Homeschooling Resource – a Creative Writing Idea

Teach Writing Skills With This Exercise on Viewpoint in Fiction

Nov 4, 2009

Good writing skills are essential for children to handle all aspects of a home school curriculum. Creative writing exercises help kids hone skills while having fun.

One simple writing activity that children will enjoy is called the "Pen and Paper" exercise. The whole family can join in with this one; reading out the results is likely to result in lots of laughter. It has also been used successfully in general community writing workshops.

The Pen and Paper Writing Exercise to Explore Viewpoint in Fiction

This exercise requires children to use their imagination to think of what it would be like to actually be either a pen or a piece of paper. (Of course inanimate objects don't really show emotions, but that's part of the fun.)

Instructions to Children Doing the Writing Activity

Tell children that they are going to think about what it means to be first a pen, and then a piece of paper. Encourage them to think about different kinds of paper, and the many different pens that are available. They should also think about where the piece of paper (or the pen) has been, where it "lives" now, how it was made, and how it came to be in the possession of the owner. They will probably think of the pen as being either male or female. Some examples:

The Paper in the Writing Exercise

The Pen in the Writing Exercise

General Instructions for This Writing Activity

Start by telling children: "We are going to start by writing a few paragraphs from the viewpoint of the pen. Think about what this pen is like, where it usually lives, and how it feels. Does it consider itself to be a superior pen, a trendy pen, or an underprivileged pen? How does the pen feel about the paper it is writing on? What mood is the pen in? Have fun with this!"

When they have finished writing the paragraph from the pen's point of view, ask them to write a second paragraph from the point of view of the paper that is being written on.

Write a Paragraph From the Viewpoint of the Pen – Example

'Well, it's about time that Lucy picked me. I'll do a much better job for her than some of those other overdressed pens that she usually picks – especially that horrible glitzy pink pen with the gold clip. It's not my fault that I was mass-produced in cheap plastic and stuck in a packet with eleven other pens that all look exactly the same. I don't like the paper she's using, though.. I think it's an ATM receipt!!! It's all crumpled from being in the bottom of her bag, so it's hard to write smoothly."

Write a Paragraph from the Viewpoint of the Paper – Example

"I have had a really bad week and it's not getting any better. After living in the dark in that awful machine for days, I finally saw the light when Lucy and her mum got some money out of the ATM at the mall. At last! I thought. I can get to see more of the world. But no... Lucy just tossed me into her bag and I was back in the dark. Even worse, I got squashed by her mobile phone and there's some crumbs sticking to me from something she was eating. Gross! And as if that wasn't bad enough, now she's writing something on the back of me with this pen with a really sharp point. Ow! I'm getting a headache..."

This writing activity teaches children to write about the same scene from different viewpoints. They learn how to project themselves into the minds of different "characters", and how to use emotions. A lot of the enjoyment of this writing exercise comes from their understanding that pens and paper don't really have emotions! Other similar exercises can be added to a home school curriculum "toolkit."

The copyright of the article Homeschooling Resource – a Creative Writing Idea in Homeschooling is owned by Marg McAlister. Permission to republish Homeschooling Resource – a Creative Writing Idea in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.