If a middle schooler wanted to be a dancer, or a musician, or an actor, I think we would encourage them to work hard and get all the training they could through middle school and high school. If they decided that they didn’t want to pursue dance, or music, or theater, then we would let them withdraw and follow a different path. I’m not sure why we would treat someone interested in writing any differently. I would encourage a child interested in writing fiction to work hard and get as much training as possible. Training for a writer involves reading literature and working with teachers and other students in analyzing literature and each other’s writing. If the child decided at some point to change directions, I think the work and training invested so far would not go to waste by any means.