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Our kids can't WRITE! Even students in excellent schools aren't getting it. When my junior high school daughter (let's call her Julie) came to me for help with an important paper, I made a discovery. She could write, but she didn't re-write. Composition teachers had taught her how to count long, medium and short sentences to improve the rhythm and flow of a story but there was little attention given to content and critical proofreading.

Although I had helped her many times before, we hadn't discussed the editing process. As a broadcast editor, I was accustomed to helping colleagues improve their work without my re-writing their copy. Now it was time for Julie to become her own proofreader. Looking back, it was probably best that we hadn't tried this sooner. It is difficult even for professional writers to be critical of their work. Our words represent our thoughts, and we take pride in the product. Self-esteem can take a beating at the hands of a tough editor.

Luckily, (for both of us) Julie was serious about her writing. She really wanted to make it as good as it could be. As we talked about unnecessary words and getting to the kernel of meaning, things began to click. She began to throw out whole paragraphs and take a much closer look at word choices. Julie made straightforward persuasive statements. She had always made excellent grades, but now her teachers commented on the quality of her work. Her writing became outstanding. Wise classmates began to ask for her proofreading help. Julie wrote a couple of award winning fun books in junior high. Among almost 500 students in her high school graduating class she alone received an excellence award from the English department.

My son was a different challenge. When I tried to teach him some of the same lessons, he balked at some suggestions, especially word choices. I had often paraphrased Mark Twain: the difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug! But my son often chose a word that wasn't nearly the right one because he preferred the way it sounded! I lost the argument several times. Curiously, his teacher's never seemed to notice. His grades were terrific. Eventually, though, he too vastly improved. He would always ask me to read his work, but only changed what he wanted to. Now in his senior high school year, he is known as a talented, creative writer to teachers and his peers.

My kids learned that their writing could be much better

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