Writing Cheerleader: A Ready-To-Go Tip

A Backstory: When people speak about writing and mention their inner critic, everyone has a story to tell. A writing prompt once provoked me to think about my writerly inner cheerleader, and I didn’t know how to answer. I thought, “How peculiar. My head knows the importance of positive inner speech, yet somehow, I have let my inner critic dominate my writing life.” The question stayed with me, and eventually, I wrote about them both – the critic and the cheerleader.

Why It Matters: When things get challenging, having a cheerleader helps to build stamina and keep going. Learning to become a writer, learning to write well, and working on a writing piece all may pose challenges to the learners. The teacher is often the biggest cheerleader to help them on the learning journey, yet the teacher is not always available. In this case, having an imaginary cheerleader could support the young writer. Besides that, playing with the idea is a fun, creative exercise.

How It Works: As with other good teaching, explaining the reasoning behind the idea works well. It is possible to bring connections with the sports world and how cheerleaders create enthusiasm. In writing, it’s not necessarily the enthusiasm a writer needs; sometimes, it’s a little nudge, some kind words, perhaps something to make one laugh. I am sure the students can give examples of who or what has helped them with their writing or, in other cases, when they have struggled, whether in sports, practicing music, or learning to crochet. 

Once you have talked about this with the writers, they can start envisioning their writing cheerleader. And here again, it doesn’t have to be a person with a skirt and pompoms. The cheerleader could come in any shape, size, skill, and personality.

Here are some helpful questions:

• What does the cheerleader look like?
• Do they have a memorable detail, like fairy ears, an old leather vest, a massive silver necklace, or a pocket watch?
• What do they like to do?
• What do they dislike and avoid doing?
• What might be their memorable behavior habit or a favorite saying?
• Where might you find them?
• What do they like to eat for breakfast?
• What might your cheerleader say to you to help you get started and keep going with writing?
• What might your cheerleader say to celebrate your writing?
• What might be some things you do together?

With the help of the students, the question list could grow. Writing and drawing are both welcome. Keep the mood in the classroom playful.

One final thing:  Remember that the exercise is most effective when the teacher writes alongside the children.

About Terje: Currently, Terje Äkke works as an instructional coach. For twenty-five years, she was a primary school teacher at the International School of Estonia. She writes at Just for a month blog. You can also find her on LinkedIn and Twitter @terjeakke.