Students tend to find many school-based writing tasks to be inauthentic and artificial (McCarthy, 2017). According to McCarthy (2017) , young people “value being taken seriously for initiatives and projects that have meaning” beyond school assessment. Providing opportunities for students to have their work published encourages emerging writers to keep honing their craft. Having work published, rather than judged or graded, "can be a huge self-esteem boost, confirming that your writing is worth reading." (Costello, 2018).
Students do not need to be aiming for a deal with a publisher and making the bestseller’s list (Winsor-Freeman, 2011) to find an authentic audience for publication, and there are many ways that teacher-librarians can help student writers find avenues for publication. While it may be unrealistic for teens to think that their writing will be published to critical acclaim, "teen writers should view their youth as a time to lay the groundwork for later writing endeavours" (Windsor-Freeman, 2011). These important skills include development of vocabulary, grammatical structures and much more. Furthermore, young people who participate in writing communities have multiple opportunities to have their work published and receive feedback.
In-house options:
Students may like to test the waters of publication close to their own backyard before venturing out into the wide world, and this is a viable option (although, to be honest, some students prefer the ‘anonymity’ of the worldwide web to publishing to their own peers). Options include a school-based e-Book or zine of student writing and there are many options for displaying student work physically around the school. As with all of the writing club activities, teacher-librarians should be there to facilitate student decisions and provide support and direction where needed.
Casing the net wider:
The ubiquity of digital technology and internet access mean there are myriad online publication options available to students. Teacher-librarians will need to support student writers in their selection of appropriate platforms, depending on school IT policies.
Another option is Write the World. This international platform that helps young writers develop their craft in a variety of genres and formats by providing regular competitions and publication opportunities, as well as mentoring and feedback opportunities where students can work with real authors and publishers. The international reach of audience and the thorough administrative practices of this platform make it a very reliable option for school-based writing clubs.
For students interested in multimedia fiction, a free and reputable platform is CommaFul.
References:
Costello, J. (2018). Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries: Creative Writing at the Libraries. Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2018/09/creative-writing-at-the-library/
McCarthy, J. (2017). Student athletes have audiences: Why don't student writers? https://www.edutopia.org/article/student-athletes-have-audiences-why-dont-student-writers
Pandolpho, B. (2018). 4 ways to help student writers to improve. https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-ways-help-student-writers-improve
Windsor-Freeman, S. (2011). Are Teenagers too young to write good fiction?