AclassroomworkbookcompaniontoLouisaLearnstoWrite:LouisaMayAlcottCreates‘LittleWomen’ byKateHannigan,illustratedbySofiaMoore(CalkinsCreek/AstraBooksforYoungReaders;January2026)
Ten Habits for Becoming a Writer
SinceLittleWomenwaspublishedover150yearsago,LouisaMayAlcott’sbelovednovelhasnever goneoutofprint.ButLouisadidn’talwaysmeetwithsuccess.Shestruggledforyearstolearnhowto writewell.WhatfollowsaretenhabitswriterslikeLouisadevelopedonthewaytobecomingauthors, aswellas“writingsprints”tohelpbuildwritingmuscles!
1.Read: Pick up a book and get lost in a story.
Whenweread,webuildnewconnectionsinourbrains!Thesepathwayshelpuslearninformation anddecodelanguage Readingnotonlymakesussmart,itbuildsouremotionalintelligencetoo!
Thinkofafavoritebookyou’veread.Howdidthestorymakeyoufeel?Namethebookand describewhatmovedyou totears,laughter,frustration,orevenrelief.
Howdidtheauthorstiryouremotions?Throughdialogue?Figurativelanguage?
Nowthinkaboutasecondfavoritebookyou’veread,andlet’scomparethetwousingaVenn diagram.ListtraitsofthemaincharacterinBook1andtraitsofthemaincharacterinBook2.Inthe middle,listthetraitstheyshareandhowtheyarealike.
Main Character 1 Main Character 2 Alike
Shareafewreasonswhyyoulikeonebookmorethantheotherbook.
Whydidtheauthorswritetheirbook?Whowastheirintendedaudience?
2.Write: The more we put pencil to paper, the easier writing becomes.
Aswithanythingwe’relearning,repetitionisimportant.Whetherwe’reunderstandinghowtoplaythe guitar,bakeacake,orsinkaballintoanet,wehavetodevotetimetoourtask Andthatgoesfor writingtoo!Themorewewrite,theeasieritbecomes
WritingSprint!
Embarrassmentisapowerfulemotion—sopowerfulthatsometimeswerememberan embarrassingmomentourentirelives!Thinkaboutatimewhenyouwereembarrassed.Nowset thestageforus,describingthedetailsthatleduptothemoment.Whatthoughtsracedthrough yourmind?Whatsoundsplayedinyourears?Whatwasyourexpectationbeforethemoment? Whathappenedasitallplayedout?Giveusdetails,butkeeptheactionmoving!
Laughterdemonstratesanotherpowerfulemotion,andoftenitcomesaboutbecauseofa surprise Thinkaboutatimewhenyoufeltjoyfulandlaugheddeeply,fromyourbelly Whatmade thismomentdifferentfromanordinaryday?Whatwereyouoriginallyexpecting,andwhat actuallyhappened?Wereyoualoneordidyoushareitwithsomeone?
Everyonefeelssadnessnowandthen.Sometimesit’sbecauseofsomethingthathappens directlytous,othertimesit’sbecauseofsomethingthat’shappeningtosomeonewecare about.Thinkaboutatimewhenyouwantedtocry.Wereyouwitnessinganinjustice?Wereyou missingsomethingwithyourwholeheart?Nowdescribewhatyoureyesweredoing,yourbottom lip,yournose,yourhands.Wasyourchesttight?Whataboutyourthroat?Wasiteasytospeakor difficult?
3.Observe: Use all five senses to notice details both large and small.
Abigchallengeofwritingisshowingwhat’shappeningratherthantelling.Soauthorstrytoimaginea sceneintheirmindsandbeginmakingobservationsaboutit,thewayadetectivewould.Whenwe useourfivesenses seeing,smelling,tasting,hearing,feeling wecanmakeinteresting observationsthat addpizzazztoourwriting.
Forexample,insteadofsimplystating“Hewashot,”wecanobservehowourfeetfeelwhenwecross a100-degreeparkinglotonasummerdayandbringthattoourwriting:“Theheatrosethroughthe solesofhissneakers,andhistoesbegantosweatinhissocks.Witheverystep,hisfeetweighed heavier,andtheblacktarseemedtobubblelike lava.”
WritingSprint!Useyoursensesforthesequickwritingexercises:
Imagineastraydogarrivesatschool,andyouareinchargeoftakingcareofitthe wholeday.Asitsitsinclassatyourfeet,younoticeitstaringupatyouwithadoring eyes Yougazeback,filledwithadoringtoo
Seeing:
Writeaboutwhatyousee.Itseyes?Ears?Coat?Whenitwagsitstail,whatdoesit lookliketoyou?Awindshieldwiper?Adrum?
Butwait,younoticesomethingelse movingonthedog’shead.Isitabug?No,notjustabug.It’s adozenbugs.Thisdogiscoveredinticks!Writeaboutthemoment.
Smelling: Imaginewalkingintoyourhomewhencookiesarebakingintheoven.The aromaissodelicious,yourfeetliftoffthefloorandyoubegintofloat towardthekitchen.Describethewaythewonderfulsmellpullsyouthrough yourhome.
