Figment is a free website for young writers ages 13 and up. Once teens have registered, they can post their writing, read others’ writing, and participate in contests and writing groups. It was started by two journalists from The New Yorker.
The Daily Fig is Figment’s blog, featuring book releases, popular culture, author interviews, and writing and art contests.
My favorite part of the Figment site is the Daily Theme. This feature emails five writing prompts a week to subscribers. Some come from professional writers; some offer photos for inspiration; some focus on one aspect of writing, such as character development or sensory descriptions.
Commonsense Media (an excellent website that helps educate children about the media: the advantages, the disadvantages, and how to understand the difference) has a review of Figment. They suggest that parents can use Figment to begin discussions of a user’s digital footprint and how to respect each others’ creative work.
