I often have my students write an 'about the author' sheet to accompany their stories.  I will always remember the bio composed by a particular seven-year-old:  She wrote that she had been writing since she was five and had become an 'afishal auther' at seven.  I have seen other children chronicle their writing histories and aspirations in similar poignant fashion.

Sometimes children as young as first grade see themselves as authors.  What can parents and teachers do to nurture these very young writers?

Share books.  It is important to provide children with plenty of reading materials -- and yet there's nothing quite like a read-aloud for helping children develop an ear for language.  Books about authors can be especially inspiring.  Many children like reading the biography of JK Rowling.  Others are fascinated by Meet My Grandmother: She's a Children's Book Author.

Make connections between the child's writing process and that of professional authors.  Explain that book authors put their work through many drafts.  Emphasize, too, that writers don't publish everything they write, or put everything through multiple revisions.  If children have to revise and edit all their work, especially when they are first learning conventions, writing may cease to be a joy and instead become tedious.  Children can use their journals or writing folders in much the same way that professional writers do: mining them from time to time for best work.  They are often more motivated to revise and edit their self-selected best material.

Provide a forum for children to 'publish' their best work. There are many inexpensive software programs that provide kids with clip art and fun fonts.  If a child is thirteen or over, she may want to put together her own blog for a limited audience of friends and family; even younger children can contribute to a family website.  Of course some children prefer the hands-on feel of marker pens, glitter glue, stencils, and colored pencils. Provide a variety of options.

If a child has the temperament for competition - ie if she understands that some rejection is inevitable even for 'afishal authers' - she may enjoy entering contests or submitting work to youth magazines.  The Stone Soup website is a good place to start; Stone Soup also provides links to other magazines that publish children's and teen's writing.  Homeschool Writers publishes a monthly calendar of kids' writing competitions.  (One notable thing about this website -- it's maintained by a talented 13-year-old who enjoys writing contests.)

A word of caution: Some young children see themselves as authors (or ballet dancers or veterinarians) and truly mean it.  Yet most children benefit from exposure to a variety of pressure-free exploratory activities.  Talk to your children often to learn what speaks (or sings...) to them.