Do you spend all your free time dreaming up stories with dragons, witches and make-believe lands? Or perhaps you’re always wondering ‘what if this happened?’, and ‘imagine they did that’. If this sounds like you, then we think you’ve got a book inside you, and it’s time to put pen to paper!
Last term we had the pleasure of welcoming renowned children’s author, Cressida Cowell to speak to some of our Junior School pupils. As well as wow-ing us with stories of her incredible childhood, spending summers on a remote Scottish island, and telling us all about her brand new book, ‘Which Way to Anywhere’, Cressida also shared some of her top tips for writing your own story:
1. Keep a notebook, write everything down. It doesn’t matter if it’s a fully formed idea, or just the beginning of one, everything is good material
2. Anyone can do it! There’s no need for fancy pens, booklets or a backlog of weird and wonderful life experiences, all you need is your imagination
3. The devil is in the detail. If you want your readers to truly believe in your made-up stories, overwhelm them with detail to make it seem real. Think about the five senses, touch, taste, smell, sound and sight, and describe how they apply to the stories and situations you are creating
4. Draw a map. It might be an island, a house, or the route a car takes in your story. Whatever journey you’re asking your readers to join you on, draw it out to make sure it makes sense to you, and you can indeed get from A to B in the manner you’ve described! And if it’s relevant, include the drawing in the novel to really bring things to life
5. Base characters on people you know. Not everything needs to be completely made up. Often some of the best characters are versions of people we know in our real lives.
6. Last, but by no means least, just write! Anywhere, anytime – and (ssshh! Don’t tell your teachers this bit…), don’t worry about the spelling mistakes, just get your thoughts and ideas down on paper, the rest can be perfected later.
Thank you so much for visiting us and inspiring everyone at ESMS Junior School with your stories and advice Cressida Cowell. Please come back soon!
Some of you might already know about Mrs Peters’ Pupil Bookshelf in the Library – a very special shelf for budding authors at ESMS. She chooses some of your stories to be laminated and put on the bookshelf for all our pupils to enjoy.
So, what are you waiting for? With the holidays approaching, it’s the perfect time to find a little quiet corner, away from the hustle and bustle of the festivities, and start crafting your very own novel.
