John Dutton and Loren Vandivere from Benton Middle School, Virginia, join us to share their innovative approaches to making creative writing irresistible to middle schoolers. These two passionate educators have cracked the code on transforming reluctant writers into enthusiastic storytellers through engaging structures like murder mystery crime scenes, giant family interview projects, and gamified writing prompts. They discuss their ”madman, architect, carpenter, judge” writing process that helps students overcome the fear of the blank page and embrace creativity without self-doubt. From power writing challenges that build fluency to collaborative projects that turn classrooms into active learning environments, John and Lauren reveal practical strategies that any teacher can implement immediately.