About This Writing Journal

This journal was inspired by my own kids—especially one of mine who has an amazing imagination and loves to tell stories. The problem? When it came time to actually write those stories down, all that excitement disappeared.

I realized we needed a different approach—one that made writing feel fun, flexible, and low-pressure. A way to show kids that there isn’t just one “right” way to get thoughts on paper.

Inside, you’ll find tons of options:

• Different covers so they can make it their own.
• Multiple page formats to match their mood or energy level.
• A mix of writing styles—book reviews, persuasive writing (hello, “why I need more _____!” essays), science writing, comics, and open-ended prompts to let their imagination soar.

This journal is designed with PDA and neurodivergent kids in mind—but really, it works for any child who thrives with choice and flexibility.

Here’s how you can use it:

• For kids who get overwhelmed: Choose just one page type to start.
• For kids who love variety: Print a few different formats and let them explore.
• For kids who crave autonomy: Hand over the options and let them pick what feels right.

Our goal isn’t to stress about what we’re writing—it’s to simply practice how to express our ideas. Whether it’s a silly story, a deep dive into a special interest, or a passionate plea for a later bedtime, it all counts as meaningful practice.

We’re an “unschool-ish” family, so this journal reflects that vibe—relaxed, flexible, and focused on connection over perfection. I hope this journal brings some joy and excitement to writing time in your home. I can’t wait to hear how your kids make it their own!

What You Get:

This file contains a comprehensive Writing Journal designed to provide a flexible and encouraging space for individuals, particularly children, to explore and develop their writing skills. It is specifically created to be a "no-rules," "one-size-fits-all" alternative to traditional, step-by-step writing methods that can feel frustrating or overwhelming. The journal emphasizes choice, self-expression, and growth in ways that feel good to the writer. Someone using this file gets:

• A Personalized Writing Space The journal is designed to be completely the user's own, allowing them to choose what works for them, skip what doesn't, and create their own writing path. There's no requirement to start at the beginning, go in order, or complete every section. It aims to be a safe place to play with words, explore thoughts, and share what's on their mind.

• Guidance without Pressure For parents, the journal offers gentle guidance for kids to explore different forms of self-expression through writing, without pressure or rigid rules. It is particularly beneficial for children who are neurodivergent or have Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), as it offers low-demand, fun, and flexible approaches to writing. The philosophy is to meet kids where they are, helping them discover writing as a joyful tool for imagination and confidence.

• Diverse "Writing Adventures" The journal includes various types of writing activities to engage different interests:

    ◦ Book Reviews: Users can share thoughts on books they've read or listened to, with outlines to guide them in identifying the main character, problem, solution, and what they learned.

    ◦ Persuasive Writing: This section helps users convince others to see things their way. It includes a structured "Main Outline" with guidance for introductions (hook + topic sentence), body paragraphs (main ideas, supporting details), and conclusions. It also introduces "The Hamburger Method" for essay writing and explains persuasive techniques using the acronym A FOREST (Alliteration, Facts, Opinion, Rhetorical Question, Emotive Language, Statistics, Rules of Three).

    ◦ Scientific Writing: This section encourages users to teach what they know. It provides a framework for scientific writing including sections for title/question, introduction, hypothesis, materials, procedure, observations, results, and conclusion, along with sentence starters. It also outlines the Scientific Method steps: make an observation, ask a question, develop a hypothesis, test the prediction, analyze results, record results against hypothesis, and make a conclusion. An example of writing about the water cycle is provided.

    ◦ Graphic Novels / Character Collection: This allows users to turn stories into comics and bring ideas to life visually. It features a "Your Story Character Collection" activity that guides users through phases to develop a character:

        ▪ Phase 1: Grow Your Character involves picking a character, sketching them, describing their personality, adding story details, and bringing them to life.

        ▪ Phase 2: Create Your Character's World focuses on capturing the character's thoughts, feelings, behaviors, goals, desires, problem, and solution.

        ▪ Phase 3: Bring Your Character's Story to Life encourages adding physical details, accessories, and integrating story elements like the novel's title, author, character traits, problem, solution, and lessons learned.

    ◦ Creative Writing: This is an open space for writing about anything. It includes 30 creative writing invitations/prompts to spark imagination. It also features a "'Show, Don't Tell' Activity to help transform descriptions into vivid scenes using sensory imagery, dialogue, and actions/behaviors. Additionally, it outlines "The Seven Elements to Story Writing" (introduction, characters, setting, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion) with definitions and an activity to label them. Guidance on how to use dialogue in writing is also included, covering quotation marks, punctuation, and starting new paragraphs for new speakers.

• Practical Instructions for Assembly The file includes instructions on how to prepare the journal, such as choosing and printing covers, printing pages in quantities that suit the child's interests (e.g., extra graphic novel pages if they love comics), optionally laminating for durability, and binding the pages together.

• Encouragement and Resources The journal provides constant encouragement, affirming that the writer is "seen, celebrated, capable, and enough". It also includes a list of "Favorite Books" for ages 8-12 by @thewildandfreemom, which are linked to an Amazon affiliate account.

Ultimately, someone gets a flexible, encouraging tool to foster confidence, self-expression, and a genuine love for storytelling at their own pace and in their own unique way