ABSTRACT

Writing is thinking. Few writers (beginners or professionals) actually start their text from a blank page without some kind of planning. The planning facilitates the writing and helps to keep it on track. Redrafting is also essential if the finished product is to be fit for its intended audience. At text level, the first draft rarely communicates what any writer intends – most writers have to work at writing as a craft. It is hard slog! Of course, we don’t want children to perceive writing as a hard slog, but we do want them to take a pride in their achievements and to appreciate the importance of redrafting when it matters. Having gone through the complexities of writing fiction and non-fiction, we can also understand why some children struggle to write anything at all.