Writers at Play: Making the Space for Adolescents to Balance Imagination and Craft

Writers at Play is a very important book a must read for everyone who teaches writing.
Judith Langer
Rather than a frill at the margins of the curriculum, Mary Adler argues forcefully that fiction writing can lie at the core of developing both language skills and depth of understanding.
Arthur Applebee

Creativity doesn t have to be sacrificed; it can be embraced. In the era of high stakes tests, Mary Adler reminds us that writing should be enjoyable.
Douglas Fisher

The balance between structure and freedom is new to many writing teachers and students, explains Mary Adler. But fiction appeals to students battered by the rules of writing and test preparation students who have never experienced the freedom side of the equation. With Writers at Play you ll give adolescents stifled by curricular mandates a way into writing that develops their maturity, richness of language, and craft.

In Writers at Play Mary combines her own fresh ideas with current research and important thinking on the role of play and shows you how to strike the balance between prompts and improvisation by:
developing writing exercises that build fiction technique and encourage imaginative play
promoting growth in craft with revision strategies and peer feedback
creating space for unprompted writing so adolescents can find their own material and shape it for an audience
designing creative writing curricula that supports students writing and social development.

For students, creating fiction can be a highly motivating process that yields high-quality student writing. The key, writes Mary Adler, is finding ways to allow the adventure while guiding the direction. Use Writers at Play and find a way to help even hard-to-reach students discover a passion for writing and improve the quality of their written work.