Chapter 6: Telling the Story
The Blank Page Coloring Page
"Starting is the hardest part."
A character staring at a scary blank canvas.
About this page
Every writer knows this moment. The canvas is empty, the character is frozen, and starting feels like the hardest thing in the world. This page gives children permission to feel that wobble and then move through it, because the blank page is not a wall, it is an invitation. Placed near the start of Chapter 6, it teaches that courage is part of storytelling, and that the only way to fill a page is to make the first small mark. Coloring this scene is itself a gentle rehearsal, one crayon stroke breaks the spell.
The research skill
A worried bunny sits at a desk, pencil hovering over an empty sheet of paper. Every writer meets this moment, and researchers have a practical fix: start with an outline or a quick first draft that nobody else will see. Getting rough words down first, then improving them later, is the drafting skill at the center of Chapter 6. It separates thinking up ideas from polishing them, which takes the pressure off. At school, it shows up as sentence starters, graphic organizers, and teachers saying "just get your ideas down first."
Try it at home
Beat the blank page with a starter trick. Fold a sheet of paper into three sections and write a sentence starter at the top of each: "I wondered...", "I tried...", and "I found out...". Choose a small topic, like why puddles outside disappear. Your child fills each box with a quick drawing or a few words, and no erasing is allowed. Afterward, point out that the page is no longer blank, and that they now have a real draft to build on.
Talk about it while you color
- What do you think the character is feeling while staring at the blank canvas?
- What could be the very first thing they draw or write to get started?
- When starting something feels hard for you, what helps you begin?