so easy an 8 year old can do it

tko · May 17, 2013

http://slowsearching.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/making-marakan-ways.html

Cool.

an 8 year old, ". . . Griffin, just published a fantasy novel called The Marakon Ways. I helped him with the publishing, but not the writing. In fact, he didn’t even tell me that he was writing a book until he was a few chapters in! According to his teacher, Matt, at the start of the school year Griffin decided he would write a book and asked for help typing it up. Over the next four months, Griffin dictated his story, watching over his teacher's shoulder to make sure everything came out just the way he wanted it to, and learning a lot about patience and politeness."

KateJJ · May 17, 2013

She's a good mom.

Thank goodness self publishing wasn't an option when I was eight or I'd be dying of shame to have my rip-offs of children's fantasy novels available on the internet.

ellio · May 17, 2013

A good portion of my novel ideas come from ideas I had when I was around eight. Kids are so imaginative. I know half the stuff I came up with as a child is far better due to my outside-the-box approach to thinking than a lot of the stuff I come up with now. I think children are brilliant storytellers. I spent hours in the playground in make believe worlds with my friends. We were witches and animals and princesses, anything we wanted to be.

Crazy as it sounds, I'd love to read more stuff written by young kids. I imagine they can probably capture a sort of magic and innocence that many adults can't, The mother even mentions that her child saw nothing wrong with two teenage mixed gender siblings sleeping naked together. That's the sort of childs perspective it's hard to grasp as an adult.

tlotson · May 17, 2013

Thats awesome. I do think part of our imagination is lost past a certain age; or at least we need to work a little bit to find it.

SkipDetour · May 17, 2013

There ought to be more people like you and Griffin's teacher. In helping him to get his work on paper or online and helping him to get it published you have both done a mitzvah.

Skippy

lolchemist · May 17, 2013

I think no matter how imaginative kids are, we grow ups can still kick their skinny little butts! We just need to work more to put our whimsical, creative, anything-can-happen sides on the forefront.

lolchemist · May 17, 2013

I just read the article and it's adorable! And his views of 16 year old basically being little kids who are allowed to drive isn't so far from the truth! Lol. Also loved that the gender roles were so equal. There is hope for the future!

WriterTrek · May 17, 2013

tlotson said:
Thats awesome. I do think part of our imagination is lost past a certain age; or at least we need to work a little bit to find it.

I never really lost mine. The funny thing is that I spent a lot of years assuming that everyone else also had an active imagination and just never talked about. All through college, work, etc.

I was around...26-27 when I realized that no, not everyone else still plays at "imagine" for several hours a day.

...and I have to admit, that link makes the book sound interesting enough that I'm genuinely curious to read it.

bearilou · May 18, 2013

WriterTrek said:
I never really lost mine. The funny thing is that I spent a lot of years assuming that everyone else also had an active imagination and just never talked about. All through college, work, etc.

I was around...26-27 when I realized that no, not everyone else still plays at "imagine" for several hours a day.

You and me!

I was flummoxed when I realized this and wondered how they managed to get along for so long without engaging it more often. Diff'rnt strokes, I guess, but I can't conceive of not having full imagination engagement at all times.

Fresie · May 18, 2013

Kids are imaginative? You can say that! The only book idea I had when I was eight years old was for an erotic novel :censored

so it's a good job there was no Internet!!!

Animad345 · May 18, 2013

Fresie said:
Kids are imaginative? You can say that! The only book idea I had when I was eight years old was for an erotic novel so it's a good job there was no Internet!!!

Edit: Great story, this! It's true, wild imaginations are far more prevalent in the young. But, you know, I expected something completely different after reading the thread title... hmm.

flapperphilosopher · May 18, 2013

I'm very impressed she put so much time into working through editing with him, rather than just deciding to go straight to publishing. That's probably the best thing she could have done! Very nice story.

(though I'll admit to being glad too self-publishing wasn't an option for the novel I wrote at 11... I really kinda wouldn't want it to be The First Novel of my career...)

Susan Coffin · May 18, 2013

I think this is the coolest young writer story yet. His mother is taking the time to teach him about all the responsibility that goes with writing a book, plus she is supporting him in his adventure. She takes his writing seriously, therefore he will too.

Reziac · May 18, 2013

Animad345 said:
It's true, wild imaginations are far more prevalent in the young.

I conclude that writers never grow up. :tongue

FOTSGreg · May 18, 2013

Reziac said:
I conclude that writers never grow up.

I realized that I never really grew up awhile ago. It's funny walking around in a 50+ year old body, working, making money, doing all kinds of adult stuff, and feeling like you're 15.

Actually, it's kind of fun too.

sitalakshmi · May 18, 2013

The unhindered imagination is a beautiful part of childhood. Haven't we all gaped in wonder at the way little kids could find meanings in the seemingly meaningless pencil scribbles?

Sonsofthepharaohs · May 19, 2013

Reziac said:
I conclude that writers never grow up.

Or historical reenactors! There's a much-quoted joke in reenacting circles:

Little kid: Mummy, when I grow up I want to be a reenactor!
Mother: Don't be silly, dear. You can't do both...

Must be doubly true for those of us who are writers AND reenactors!

*Goes off to play with shiny armour*

Animad345 · May 19, 2013

This discussion just serves to remind me why I love AW.

Teinz · May 20, 2013

FOTSGreg said:
I realized that I never really grew up awhile ago. It's funny walking around in a 50+ year old body, working, making money, doing all kinds of adult stuff, and feeling like you're 15.

Actually, it's kind of fun too.

+1

KidCassandra · May 20, 2013

My brother wrote a very serviceable Magic Tree House fanfiction when he was in kindergarten.

He's twelve now and writes more often and more passionately than I do. I envy him. Though not his punctuation skills.

RachaelLaWriter · May 23, 2013

Everything about that article was awesome: the kid, his mom, his teacher, his classmates. I loved that she helped him through the entire process, got the rest of his class involved, and looked up the proper way to give credit and royalties to anyone else who was involved. I also love that most of the proceeds are going to support what seems like a wonderful school.

so easy an 8 year old can do it

tko

just thanks fore everything

KateJJ

coffee and pistols at dawn

ellio

a hardback life on an ebook budget

tlotson

SkipDetour

lolchemist

Shooting stars.

lolchemist

Shooting stars.

WriterTrek

bearilou

DenturePunk writer

Fresie

She Who Runs The Waves

Animad345

flapperphilosopher

Susan Coffin

Tell it like it Is

Reziac

Resident Alien

FOTSGreg

Today is your last day.

sitalakshmi

a mystery fan

Sonsofthepharaohs

Still writing the ancient Egyptian tetralogy

Animad345

Teinz

Back at it again.

KidCassandra

learning how to BIC

RachaelLaWriter

Readin' & Writin'