9-Step Homeschool Creative Writing Guide + Self-Publishing

Your kid doesn’t need to have signs of being a writing prodigy in order for you to put homeschool creative writing on the list. It’s actually more important if you child doesn’t show an interest in writing, for many reasons listed below.

But the process isn’t as simple as putting a writing prompt on the board and telling them to get to work.

To make creative writing valuable in homeschooling, there’s a certain process it’s wise to follow.

We’ll get into all of the steps for homeschool creative writing, in addition to self-publishing that work:

1. Why creative writing?
2. 9 Step process
   • Creative writing curriculum
   • Publishing goal
   • Fiction VS Nonfiction
   • Choosing an idea
   • Writing the draft
   • Revising the draft
   • Prep for self-publishing
   • Promotional materials
   • Celebrate and reflect

Why creative writing?

Creative writing is often overlooked and undervalued. Instructional writing (like essays) often takes its place. But you can’t dismiss homeschool creative writing specifically. Even if you’re not “creative” yourself (a lie, but that’s a topic for another article), you can still teach it to your child with the right guide.

But why would you want to in the first place? Well…

Teaching creative writing is teaching creative thinking.

When a child has to be mindful of what they write, how they write it, and why they’re writing it, their mind is at work in understanding how they themselves think. This is necessary for raising kids who think critically, independently, and don’t just go with the status quo.

Which leads to overall higher levels of happiness and well-being because they’re living life according to their own wishes.

That isn’t even to touch on the fact that in this world, being able to communicate ideas in a clear, creative manner is become more and more valued (think about social media, internal communication at any job, etc.).

There’s even more to the benefits of homeschool creative writing, like:

• Encouraging self expression
• Boosting imagination and creativity
• Improving writing and communication skills
• Enhancing critical thinking, as I mentioned
• Developing emotional intelligence
• Building confidence
• Supporting a type of creativity
• Providing flexibility in learning (instead of an essay on a historical figure, your child can write a fictional story about them)
• Perseverance and discipline
• Future opportunities (better college essay, cover letters, resumes, etc.)

It’s clearly beneficial to teach the craft of creative writing to your homeschooled child, but how do you go about it and what’s the best step forward?

The process of homeschool creative writing and self-publishing

You don’t have to stop at just creative writing. There’s a lot of value in taking it a step further and continuing the process by self-publishing your child’s homeschool creative writing work.

1. Creative writing curriculum

A good starting point for any homeschool creative writing journey is to build a structured curriculum so you’re not just making guesswork out of a very real strategy and art. Focus on a range of writing styles, such as poetry, short stories, and essays, to give your child a diverse foundation and understand where their interests lie. Include lessons on story elements (plot, character, setting, conflict, resolution), literary devices (similes, metaphors, personification), and the differences between genres. Encourage daily journaling and free writing to foster creativity.

Once you’ve gone over the various types of creative writing, either make your own judgement or ask your child which they liked the most. If they loved writing fiction stories, start to put together a curriculum to explore the various aspects of story.

This can look like creating writing prompts around:

• Specific character types
• Dialogue
• Plot, where they get to make up the rest
• Creating specific constraints for their story (word count, character count, must take place in a single setting, has to use a certain three words)

You can do this with various other types as well. And don’t forget to read books together that highlight each of what they’ll be writing themselves. For example, choose a character-driven book to read together before assigning a character-driven story prompt.

A flexible curriculum allows room for exploration, experimentation, and revision, giving homeschoolers the opportunity to develop their voice while learning at their own pace.

2. Setting the publishing goal

Once your child has a solid foundation in creative writing, it’s time to set a publishing goal. Obviously publishing doesn’t need to be the goal for homeschool creative writing, but using it as a capstone project of sorts is a great way to for them to take it seriously, and be excited about it.

Is the goal to publish a collection of short stories, a novel, or a nonfiction book? Having a specific target helps clarify the project’s scope and timeline. They can also choose to pick a story after the semester (or a set amount of time) depending on which they like most. Discuss with your child what they want to achieve, whether it’s simply seeing their work in print or selling copies to a wider audience. You can definitely take a short story they’ve written and turn it into a children’s book too.

A defined goal not only adds motivation but also makes the process more manageable by breaking it down into smaller tasks.

TIP: also consider creating a goal for what they want to make from book sales, and what they’d like to do with those proceeds. They can save them, spend them, or even donate them to a charity of their choice. The lesson in this choice alone can prove beneficial to how they view goal setting and income.

A great example of this is Emma Sumner, who published her story when she was 9 years old. The proceeds went to a charity of her choosing, and still does. Click to watch her feature on her local news station.

3. Fiction VS Nonfiction

One of the most important early decisions when it comes to homeschool creative writing is whether to pursue fiction or nonfiction. Fiction allows for more creative freedom, giving homeschoolers the chance to develop unique worlds, characters, and plots. Nonfiction, on the other hand, teaches research skills and the ability to present information clearly and accurately.

Discuss the strengths and interests of your homeschooler. Do they prefer to craft stories from their imagination, or do they enjoy researching and writing about real-world topics?

Ultimately, it makes sense to eventually cover both types in the homeschool creative writing curriculum, but starting with the one they’re more excited about will prove useful for engagement and perseverance.

