This is a strong interview by Kate Messner for her book, Writing is Magic, or is it? Her message is simple and direct: writing is about revising. She talks about when she was a child thinking she could never write as well as her favorite authors, like Judy Blume. Then, she learned that it isn’t what you first put down on paper but rather what you end up with – and that she could!
Young writers cannot hear the message too often! I’d play this video at least once ever couple months in your classroom.
• Writing is about revising!
• A work is done when you find yourself going in circles over minor corrections.
Kate Messner’s Wake up Missing has been reviewed in Stone Soup Magazine.
Internet links for Kate Messner
Books by Kate Messner
- Hide and Seek
- All the Answers
- The Seventh Wish
- Rescue on the Oregon Trail (Ranger in Time #1)
- Capture the Flag