Suggestion Box

This may be an old concept---if so, I apologize; but I just attended my grandson's fourth grade awards ceremony where there was a heavy emphasis on writing and writing skills.

This site offers tremendous tools for writing improvement. Reviews of my work have been valuable, but as important, or perhaps even more important, are the opportunities to read and review other authors. Doing this helps me figure out how I don't want to do things, as well as how I do want to do things.

It also forces me to articulate those thoughts while I am reviewing, which both sets the concepts in my mind, and strengthens my communication skills.

I think these things would be an incredible tool for young people just learning their way around the writing scene. Of course these tools are available here, and older authors do help, but I thought a `Jr.' site could more specifically offer

1. A safe place to read and write (Nothing over PG-13 allowed)

2. Technical help, such as correction of grammar, spelling, etc. and an introduction to poetry styles.

3. Peer critique

4. Strict monitoring

As I envision the site, the subscribers would be schools or school systems (grant dollars are often available for a)creating educational opportunities such as this and b)for use of such systems).

The subscriptions could be for block purchases of space, such as x amount of students or y amount of posted items. The student amount probably would work best, for the teacher could have the students delete their work after each assignment had been posted and critqued.

There could also be individual subscriptions available for the students---but only with the recommendation of a registered school/teacher (to safe guard against predators getting into the site).

I see a possibility of presenting these options to the subscribers:

1. Group subscriptions, which would allow only the school system, school, or class to interact with one another.

2. Open subscriptions, which would allow the school system, school, or class to interact with all other subscribers within this category.

3. A combination of the above.

To promote the site, there could be contests which would offer a free subscription to the site for a school year for

1. The best over all writing in the genre

2. The best over all review(s)given

These contests could be for individual students and/or schools and/or school systems.

I don't know if this is workable, but if it is, there is really a very large, untapped market for a resource like this. And, with some gp or upgrade inducements, authors presently contributing writing technique pieces to Writing.Com could contribute a wonderful instructions for the next batch of up and comming authors.

This particular resource could be available much the way the present Ideanary is available on this site.

Just some thoughts that I hope might be rewarding for the children who are working so hard on writing.