While a lot of us may have been focused on celebrating Father’s Day recently, there’s actually another day in June that might interest you. It’s National Writing Day on the 23rd of June, a day that highlights the joy of creative writing. So grab your pens and pencils, laptops and typewriters, grab some crayons and chalk if you have to, but get ready to tell your story.
National Writing Day is an occasion that takes place every year to celebrate creative writing. It inspires people of all ages to express themselves through the written word. Research has found that children who enjoy writing creatively have better mental wellbeing compared to those who don’t. So, this is a great opportunity to spark a love for writing and help keep children happy. It’s not just children who benefit, anyone can give writing a go and find that is the perfect way for them to express themselves.
This annual celebration is spearheaded by the charity First Story and a coalition of publishers and literary organisations. The purpose of First Story is to give students in non-selective secondary schools and low-income communities quality creative writing opportunities.
You don’t have to be a great writer to take part in National Writing Day, in fact it’s kind of the opposite. The whole point is to take a break from work or studying and allow yourself to write freely and without judgement. Creative Writing is all about the freedom of expression after all. You could write something just to tear it up or throw it away afterwards. You could even burn it if that helps (following all the appropriate safety precautions of course!)
Creative Writing Prompts
In the spirit of National Writing Day, here are a couple of creative writing prompts you can try out:
- Look around you. Find something that begins with the first letter of your name (or surname) and write a piece/poem inspired by it.
- You have 10 seconds to look at this picture. When the time is up start writing a piece/poem inspired by it, you only have 1 hour, including editing time!
Good luck with your creative writing endeavours!
