What I Told My Third Grade Self About Writing

I was in third grade when I first discovered my love for writing. I wasn’t sure at the time if it was a skill that would stick with me through the years, but now that I’m almost out of college, I can confidently say that yes, writing is something that will always be a part of my life. 

It’s been such an important part of me that I’d like to share with you some tips on how you can use this amazing skill to improve your life and reach your goals!

How To Teach 3rd Grade Writing EASY – YouTube
Takeaways
1. Beginnings Matter: Reflect on how you started your writing journey and the lessons you’ve learned along the way.
2. Embrace Creativity: Emphasize the importance of nurturing your creativity and exploring various writing styles without limitations.
3. Writing from Within: Understand the value of writing from the heart, infusing authenticity and genuine emotions into your work.
4. Continuous Improvement: Recognize that writing skills evolve over time, and continuous practice and learning are essential for growth.
5. Lessons from Experience: Draw inspiration from personal experiences, mistakes, and achievements to enrich your writing with relatable content.
6. Impactful Endings: Consider the significance of wrapping up your writing with impactful conclusions that leave a lasting impression on readers.
7. Embrace Feedback: Embrace constructive feedback as a tool for improvement, learning to view criticism as an opportunity to refine your work.
8. Writing Beyond Words: Explore how writing extends beyond words, incorporating imagery, metaphors, and sensory details to engage readers deeply.
9. Writing’s Unique Journey: Acknowledge that each writer’s journey is unique, allowing your individuality to shine through your creative expressions.
10. Passion and Dedication: Emphasize the role of passion and dedication in fueling your writing journey, helping you overcome challenges and setbacks.

You Will Always Be A Writer, Even When You Don’t Feel Like One

The second thing I want you to know is that you will always be a writer, even when you don’t feel like one. This is because writing is not just something you do, it’s also something you are—and that fact may feel overwhelming at times, but it’s also the very best part!

Every time we speak or write in any capacity, we’re practicing our craft. And every day we practice our craft, we grow as writers and thinkers. 

Even if no one ever sees your work but yourself (which isn’t true someone will see it eventually), each sentence and paragraph feels like growth because it pushes us toward a greater understanding of ourselves and our world.

So remember this: writing is a lifelong journey where there are no mistakes or wrong turns; there are only lessons learned from trying new things (and learning from past mistakes).

You’ll never be done learning; instead, just keep putting words on paper and let them take you where they need to go whether it’s through fiction novels in which brave princesses save kingdoms from evil queens.

Poetry journals are full of poems about trees with leaves that change color each season depending on how much rain falls during the summer months (I’ve been working on both!).

Enhancing your creative writing skills is a journey of constant learning and improvement. Check out our guide on 17 Things I Can Do to Improve My Creative Writing Skills to discover actionable tips and techniques that can help you unleash your creative potential.

Read, Read, Read

I’m going to say this again: READ. Reading is important for all aspects of your life (not just writing), so don’t think that you can skip out on this one! Reading helps you learn about the world around you and other people’s experiences in it. 

It’s also a great way to learn about writing! If you want to write stories, then reading books is an excellent way to see how other authors do it and if they did something well or poorly (or both). Even if your story isn’t based on someone else’s work like mine, reading will still help inspire ideas for plot points or characters that might not have occurred otherwise!

Everyone Has Different Writing Processes

Everyone has different writing processes. Some people like to write in the morning, some at night, some at lunch or on their break. Some people are more productive when they’re working from home while others prefer to write at a coffee shop or in a library. 

And then there’s the matter of what you do when you’ve finished your first draft: some people like quiet and solitude; others prefer background noise and music (or even silence).

Some people have rituals for revising: they sit down on their favorite couch with a cup of tea; others like to go outside and breathe fresh air as they read over their work again. 

But no matter how different we are individual, most writers agree that creativity is an essential part of any process and that involves permitting yourself not just to fail but also to experiment with creative exercises during your revisions!

In the realm of writing, it’s essential to find strategies that resonate with human readers rather than just algorithms. Explore our article on Real-World Writing Tips That Beat the Algorithms to uncover insights into crafting compelling content that engages both audiences and search engines.

Don’t Be Afraid To Write About Your Emotions

Don’t be afraid to write about your emotions. Writing is a tool for dealing with our feelings, and it can help you process your emotions, understand them, get in touch with them and work through them. If you’re feeling sad or angry or frustrated or confused, try putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) until those negative feelings are no longer so overwhelming. 

Even if you’re not sure what’s going on inside of you yet, just writing down how you’re feeling is a good start because then when the time comes for you to figure out what happened and why you’ll have a record of those dark thoughts that were swirling around inside of your head earlier today (or yesterday).

Writing can also be used as an outlet for expressing positive emotions too! If something awesome happens in real life like getting an A+ on a test or meeting someone new at school write about it! 

You might use this opportunity as motivation for future success: “I got an A+ on my math test because I stayed up late last night studying.” Or maybe it’s just because they love writing itself: “I loved my new friend so much that I wrote him/her a poem.” Either way works!

