A simple program for my reluctant writer...

The Complete Writer is an all-in-one narration & copywork program using a range of classic children's literature.  The book is half tear-out worksheets, and half instructions for the parent.  Each week, the program takes excerpts from a well-written story, and mixes copywork, in which the child copies a short sentence from the story, and narration, in which the child answers questions about a short excerpt.  Each week the parent is encouraged to point out specific aspects of grammar and punctuation in the copywork exercise.  On the narration days, the program begins with the parent writing one of the child's responses, and gradually works toward the child writing his or her own response.

I purchased the book for my 8 year old who is a relucant writer.  It was a good fit for us because it is very simple to use, fairly quick, and interesting for my daughter.  The lessons are grouped by week, and there are four short lessons per week, alternating narration and copywork.  I liked that it was all set up for me, and we could generally complete the lesson in 20 minutes or less.  Knowing that it wasn't always copywork was encouraging for my daughter, and the amount of writing was enough to help her realize that she could write better than she believed she could.  The excerpts were well chosen, and my daughter enjoyed listening to them. 

All in all, I like the program, and would recommend it for another family with a child who is reluctant to write because of issues with perfectionism.  It is not a handwriting program or a complete language arts program, but it was a valuable addition to our homeschool.