the spark in many creative ways, such as asking students to bring home the class dragon Ruby. My daughter showed me yesterday a bag with a green dragon puppet, a blanket (to keep Ruby the dragon warm and safe), a toothbrush (for sleepover, of course), a pencil and eraser, and Ruby's diary.

Without us noticing, the kids are learning to write diary for Ruby.