From the Heart: A Creative Approach to Writing

It can be frustrating, demoralising even, to be too afraid or intimidated to express either in speech or in writing what is going on in one's mind. It's one thing to write enough to complete a class assignment or to please a teacher; it's another to really use and take ownership of one's language, and express oneself from one's heart. The main goal of From the Heart is to encourage just that. The exercises are designed to give students the opportunity to develop language skills while at the same time using their own, individual creative talents. The activities were selected with several goals in mind: To help students explore their own creativity in a supportive environment; To help them discover that inspiration for writing is everywhere; To build their confidence in voicing their own heartfelt ideas; To provide abundant opportunities to practice their newly acquired skills; To help them feel comfortable about getting -- and giving -- feedback that improves writing. As they achieve these goals, they will find themselves more confident and comfortable with their new language, producing texts that are much more interesting than standard classroom fare, and really writing from their hearts.