Tasting: Yousitdownwithapileofwarmfrenchfries,diponeinthenearbysauce,and popitintoyourmouth.Uh-oh!Thatwasn’tketchup!Itwashotsauce,and nowyourmouthfeelslikeit’sonfire.Describewhat’shappeningonyour tongue?Inyourhead?
Hearing: Sitasstillasyoucanandlettheworldsettlearoundyou.Whatdoyouhear? Isabirdchirpinginatreenearby?Isitsingingtoitspartner?Tothebaby birdsinitsnest?Describethesounds.Doyoueverhearfamilymembers singingathome?Describethat!
Feeling:
Ateacherintroducesyoutoashynewstudent,andthetwoofyoushake hands.Inthatmoment,youfeeltheroughcallusesonhispalm.Forbeingso young,hehasthehandsofagrownup.Describewhatthecallusesfeellike andatimewhenyouworkedsohardthatyoudevelopedroughhandstoo.
4.Play: World-building is a form of storytelling.
We’vebeenstorytellersourwholelives.Wheneverweplayanduseourimagination,wearecreating thestructureofastory.It’sjustaliveinourmindsinsteadofonthepage.Allwehavetodoissitdown withapencilandpaper,andwriteitdownforotherstoenjoy.
WritingSprint!
Drawtwoactionfiguresandnamethem.
Name1:
Name2:
Nextdrawwhat’saroundthem.Aretheyamongtreesinnature?Standingbesidealong-agocastle? Insideacurrent-dayhouse?
Setting:
Nowthinkaboutwhatoneofthem(theprotagonist)wantsmorethananythingelse.Maketheother (theantagonist)standinthewayofthatgoal.
Hey!Lookwhatyou’vedone!You’vesetuptheelementsofastory:
Protagonist: Setting: Antagonist: Conflict:
Onceyou’redonedrawingeverything,getreadytowritedownthedetails Imagine youareexplainingitalltoayoungercousinwhoneedsabedtimestory.Writeone sentenceatatimeandchoosevividlanguage.Andmakesuretokeepitinteresting beforeyourlittlecousinclimbsoutofbed!
5.Explore: Discover different kinds of books and ideas.
Standinthecenterofyourfavoritelibrary.First,walktothesectionwhereyoutypicallyfindthebooks youlove(graphicnovels?).Chooseonebookofftheshelf.Nowwalkaway!
Second,headovertoadifferentsectionwhereyoudon’ttypicallyvisit(historicalfiction?).Inthis libraryarea,chooseanotherbookofftheshelf Withtwobooksinyourhands,nowventuretoathird section(picturebookbiographies?).Selectabookfromthisarea.
WritingSprint!
Holdingyourthreebooksfromthreesections,readthefirsttenpagesofeachone.Openbook,open mind!Thenwritedownsomethingyoulikeaboutthestory,thewriting,andthecharacters.
Book1:
Book2:
Book3:
Onceyou’vefinishedallthreebooks,takeafewminutestowriteaquicksummaryofeach
“Someone,Wanted,But,So,Then”exercise.
Book1
Someone: Wanted: But: So: Then: Book2
Someone: Wanted: But: So: Then: Book3
Someone: Wanted: _______________________________________ But: So: Then:
Host a Book Auction!
Withyourteacher’spermission,hostabookauction,whereyoutrytopersuadeyourclassmatesto “buy”yourbooks.Sharewhatyoulikedabouteachone,andreallysell‘em.Thensnatchupanewtitle thatyourclassmatesrecommend!
6.Dream: Quiet time frees our imagination.
Slowdownletyourthoughtswander.Sometimesthebestwritingideascomewhenwe’rerelaxedand simplylookingoutthewindowonacarride.Likebillowyclouds,storiescandriftinandtakeshapein ourmind.
WritingSprint!
Usethisthree-panelgridtocreateagraphicnovel.InPanel1,drawthemaincharacterfromabook youlike InPanel2,drawyourself Whatwouldyousaytothemaincharacter?Howwouldthemain characterrespondtoyou?Thinkabouthowyoumightdress,talk,eat,feelifyouwereinthestory together.InPanel3,youbotharesuddenlysurprisedtohearaGROWLoffpanel!Showhowthetwoof youreact.Keepaddingpanelstotellthestory.
7.Fail: Don’t be afraid to see what works—and what does not.
Witheveryattempt,wegainknowledge.Thingsmightnotturnoutthewaywewanted,andmaybe westarttothinkwe’rejustnotanygood.Buteverybodyfeelsthatwayonceinawhile.Andfailingisa partofthegame.Wedon’tsweatit justturnthepage(metaphor!)andtryagain.
WritingSprint!
Let’sworkondialogue.Firstoff,ummmm...whatisit?Dialogueistheconversationbetweentwo characters It'snotjustwallpaperinascene!Itshouldadddepth,revealingthecharacters'feelings, cluestotheplot,andevenlayerstothesetting.Whenwritingdialogue,remember:
Newspeaker,newline
Quotationmarkscontainthespokenwords "Likethis!"
