A fear of failing keeps many children from enjoying writing and from writing well. Even at a young age, a child creates an "internal critical editor" -- a snide creature who scoffs at early efforts and crushes the desire to put down a single word -- let alone cohesive, well-developed, and organized thoughts. Most parents have heard the complaints that signal an overactive, crippling inner editor: "I don't know how [or what] to write." "I hate writing." "I'm no good at writing." Yet everyone wants to tell stories; it's a natural part of living. How to make all writing feel like some sort of storytelling, even if formal? A few exercises for you and your homeschooler can help free the writer within.

First, both you and your child need to understand how writing works. In my 25+ years as a professional writer and consultant, I have learned that most people, not just kids, think of the first draft as a precious work of art. They imagine that once an idea has been carved free of the bedrock, it's ready to be set on a pedestal just as it is, however rough, never to feel the chisel again. Not so. The shaping of the sculpture has just begun; in truth, it is still just a rock awaiting the vision of its sculptor. Similarly, the first draft is just a chunk of limestone picked up from a field of rocks. In other words, it is not yet precious, but it serves a vital purpose. Its job is to help the writer see what it is he or she wants to say. It is an investigative tool, and it's not supposed to be good (although sometimes it is). The first draft or two affords the writer a chance to see what he or she is thinking about, what possibilities a subject has for development, how it might be developed, and if the writer's interest (and the topic) really lie elsewhere. It is a crowbar for prying open the mind, and the act of polishing the Michelangelo-in-the-rough is part of a later stage of writing -- revision. It is in the revision process that you need the inner editor -- not in the draft stage.

But that voice will nag and belittle the writer in those exploratory drafts, unless you can trick it into silence. Here's an exercise for both parents and kids that has helped many writers, including me, to ignore the inner editor.

On a blank sheet of paper, draw a picture of a person or creature that the critical voice could belong to. Make it as vivid as you can render. When I did this exercise, the inner editor came out looking like a tight-lipped, menacing librarian from the 1940s. She was mean as a rabid rat and hated everything I wrote. When you're both done, talk about the critical editor and what kinds of things he, she, or it says. Then actively decide to take the power away from the editor. Put the drawing in a box or drawer. The next few times your child is writing a draft, remind him or her that the inner editor is not allowed to speak right then and is safely locked away.

On a second sheet, both of you should next draw a kindly muse. Write the names of people who make each of you feel capable, worthy, and talented. These are the voices we need to heed when we write drafts. Post these pictures on the wall or put them on the desk during writing activities.

Simply understanding the role of first drafts and symbolically locking away the critical editor is enough to loosen many a student's innate voice. But you can also try the following exercises.

Warm up for writing just as you would limber up for sports, music, or art. I frequently used five-minute exercises when I was homeschooling and use them still in workshops. Giving your child a limited time to write is an excellent way to break down resistance or sidestep self-criticism. Since the exercises are not meant to be kept or revised, they help remind the student that writing is a way of exploring ideas and telling stories. Although sometimes these short pieces beg for development, that should be up to the students; otherwise they will lose trust in the process. (On the other hand, you can say something like, ?Today we're going to write poetry, and we'll start by brainstorming for five minutes.? Then the child is forewarned that the process is part of a larger effort.)

Not sure what to ask your children to write about for five minutes? Try giving them a picture to look at -- a painting from a period you are studying in history or a photo from a magazine -- and asking them to say what happened just before the scene in the picture, or would happen right after, or any other question that pops into mind. Have them pick an object in the room and write five minutes about everything it is not. Have them write five minutes on everything they do (or do not) fear. Have them write five minutes on everything that a certain friend/relative/enemy wants. The possibilities are endless.

Timed writing can also help a child ease into writing reports and non-fiction essays. Start by discussing possible topics. Over the course of several days, give the student five- or ten-minute segments to write ideas about the topic, possible slants, and ideas for developing it. (The "slant" answers the question: What aspect of this subject are you writing about? For instance, "the telephone" is a subject; "how cellular phones have changed American's lives" is a slant.) Then he or she can arrange the ideas into a logical pattern for written discussion, in a first draft -- which still takes place without the inner editor.

Have your child practice writing in all subject areas so that writing is as regular an activity as adding sums or brushing teeth. Familiarity reduces tension dramatically. At the close of each school day, have your child write one or two sentences for at least one major subject (preferably several) studied that day. The sentence could be a simple statement of fact ("In math we learned how to divide fractions"), a summary of what was learned ("Quarks are even smaller than atoms"), a point of interest ("The painter Rousseau is considered great now but was just an untalented postman to his peers"), or another topic that the day's reading or discussion led to ("Talking about Romans conquering the Middle East made us realize that it wouldn't have been possible if the city-states of Greece hadn't fought until they collapsed, which wouldn't have happened if Athens hadn't been devastated by the plague").

Even once your child is writing confidently, make room for writing exercises. Keep the fun in it through variation. And don't take the editor out of the drawer until it is time to polish that limestone into marble!

About the author: Marcy McDonald is the author of Writing:The Bridge Between Us and the accompanying Teacher's Manual, a composition course for homeschooled, high school students that a Writer's Digest editor called a "very reliable resource" that is "setting a benchmark for textbooks for home schools." Her next book, Wake UP! Writing Exercises for Homeschoolers, focuses on teaching writing to middle schoolers.

See www.popularweaselpress.com to order the books and learn more about her.