oh yeah, btw, cicada has this thing called the slam (if u havent heard of it) and you can submit stuff

but their website is down

:(

and i think they have a word limit

:(

wah

Zoe, as with most other skills, the more you practice the better you'll do! So write, write, write. Read and reread what you've done and make any changes you'd like to. You can also learn  by reading a lot of what others have written.

Cricketeers, have you noticed that we have a campfire story contest going on right now? It's only listed on our Web site. You have to hurry though, because we must receive your story via US mail by August 25. But since the theme is any story you'd like to tell around a campfire, you aspiring writers may already have something written that will fit the bill. Be sure to read the rules (350 word limit). You can find the campfire story contest rules by clicking on the link on our home page. We're eager to read your stories!

Zoe R.,

Remember, even the most talented writers are at the stage that you are at right now. No one is ever sure in the beginning that they can write a book! It's hard to do! You have to come up with the plot, the characters, the title, the backround, the setting, EVERYTHING!!!!!! I've been writing for a long time, since I was very young. I'm always writing stories, I write the songs for a band I'm in, and writing things like reports are my favorite things to do in school. But it's always hard starting out. Sometimes it takes a long time for inspiration to hit, but when it does, you'll know. It helps reading one of your favorite books. It gives you new ideas and makes you want to become a writer even more! And I can't help but add, ALWAYS HAVE ANOTHER COPY OF THE STORY SOMEWHERE!!!!!! I had been working on a fairy tale novel for about a year, and I was SO close to finishing, (I was almost on the last chapter), when the whole computer shut down and the whole thing was erased. I didn't have another copy. But, a month or so later, I started writing a new book, and it's turning out even better then the last one. And always carry a little notebook around. Make sure to write down even the smallest ideas you have for a book or story. You'll always be glad that you did, since everything can be the outline for a brand new novel.:)

I hope this helps you and your writing talents!

Most of my book ideas come from dreams. I've heard this happens a lot, like for famous authors. I currently am writing two books, and have about twelve I'd like to write.

I have all these ideas, but they sort of melt once I start writing.

Has anyone ever noticed that once you start writing, your characters kind of take over? Mine do that all the time and my stories end up coming out a different way than I had planned. Most of the time it turns out better than I had hoped. =) I think my characters are control freaks...

Just keep working at writing!! Whatever you write won't be bad... and there is always room for improvement... even for the best writers out there!! My advice to you is to just keep on writing a lot and share it with other people. It helps to boost your confidence if you hear positve feedback from others.... which you probably will!  :-)

A couple things here...

First of all, to Nessiya, if you send your book to a publisher or even get it published, can you write somewhere on Inkwell about it? I want to publish my book, too, eventually and that would be really helpful. Good luck and thanks! :)

Hannah, I totally agree about the characters taking over. They love to decide their own lives and stories, and I also know what you mean about the story turning out better when you listen to them. To all writers out there: Never tune out your characters, and for goodness sake, NEVER try to make them do something they don't want to! The scene will come out all wrong if you do -- I learned the hard way. :)

Emma...you can always start with dialogue or onamonapia. (That's a fancy word for noise, like BOOM! Bang! Crash! etc.) Just jump right into a scene, and then introduce the characters and stuff.

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