PunctuatethespokenwordsINSIDEthequotationmarks."Likethis,"saidI.
NowwritethissceneofdialoguebetweenyouandAuntBertha:
Ashoesitsonthefloornearyourfrontdoor.It’scompletelydestroyed,theleatherchewedtobits,and youknowwhodidit:theadorablebunnyrabbityoufoundyesterdayandarecurrentlyhidingunder yourbed. AuntBerthaownsthatshoe,andnowit’sruined!Shewantstogettothebottomofthings, butyoudon’twanttoadmityourrabbit’sguiltandriskBunnygettingkickedout.
YOU: “Shoe?Whatshoe?”Iasked.
BERTHA(Usedescriptivelanguageabouttheshoe): “
”Berthasaid.“ ________________________________ !”
YOU(Usewordsthatrevealyouremotions):“ ,”Ibegan “
BERTHA(Useasimiletodescribetheshoe’scondition):“
”shoutedBertha.
YOU(Useametaphortodescribehowtheshoesmells):“ ,”Itoldher
BERTHA(Usewordsthatrevealthesetting):“ ,”Berthasaid. “ . ”
YOU(Usewordsthatrevealaplottwist):“__________________,”Ireplied.“____
Readyourdialogueoutloudwithaclassmate Howcanyouimproveit?Markupyourworkandwrite noteswhereitcouldbestrongerandthelanguagecouldbemoreinteresting.Drawalinethrough wordsthatarerepetitiveorunnecessary.Keeprevisingthescenetomakethewordssnappierand thetensionclearer.Asyoumakeyourchanges,don’tlosehope!Instead,findwhatworks!
Don’tsweatthatit’snotallperfect.We’relearning,right?Nowthatwecanseewhatworksandwhat doesn’t,writethesceneagain Onlythistimemakeitbetterthanever!
YOU: “ ,”Ibegan
BERTHA(Usedescriptivelanguageabouttheshoe): “
,”Berthasaid.“ !”
YOU(Usewordsthatrevealyouremotions):“ ,”Isaid.“
BERTHA(Useasimiletodescribetheshoe’scondition):“ ,”shoutedBertha.“
YOU(Useametaphortodescribehowtheshoesmells):“ ,”Itoldher
BERTHA(Usewordsthatrevealthesetting):“__________________,”Berthasaid.
YOU(Usewordsthatrevealaplottwist):“ ,”Ireplied “
8.Experiment: Try different styles of writing.
Maybeyou’rethekindofpersonwholikeslongsentencesthatflowlikeakiteinthewind,dippingand swooping,thensoaringmajesticallyinanexcitingburst.Ormaybenot.
WritingSprint!
Imagineyourfavoritedessertsitsinfrontofyou Writethreewordsdescribinghowitlooks
Writethreewordsdescribinghowittastes.
Nowwritethreesimiles(comparisonsusingtheword“like”;“Isleptlikearock”)abouthowyoufeel whenyoueatthisdessert.
Thenstartagainandwriteadescriptivepassagethatcreatesacolorfulpictureinwords,usingshort sentencesthataretight,powerful,anddirect.
Writeagainforathirdtime.Stringthosedescriptionstogetherasapersuasiveargumentforyour classmatestovoteyourdessertastheworld’sgreatest.
9.Persevere: Keep at it, even when things get tough.
Themorewewrite,theeasiertheactofwritingbecomes.Likeababylearningtowalk wedidn’tjust sitdownandquitwhenouritty-bittyselvestriedtogetacrossaroom.Wetoddled,wetripped,and wetriedagain!Andagainandagain.
WritingSprint!
Thinkaboutatimewhenyouwerereallytested.Whenthingsfeltbleak,butyoudidn’tgiveup.Now describeit Layerinthingsthatplaytooursenseofseeing,smelling,tasting,hearing,andfeeling Add languagethatfocusesonasingleemotion,likejoy,sadness,orembarrassment.Trydifferentwriting styleslikepunchysentences,zippydialogue,orcolorfuldescriptivelanguage.Showhowyou perseveredandkeptatit!
Writesomemore Andsomemore Andsomemore Andrememberthatwhenitcomestothestory ofyourlife,youholdthepencil.
My Thoughts, My Words,
My Story
Written by
10.Dare: Find the courage to reach a little bit higher.
Onceyougetyourstoryoutofyourhead,downyourarm,throughyourpencil, andontothepaper,takeamomenttoenjoyit.Andcelebratethatthethoughts ping-pongingthroughyouronebeautifulbrainarenowonapageandinthe world.Waytogo!
Therearelotsofwaystoshareyourwriting.Withyourteacherorlibrarianor evenwithyourcleverclassmates,youcan:
Builda“WritingWall”inyourschoollibrarytoshowcasestudentwork
Createanonlinewritersclubwherestudentsreadtheirwritingaloud
Publishyourstoriesinyourclassroom,creatingbookcoversandbinding pagestogether;displaythemona“ClassroomAuthors”bookshelffor studentstocheckinandout
Keepchallengingyourselftoreadmore,writemore,andreachhigher
