• If you want to be a writer, you have to write, and if you want to be a good writer, you have to write all the time. 

Try It: For one full week, make a resolution to write one thing every single day. It doesn’t have to be very long, or very good, or even spelled right – just write!

  • As you’re writing in your journal or making up stories, remember that you won’t finish everything you start to write.  There are lots of starts out there that stop short of an entire book, or story, or even paragraph. But the important thing is to start anyway, and keep starting over – and over again.

Try It:  Pick one of the things you‘ve listed in the exercises and start a fresh new story or poem about it. Write until you’re tired of it. Guess what?  You’re becoming a writer!

  • If you’re going to be “good” at writing someday, you have to give yourself permission to maybe be a little bit bad at it at first. Not everything every published writer has ever written has been published. Not everything you write will be a masterpiece either. When you were learning to ride a bike or scooter, or to skate or do a cheer, did you get it perfect the very first time? Writing’s the same way.

Try It: Try writing the scene you pictured earlier – the one where you star in your favorite book, instead of the main character. Just write it for fun and don’t try to make it good. When you’re finished, read it over and do one of three things: (1) decide it’s great just the way it is; (2) see how good it could be and work on it some more; (3) throw it away. Those are all good responses for an author like you!

  •  Thinking of a plot can be the most challenging part. The Magic Three might help you. Give your character a goal or a problem to solve. Then think of three ways your character (the main character is called a protagonist, by the way) might try to solve the problem or reach the goal. The first two attempts will fail, and will even make the problem worse or the goal harder to get to. But that third magic try will give your story a happy ending or teach your protagonist a valuable lesson.

Try It:  Think of a problem a girl your age (or a dragon your age or a fairy your age --you get the idea) might have. Write it down. Then brainstorm on a piece of paper for all the possible ways to solve the problem. Pick out the best three --and see how you can use two of them to make the problem even worse. When you're finished, you'll have a plot outline and you can go to work.