Feb. 1, 2026: A Place to Write

“Oh man,” one of my student writers groans.  I had just told them that our Writing Club meeting the following week was going to be cancelled.  “But this is the best place to write for me.”

For the last 4 years, I have run an after-school Writing Club at my Elementary School.  Open to 4^th and 5^th grade students, we meet once a week for 90 minutes and write.

I typically start our meeting with some sort of Invitation to Write, and maybe a brief mini lesson on something. But the bulk of the time is just spent writing. They work on whatever type of writing they want.

Some are working on pieces for specific writing contests, which means they are writing to a prompt, have a deadline, and have guidelines like word count to consider.  Some are working on articles for our online Newsletter. Some are working on poetry or stories of all kinds of genres.

During our club time my classroom has a quiet energy to it. Some students are sharing work with each other and getting feedback, some have moved themselves into a corner and are feverishly writing, and others are seeking out my guidance for some grammar dilemma or story line issue.

While we have discussed the fact that they must be writing at other times during the week, not just our club time, most of them seem to rely on that time as their main writing time.

It is easy to see why so many of the students feel they have more productive writing time here than anywhere else.

-       Distractions are minimized.  At home they may be distracted by tv, siblings playing video games, or any other number of temptations.  Here, only writing is happening.

-       They have the support of fellow writers when they hit those inevitable obstacles.  At home or at other times, they are likely writing alone, so they do not have that immediate, easily accessible, support.

-       The time here is dedicated to writing and nothing else. Even if they have homework to do, that stays in their backpack. This is nonnegotiable, writing time.  Other responsibilities take a back seat when they are here.

1I think most writers of all ages and talents seek out a time and space like our Writing Club. That may explain why “Writing Groups” are so popular among adult writers. A place free of distractions, for a set amount of time in which we can write, with the support of our fellow writers nearby.

Wishing all my fellow writers that safe, dedicated writing time and space.