What if your child’s passion for stories could be the spark that lights up their faith, purpose, and future? In this episode of the Collide Kids Podcast, host Christen Clark chats with author and mentor Brett Harris, co-founder of the Young Writers Workshop and Author Conservatory. Together, they explore the unique journey of raising Christian kids who follow their God-given dreams, nurture their imaginations, and discover spiritual growth through storytelling, discipleship, and resilient effort—while building family time and faith at home. Resources: theyoungwriter.com - Young Writers Workshop — online program for young people ages 13 to 25The Author Conservatory - College alternative programThe Green Writer Show — Podcast co-hosted with S.D. Smith for young writersThe Next C.S. Lewis Fellowship — a free 5-week mentorship experience with training, resources, and scholarships for young writersA guide for parents on how to give feedback on their child's creative writing (mentioned as a resource available through their programs)Websites mentioned: theyoungwriter.com and authorconservatory.comWebsite: collidekidspodcast.comInstagram: @collidekidspod Clip Finder: Inspiration for Young Writers: "I had this conviction that if a young person was given the same kind of access and the same kind of knowledge and the same kind of training and practice that we received, they could do this too." — Brett Harris [00:09:44 → 00:09:54] Turning Adversity Into Opportunity: "And any parents who have engaged in caregiving know that is a full-time job. I was doing that, and I had to figure out what can I do to earn money, but that's flexible. And that's when I thought, well, hey, I'm really good at helping young writers, and I always have young writers coming and asking for my help. What if I turn that into something where I could serve more people at once? And that's where my first program, the Young Writers Workshop, came from. And that's allowed me to serve thousands of young writers over the years while also allowing me to be that caregiver and walk my wife through her recovery journey." — Brett Harris [00:10:53 → 00:11:24] Passion Over Talent: "it actually is that passion and it is the willingness to put in consistent effort and even suffer for it, willing to work, keep working on it, even when it's hard, even when it's not as fun, that actually is the key predictor of success, not how naturally gifted you are or how quickly you, you know, show promise." — Brett Harris [00:13:12 → 00:13:32] The Power of Delight-Directed Learning: "But you have to start with the self-motivation." — Brett Harris [00:16:58 → 00:17:00] The Power of Community in Mastery: "You're not going to get to a professional level in anything outside of community and outside of coaching and instruction and guidance." — Brett Harris [00:19:33 → 00:19:39] Protecting the Spark: "So the first is playful enjoyment, and I, I call that protecting the spark." — Brett Harris [00:22:16 → 00:22:20] Viral Topic: Nurturing Young Writers "The goal is your child was told the story's not working, and then instead of giving up, they go and rewrite it, and they try to grow." — Brett Harris [00:24:25 → 00:24:35] How to Truly Impress People: "Show that when you get feedback, when you don't do a good job, you either can figure out, well, how can I do better on your own? You can ask, how can I do better to someone who knows? Or if they tell you, here's what you need to do better, you go and you do that. That's what's really going to impress people, and that's what's going to let you succeed in the long run." — Brett Harris [00:24:46 → 00:25:04] The Power of Reading in Childhood: "My parents filled our home with books, and that's one of the best things they could have done for us. And we also read aloud a lot as a family, which is actually one of the best ways to train a young person to be a good writer, is beautiful language in through the ear." — Brett Harris [00:27:36 → 00:27:48] Rediscovering Fiction as an Adult: "As Lewis talks about, you know, someday you'll be old enough to read fairy tales again." — Brett Harris [00:28:45 → 00:28:49] Bark proactively works to monitor, detect, and alert you to potential issues on your kids' devices. Visit bark.us to learn more about how you can keep your kids safe online. Use the code COLLIDEKIDS to get 15% off Your Bark Technologies Plan ! Support the show