4. Choosing an idea

As mentioned above, you can cover a wide range of topics as general assignments, but at some point, your homeschooled child should get to choose what they write about. This could be the very topic that gets turned into a published work.

Choosing the right idea can set the tone for the entire writing project. That’s why having them choose what to write after learning the basics is so important. Encourage brainstorming sessions where your homeschooler writes down as many ideas as possible without judgment. From there, help them choose one that excites them the most.

If they’re unsure, you can guide them with questions like:

• What’s a topic or story you feel passionate about?
• Is there a specific genre or theme you want to explore?
• What do you want readers to take away from your writing?
• Which one have you been thinking about the most?

This step is crucial for sparking creativity and commitment to the project, and it can also give you, as their parent, important information about what they’re thinking about and going through. Like with Cooper, a student who worked with Unfound Adventures on a creative story idea.

Without even realizing it, Cooper “made it like my life accidentally.” He didn’t know that his creativity was coming from a piece of his inner world and experience.

This type of insight comes from homeschool creative writing when the child is allowed to take lead at times. Here, Cooper got to choose all of the details of his Calling, including what it looked like, its abilities, and any other detail.

5. Writing the draft

This is more of the easy and exciting part, depending on what they’re writing. Older kids who are writing longer pieces of work might have to do it in a few sessions, but younger kids can likely finish a draft in one sitting.

Make sure to emphasize that the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect—it’s more important to get ideas down on paper. Encourage your homeschooler to set daily or weekly word count goals to stay on track. You might also consider using writing prompts, outlining techniques, or storyboards to help organize ideas prior to writing. Outlining a book can be a huge help if it’s a longer piece of work, plus it’ll give your child methods of setting goals.

A relaxed and positive environment helps make the drafting process less intimidating, especially for first-time writers. Teach your kid about focused work in order to achieve and objective. Not all homeschool creative writing projects will be easy, and learning how to accomplish work even if it’s not simple is a valuable life skill.

6. Revising the draft

Revision is where the magic happens, even in homeschool creative writing (especially here). Teach your homeschooler the importance of stepping away from their draft for a few days before revisiting it with fresh eyes. It’s important for anyone to know that when they’re too close to their own work, leaving to do something completely unrelated can be a huge help overall.

Once they return, they should be encouraged to look for plot holes, unclear sections, or areas where their writing could be more vivid or concise. Have then read their work out loud to themselves, and make notes on the areas they want to improve.

This stage is also a great opportunity for collaboration. You can act as an editor, giving constructive feedback, or you could even form a peer review group with other homeschoolers who are also writing. Keep in mind that a very important piece of any type of writing is knowing when to leave good enough alone. There will always be ways to improve.

If your child is showing any signs of being a perfectionist, then writing projects can really help heal them of that need by forcing something to be done.

7. Prep for self-publishing

With the draft revised, it’s time to prepare for the self-publishing part of homeschool creative writing. Not required, but can serve as an added bonus to the curriculum.

You’ll want to research platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), IngramSpark, or even local printing options if you prefer physical copies. Homeschoolers can learn valuable lessons in formatting, cover design, and understanding the logistics of the publishing process.

Some other details you’ll want to figure out prior to publishing:

• whether or not you’ll need illustration services
• cover design
• interior book formatting
• launch team creation

This step is all about teaching project management and attention to detail, as the goal is to create a professional-looking final product. Let them take the lead when it comes to how they want it to look and feel. Even if it’s not what you would’ve chosen, the agency and learning opportunity is too important.

8. Promotional materials

Self-publishing is only the beginning—now your homeschooler will need to promote their book. Teach them how to create promotional materials like a book cover, author bio, and a blurb that hooks readers. You might also explore the basics of social media marketing, creating a simple website or blog, and reaching out to local bookstores, libraries, or online communities to spread the word.

Here are a few more promotional materials you can think about creating:

• Author bio: Brief, engaging bio of the student author.
• Book blurb: A concise, intriguing summary for the back cover or online listings.
• Social media posts: Share updates, excerpts, and behind-the-scenes content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Press release: Announce the book’s publication to local media, homeschool groups, and online communities.
• Book trailer video: A short video introducing the book’s premise and key highlights.
• Email newsletter: Notify friends, family, and supporters about the release.
• Bookmarks & flyers: Hand out at local events, libraries, and homeschool meetups.
• Book reading & signing at a local library: See what you’d need in order for the library to host this event.

Marketing and promotion provide real-world business experience, making the self-publishing journey even more rewarding.

9. Celebrate and reflect

Finally, celebrate the success of your homeschool creative writing project! Both for yourself and your child. Whether they’ve published a short story, novel, or nonfiction piece, this is a significant accomplishment. Host a book launch party, offer signed copies to family and friends, or simply reflect on the lessons learned throughout the process.

Make sure to ask them if it’s something they’d want to do again! The publishing aspect doesn’t have to remain a homeschool creative writing initiative. It can also be a fun hobby your child loves that later turn into a lucrative career in which they’re making a full time income.

But most of all, encourage your child to take pride in their work while also thinking about what they might do differently next time they have a homeschool creative writing project. This reflection will help them grow as both writers and self-publishers.

Focusing on a homeschool creative writing project can set your child up for a lot in life. If nothing else, they’ll gain the appropriate skills in effective communication of their thoughts, and an interesting anecdote to have on resumes or college applications.