Writing Is Hard

Writing is hard, and getting better at it means doing a lot of things that are not fun. But that’s okay! I promise. Writing is an important skill, and you will get better at it if you keep practicing.

Writing requires a lot of work because your brain has to come up with an idea and then think about what the words should look like on the page so that people can understand the story you want to tell them. 

Sometimes this works well because your brain knows what to say it just takes some practice getting those ideas out in a way that makes sense for other people who aren’t as smart as you are (or me).

It also takes work because sometimes things don’t sound quite right when we write them down on paper or type them into our computers; we need time for our brains or fingers (or whatever) time to figure out how each sentence should sound so other people will understand too! 

This process happens over and over again until eventually all of our ideas come together into one complete piece of writing that’s called editing! Editing can be hard but also kind of fun once we’ve gotten used to enough times doing it 🙂

Crafting a captivating short story involves a unique set of considerations. Dive into our post on Things to Consider When Writing a Short Story to explore key elements, narrative techniques, and storytelling nuances that can elevate your short story writing game.

Yes, You Can Write About That

The first thing I want to say is that yes, you can write about anything. You’re probably thinking, “But what if it’s stupid?” or “But what if it’s not interesting?” or “But what if it doesn’t make sense?” Stop that. Write about whatever you want for as long as you want and see where it takes you.

The second thing I want to say is this: write about what you know about your own life and the lives of people around you. Write about the place where your family lives or works; write about your school; write about how social media changes how people communicate (and why). 

Write a story where two characters start out hating each other but learn something important while they’re stuck together on an island in the middle of nowhere (the name of this book would be Two Strangers Living In The Woods). 

Write a poem where birds get into an argument over who eats more bugs during lunchtime at their nest in the trees outside your window every day when they come back from class (their teacher doesn’t care enough to stop them so don’t try). If none of these ideas appeal to me personally then maybe they’ll appeal to another person reading this guide someday!

The third thing I want to say is: don’t worry too much about whether or not someone else will like your work; just focus instead on telling stories from inside yourself because that’s where all good art comes from anyway!

Real Life Doesn’t Have To Be Boring

One of the things I wish I’d told myself when I was a kid is that real life doesn’t have to be boring. It can be more exciting than anything you could imagine in your stories!

I’ve had many experiences that have inspired me to write books: staying up late reading adventure novels by flashlight with my dad; watching my mother write at her desk; sneaking out of bed during the night and stealing a few pages from one of her notebooks (she never caught me). 

All these things helped me realize that writing can come from anywhere, not just books or movies or other people’s stories. Real life can inspire just about anything the characters in your story, their personalities, and appearances; setting details like colors in the sky or patterns on leaves of grass; even dialogue between two people sitting next to each other on an airplane!

Creative writing isn’t always a direct path to financial success, but its intrinsic value is undeniable. Delve into our analysis on Only Half of Creative Writing Makes Money, So Is It Worth It? to gain insights into the balance between creative expression and commercial viability in the writing world.

You Don’t Have To Follow The Rules

You don’t have to follow the rules.

I know that sounds like one of those things your teacher or mom would tell you, but it’s important and true. You should write in the style that works for you. 

If your stories are more dialogue-heavy, write them that way! If you prefer short sentences and short chapters, do that! And if you like writing in a long-winded paragraph format, go for it! There is no right or wrong way to write there is only what works best for each person individually. To find out what works best for you and go with it.

You Should Follow The Rules Sometimes, Though

But don’t think that following the rules means you’ll never be able to break them. When you follow the rules, you’re learning how and why they work which means you can get a better idea of what works for your audience and what doesn’t.

Rules are also a way of organizing and classifying information, which makes it easier to learn new things by relating them to something you already know. For example, if someone tells me they have “a dog,” I’m going to have an easier time understanding what they mean if they clarify that their dog is named “Lucky.” 

This makes sense because dogs are classified as pets (or furry mammal companions) while people aren’t necessarily so easy to classify based on appearance alone (at least not without special equipment).

If we want our writing or speaking message clear enough for others to understand us clearly, then we need rules even if sometimes those rules seem arbitrary or wrong!

It’s Okay If You Don’t Write Every Day (But Try To)

I wish I had known that writing every day is not a requirement. It’s okay if you don’t write every day, or even most days. You can still be a writer, and you can still get better at it if you don’t always have time to write one hundred words on your blog or in your notebook. 

You can also write when you feel like it when the ideas are flowing freely from your brain and onto the page and when they aren’t coming so easily.

I wish I’d known that there’s no reason to feel guilty about not writing when something has upset me or made me angry; the best thing for my writing is probably for me to get those feelings out of my head as soon as possible so I can come back refreshed and ready for words again tomorrow (or next week).

I wish I’d known that sometimes inspiration strikes at inconvenient times: during school hours; or on vacation with family.

When everyone else around me is asleep in their beds dreaming about all the things they want to do someday but never will because life gets in the way too often these days but not tonight because right now all we have time left before bedtime comes around again tomorrow morning!

