Reject a Hit: A Fun Writing Activity

As a writer, I look forward to reading every new issue of Writer's Digest that comes out. I eagerly study the pages in the hopes of improving my craft. Writing has always been like breathing to me and I can't remember a time when I wasn't putting words on paper, but one can always improve, and of course, one can always use some inspiration and encouragement.

One of the great ironies of life is that my children really struggle with writing. While we have made some progress the past couple years, we have a long way to go. Therefore, I am always searching for activities for them to work on that will help them enjoy writing, thereby making the process a little less painful. One of the articles that they always enjoy reading from Writer's Digest is "Reject a Hit." In that column, someone gets to pretend that they are the publisher rejecting a "hit" - a well-known book that went on to become very popular. You can read an example here - a rejection of The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess.

So, this week, my children are working on rejecting a hit. Isaac is rejecting "Moby Dick" - a book he has spent most of this year trying to make his way through. As he says, he is on Chapter 93 of this book and he has yet to meet "Moby Dick" - what was Melville thinking? David is rejecting "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows" - a book he actually enjoyed very much.

They are having a bit of fun with the project and it makes a creative alternative to a book report. If you are searching for a new writing project for your students, this might be a fun one to try.