Writing is one of those skills that deeply requires students to be motivated.
If they're not involved in the writing task, in other words, if they don't have a reason to write, the task you set forth won’t be an effective learning experience.
What possible reasons could they have?
Adult ESL students most likely need to write letters, email, or faxes in English and in a business context.
Teens may also be interested in contacting peers in English-speaking countries on the Internet.
But what about children? They probably won’t have a general, long-term reason to learn to write, but they can relate to a particular task, especially if it’s fun, or if they’ll be rewarded with a writing sticker.
Moreover, as a teacher, you also have a reason to teach English writing; there is a set of skills you wish your students to develop, and in case you haven’t yet, your first step, above all else, is