New Beaufort-based app is a creative writing coach for kids & their mentors.

kids writing in a cafe in beaufort sc
a screenshot from the app, of kids writing in downtown Beaufort

The 'Pencils Words & Kids' app is about why to write and how to get the words flowing, based on eight years of writing projects with 100s of kids in Beaufort SC. This app, for iPhones and iPads, is not about grammar and spelling, and it's good for all ages, like a one room schoolhouse. 

On Wednesday, January 11th, the app will be free through the app store at iTunes.com and this link
Entries include: Permission to be creativeTake my character, pleaseWhat to write aboutRepetir!You eat it, who cooks it?Don't shoot yer eye outPurely VisualAdvice from Kidsand commentary from authors & writers on the childhood books that inspired them to write. "Pencils" is based on the premise that learning to write is like weight lifting, every repetition makes you stronger. The creative writing process is presented in 81 entries and 203 photos of kids writing, original artwork, and inspiring scenes. The photos show what real writing looks like, and will fuel stories, essays and poems.  
The 'Pencils, Words & Kids' creative writing process engages young writers through seven filters: Be a Reader First; How & why to write; How to use this app; Kids speak about writing; Prompts; Responding to creative writing; Sharing.The prompts are friendly, in depth, and re-usable, riddled with vocabulary and a smattering of arts-n-crafts. 'Pencils, Words, & Kids' is extremely helpful to parents, mentors, educators and homeschoolers who want to rev up composition lessons, and for writers who want to develop their voice. To summarize— creative writing is any writing that is not boring. 
The creator of this app, Lisa Annelouise Rentz, lives in Beaufort. She has published short stories, illustrations, and essays in publications from Arizona to Australia, including the Oxford American, Liars' League London, and Salon.com. She has written with many children, in the schools for eight years with the Lowcountry Arts Integration Project, and at ARTworks community center in Beaufor. She is also the author of the Beaufort SC 365 arts & travel app, from SutroMedia.com as well, and her website is www.eatgoodbread.com. 

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