The journey of a fiction writer is filled with lessons that shape their craft. Reflect on our piece, What I Wish I Would Know When I Started Writing Fiction, where we share personal experiences and wisdom that can guide aspiring authors as they embark on their storytelling endeavors.

Always Turn Off Social Media When You Write

Turn off your social media. If you’re a writer, it’s important to reduce distractions and focus on the task at hand. 

Social media often leads to procrastination, but also has been shown to increase anxiety and decrease happiness levels in people. It can also lead to bad writing because it is so easy for anyone who has access to the internet or their phone at all times of day or night (which many of us do!)

Some Of What You Write Will Be Bad (That’s Okay)

I know that you’ve been taught to spell, write, and all that good stuff. But I also know that when you’re writing something for someone else to read, it’s really hard not to worry about how it will turn out. It’s easy to obsess over making sure everything is perfect and then end up losing sight of the point of writing altogether.

The thing about writing is this: what makes it worth doing in the first place is not whether or not the story or poem or essay or blog post turns out perfectly polished and shiny.

What makes it worth doing in the first place is getting something down on paper (or screen) so that you can start thinking through things. So don’t be afraid of what might happen if some parts aren’t perfect more than likely they won’t be! And even if they are… well… who cares?

Sometimes It Feels Like There Are No More Stories To Tell; That’s Not True

I think the most important thing I can tell myself is that there are stories to be told and that they don’t have to be grand. 

I’m not saying you should never write about big ideas, but if you’re going to write about something like climate change or poverty or race relations, do it because you care about those things, not because it’s easy or because you want some kind of recognition for being “the voice” of an issue.

You can also write about small things: a day in your life; a moment with your friend; how much pizza you love eating. Those are all interesting stories too! And writing them will help other people understand who we are and maybe even themselves too!

Your “Voice” Will Change And Evolve; Allow This To Happen Naturally

You will find your voice as a writer. It may take years, but eventually, you’ll develop your style and rhythm, and that’s okay. In the meantime, don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles and tones you might even want to try writing in different genres! Who knows? You might find one that speaks to you more than others do.

The important thing is not to feel like you are obligated to stay in one place for too long. Writing can be an enriching experience when it comes from within yourself rather than through imitation or outside influences (such as other writers).

Some Writing Projects Take Less Time Than Others

Some writing projects take longer than others. Some are easier than others. Some are more fun than others. And some are more rewarding than others. For example, it may be that you love to write in your journal, but it takes you hours to complete each entry because your handwriting is so messy and the words are so difficult to read! 

On the other hand, maybe one of your favorite things about reading and writing is that there’s an audience for what you create like when your mom reads a story aloud on family night or when your teacher reads another person’s work aloud during class time!

Some writing projects will be short and sweet (“I want my sister back”), while others can last for days or months (a book).

Learning How To Refine Your Process As A Writer

Being a writer is a process. You will make mistakes and you will learn from them. It’s okay to be imperfect and it’s okay to be a beginner, even when you’re in the middle of your career. You’ll be better at it!

Learning how to refine your process as a writer is the fun part. I’ve been writing for years now, but there are still things that I’m learning about myself as an artist and growing more confident with each new project I take on (and even more so with this one).

I hope these tips help you on your journey!

Conclusion

Writing is an amazing way to express yourself and share your ideas with the world, but it’s not easy! The good news is that you don’t need to be perfect at it from the start all you need is a pen (or keyboard) and paper. Whether you’re writing for fun or work, keep practicing and always be willing to try something new.

Further Reading

Here are some additional resources to explore for further reading on the topic:

Myself Essay for Class 3 Kids Description: Find an engaging essay example that helps Class 3 kids express themselves through writing.

Writing Sample for Third Grade Description: Explore a writing sample from a third-grade student, showcasing their creativity and writing skills.

Writing from the Heart: A Craft Essay Description: Delve into a craft essay by Vivian Conan that shares insights on writing authentically and from the heart.

FAQs

How can I help my Class 3 child improve their writing skills?

Encourage your child to practice writing regularly, provide interesting prompts, and offer constructive feedback on their work. Consider using creative writing resources tailored to their grade level.

Where can I find writing samples for third-grade students?

You can explore platforms like Reading Rockets that offer writing samples from third-grade students, providing insights into their writing development and creativity.

What can I learn from a craft essay about writing from the heart?

A craft essay on writing from the heart, like the one by Vivian Conan, can provide valuable tips and techniques for infusing authenticity and emotion into your writing, regardless of your age or experience.

How can I guide my child to write a meaningful essay about themselves?

Help your child brainstorm key points about themselves, such as hobbies, interests, and experiences. Encourage them to organize their thoughts and express themselves clearly, showcasing their uniqueness.

Are there resources for understanding the writing process at a third-grade level?

Yes, platforms like FirstCry offer resources like essays tailored to Class 3 kids, helping them understand the basics of writing, grammar, and self-expression in an engaging manner.