The Teenage Writer : A Guide to Writing for School and Creativity

An accessible guide to help teenagers improve all aspects of their writing skills, from preparing a research paper to creating works of fiction

Writing well is a worthwhile skill for anyone to master, but it is especially important for teenagers. To be successful, young adults must write for school, college, and employment; and sometimes, young adults write to be creative or to express themselves. Despite this, most teens don’t know how to write well, and this can be a source of great frustration and stress.

In The Teenage Writer: A Guide to Writing for School and Creativity, Dr. Timothy Horan presents a remedy for this deficiency. He starts from a belief that all teens are writers at heart—whether they are writing for fun or for school—and can develop their skills and writing potential through proper instruction and practice. Written with a light touch, Horan uses experience, compassion, and humor to make all aspects of writing transparent and understandable. In this book, for example, he provides readers with the following advice:

• The best writing is clear and simple
• Always start with an outline
• Analyze things in terms of threes
• Write the way you talk
• Believe in yourself and in your ideas

From writing an outline, to a paragraph, to a research paper, Horan explains all steps of writing in an accessible, enjoyable manner that takes the anxiety out of the process. An invaluable guide for young writers of all levels and abilities, this book will also be useful for parents, teachers, and all who want to understand the art of writing well.