I have always to some extent been a writer. When I was school I would walk around with a spiral bound notebook and jot down stories as they came to me. When I was in high school I started looking seriously at what went into publishing a book and still have an obsession with writing and publishing. One series of stories I can remember writing were these fairy tales about a prince and a princess, while they were probably not very good I can remember thinking at the time that I was days away from being discovered as the world’s best child author.
If you have a little myth, folktale or fairy tale writer in your family, then this site Myths, Folktales, & Fairy Tales is fantastic.
The site is set up by Scholastic and is designed with young writers in mind. Children can read about writing for each genre, and go through a “Writing with Writers” program with a published Myth Writer, Folktale Writer, or Fairy Tale Writer, depending on their particular favorite genre.
Once your child is done with their work children ages 5-15 are encouraged to publish their work on the web. The stories are sorted by age so students can read the work of other children their age, and can share their published work with friends and family members.
I think this site is fantastic for children who have interest in being writers. When I was younger I couldn’t read enough about publishing, and in a time before the Internet had very little opportunity to share my writing with large groups of people. Allowing your five year old to publish their own story on the web can give them a sense of accomplishment like no other, and can also help them work on writing and editing their work in a fun non school environment.
If you’re a teacher there are also fun tips and tricks on the site for incorporating writing and reading these books into your classroom.