My four-year-old son, quite predictably, loves all things superhero. Lately he’s been crazy about Batman and his battles with Gotham City’s most vile villains. He’s partial right now to the stories in which Batman defeats Mr. Freeze.
Mr. Freeze’s criminal technique involves – you guessed it – cold and ice. He often freezes his victims with his ice gun, or, far worse, his ice cannon. Because of his not-so-gentle, icy approach, he tends to work alone.
I, too, really like to see Batman win in this particular matchup.
Because I write for a living.
When you’re writing, Mr. Freeze can come along at any time. Not knowing what to write about – either at the beginning, middle, or end of the process – can be a lot like getting stuck in a torrent of ice from Mr. Freeze’s ice cannon.
And man, is it cold.
And when you’re a kid, it’s even worse – even colder – because you’re often sitting in a classroom full of distractions, doubt, and deadlines dictated by a bell hanging in the hall.
As a teacher, I often tried to make writing easier for my students by giving them a lot of choice in their topic. Sometimes I’d leave it completely open-ended within a genre of writing, sometimes I’d narrow it down a bit more, but I always wanted them to have some say in what they wrote about.
Because we do our best writing when we really love what we’re writing about.
Most people do, anyway.
Kind of like reading, we’re only really invested if we actually enjoy the words and the subject. We have to care.
But I realize that even tons of choice doesn’t always help, because sometimes too much can be overwhelming. Mr. Freeze can still cause his chilly chaos.
But we can practice.
We can write about lots of different things.
And that can be fun, no matter how much you like or don’t like or absolutely hate to write.
And maybe then imagination and fancy can take over, thawing away the icicles of doubt and uncertainly and not knowing that occupy our brains.
Practice. Imagine. What if?
The section of this website that’s Just for Kids is meant to help kids figure out something to write about when Mr. Freeze pays a visit. It’s also meant to help kids practice their writing, sharpening their skills, looking at things from a different angle. Because all it really takes is a good what-if.
Young (and not-so-young) writers don’t need Batman.
They just need to ask some questions.
Take that, Mr. Freeze!
Mr. Freeze’s criminal technique involves – you guessed it – cold and ice. He often freezes his victims with his ice gun, or, far worse, his ice cannon. Because of his not-so-gentle, icy approach, he tends to work alone.
I, too, really like to see Batman win in this particular matchup.
Because I write for a living.
When you’re writing, Mr. Freeze can come along at any time. Not knowing what to write about – either at the beginning, middle, or end of the process – can be a lot like getting stuck in a torrent of ice from Mr. Freeze’s ice cannon.
And man, is it cold.
And when you’re a kid, it’s even worse – even colder – because you’re often sitting in a classroom full of distractions, doubt, and deadlines dictated by a bell hanging in the hall.
As a teacher, I often tried to make writing easier for my students by giving them a lot of choice in their topic. Sometimes I’d leave it completely open-ended within a genre of writing, sometimes I’d narrow it down a bit more, but I always wanted them to have some say in what they wrote about.
Because we do our best writing when we really love what we’re writing about.
Most people do, anyway.
Kind of like reading, we’re only really invested if we actually enjoy the words and the subject. We have to care.
But I realize that even tons of choice doesn’t always help, because sometimes too much can be overwhelming. Mr. Freeze can still cause his chilly chaos.
But we can practice.
We can write about lots of different things.
And that can be fun, no matter how much you like or don’t like or absolutely hate to write.
And maybe then imagination and fancy can take over, thawing away the icicles of doubt and uncertainly and not knowing that occupy our brains.
Practice. Imagine. What if?
The section of this website that’s Just for Kids is meant to help kids figure out something to write about when Mr. Freeze pays a visit. It’s also meant to help kids practice their writing, sharpening their skills, looking at things from a different angle. Because all it really takes is a good what-if.
Young (and not-so-young) writers don’t need Batman.
They just need to ask some questions.
Take that, Mr. Freeze!
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