National Writing Day helps to spotlight why young people write

By John Freeman on June 23, 2022

Today is National Writing Day, an annual celebration of the power of writing creatively, inspiring people of all ages and abilities to try writing for fun and self-expression.

Everyone has a unique voice, a story to tell, and a right to be heard. Now in its sixth year, National Writing Day is an annual day dedicated to celebrating and practising creative writing for pleasure and self-expression.

So, grab your pens, pencils and laptops and make your voices heard, as you join First Story in the annual celebration of the pleasure and power of creative writing – – whether you’re a young writer, a teacher, a parent, or anyone in between, National Writing Day is for you.

First Story, England’s leading creative writing charity for young people, exists because access to quality cultural education is not distributed equally across the country or in education settings. We work together with teachers, professional writers and others, providing opportunities for under-served young people to participate in enriching creative writing activities.

Over at the National Literacy Trust, this year they’re using National Writing Day to celebrate the reasons why young people write, as outlined in their latest research into children and young people’s writing in 2022 which has found that two in five (40.3%) children and young people aged 5 to 18 said that they enjoy writing in their free time.

One in two children and young people say that they write to be creative (49.9%), while two in five write to express their ideas and imagination (45.3%) or their thoughts and feelings (41.4%).

Writing continues to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing, with one in three (32.8%) children and young people saying that writing helps them relax.

• National Writing Day is online at firststory.org.uk/writeday

• Explore all the National Literacy Trust’s research in to writing

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.