1. The idea comes first. A story may beginwith one idea or several. Look for ideasthat are original, different. If you can'tthink of anything, try the library of ideasthat come from your own life. That isprobably your richest resource. Focus on aspecific memory. Was there a celebrationat which something funny happened? Wasthere a time when you were veryfrightened? What was your best holiday -and what made it the best? Was there atime when you had to be brave? Yourmemory is full of material for stories.

BEING AN AUTHOR

2. Expand your idea. An idea is not astory but the seed of a story. Developyour characters, make your story comealive with details. Ask yourself questionsabout the characters and the action untilyou know all the answers. When youknow the shape of your story frombeginning to end, then you are ready towrite it.

3. Don't worry about putting a title first.It's often easier to think of a title onceyou've written your story.

BEING AN AUTHOR

4. Write on draft paper and enjoy thewriting. Don't stop to check spelling orpunctuation and don't worry about wordsmissed or crossed out, or changes ofdirection. Most stories have an energy thatcan be lost if we leave them, to look at adictionary or if we get distracted bymistakes.

5. When you have finished your story, take adeep breath, and then read it through acouple of times. Your "author" role isfinished and now it is time to be an editor.

BEING AN AUTHOR

GENERAL HINTS FOR AUTHORS

1. A tired mind doesn't produce a good story. Successful creative

work comes from the top 25% of our energy. If your story isn't

working, have an early night and come back to your story

with fresh energy.

2. Seek solitude to develop your ideas. Friends are useful for

helping you to generate ideas but you need to be on your own to

develop and craft the story.

3. Don't tell people your story before you write it. Each story

has a certain energy. You can get rid of that energy by telling the

story to someone, then, when you come to write it, the story will

seem flat and lifeless.

4. Above all, enjoy every part of the process. Writing can seem

like hard work but it is very satisfying. It also empowers us.

Good luck, young writer!