How to Write Your Best Story Ever!: Top Tips and Trade Secrets from the Experts

by Christopher Edge

Overview

Aspiring writers love to dream up stories…but getting them down on paper may be a challenge. That's where How to Write Your Best Story Ever! can help. This book is bursting with creative ways to help youngsters craft all types of stories. Helpful features include:

• Hints and tips to create amazing characters and settings
• Story Sparks to help young writers come up with exciting plots
• Word Webs that offer choices that add flair to stories
• Ways to wrap it all up with a brilliant ending
• Inspiration along the way from fantastic fiction and advice from bestselling authors
• Chapters devoted to writing stories such as Adventure, Romance, Science Fiction, Mash-ups, and more

With this essential guide to writing and a little bit of imagination, kids can write their best story ever!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438009094
Publisher:	Peterson's
Publication date:	08/01/2016
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	452,302
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

Christopher Edge is the award-winning author of Twelve Minutes to Midnight, The Black Crow Conspiracy and many more books for children. A former English teacher, Christopher now works as a publishing and education consultant and visits primary and secondary schools across the country to inspire children as readers and writers.

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

How to Use This Book 8

Story Sparks 10

Creating Characters 14

Setting the Scene 18

What's the Plot? 22

Storytelling 26

Starting Your Story 30

Action! 34

Making It Real 38

Talk the Talk 42

Creative Vocabulary 46

Choosing a Title 54

Is it Finished? 56

How to Write Your Best Adventure STORY Ever! 60

How to Write Your Best Mystery Story Ever! 64

How to Write Your Best Scary Story Ever! 68

How to Write Your Best FUNNY STORY Ever! 72

How to Write Your Best FANTASY STORY Ever! 76

How to Write Your Best SCIENCE FICTION STORY Ever! 80

How to Write Your Best SPY STORY Ever! 84

How to Write Your Best LOVE STORY Ever! 88

How to Write Your Best HISTORICAL STORY Ever! 92

How to Write Your Best DIARY STORY Ever! 96

How to Write Your Best ANIMAL STORY Ever! 100

How to Write Your Best W SPORTS STORY Ever! 104

How to Write Your Best I SCHOOL STORY Ever! 108

How to Write Your Best THRILLER STORY Ever! 112

How to Write Your Best SCRIPT Ever! 116

How to Write Your Best MASH-UP STORY Ever! 120

Read All About It! 124

Index 126

Editorial Reviews

09/05/2016
In an enthusiastic guide to story making, Edge (the Penelope Tredwell Mysteries) explores the essentials of plot, characters, settings, action, and dialogue, followed by a look at writing within specific genres, as well as combining them (“How about a science fiction mystery, an action-adventure comedy, or a spy romance?”). Reed’s cartoon artwork is joined by numerous sidebars to create a highly visual presentation: in addition to the main narrative, Edge includes creative prompts, “inspiration station” bursts featuring excerpts from classic and contemporary writers, explanations of various aspects of grammar, and “word webs” that aim to help readers find the right words and phrases for various aspects of the stories they are building. A dynamic introduction to creative writing, filled with thought exercises and imagination-sparking ideas to get readers well on their way to becoming writers. Ages 7–11. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"This fantastic new book is the perfect answer for kids who want to write stories or are assigned to do so in school....The writing is snappy and crisp and will keep young minds engaged. This might be the best writing book for kids in print."--Rosi Hollinbeck, Seattle Book Review/San Francisco Book Review

"Use it to write a masterpiece for a school assignment, or just for fun!"
--New Moon Girls, http://newmoon.com/back-to-school-books/

From the Publisher

10/01/2016
Gr 2–5—A great guide for students interested in developing their creative writing skills. This manual takes prospective writers on a journey to create new worlds and tales, with spelling, grammar, and punctuation tips along the way. The topics are arranged in a manner that allows students to browse and flip through to find whatever interests them most. A range of genre-specific subjects are explored; for example, the chapter "How To Write Your Best Scary Story Ever!" includes tips on how to set the scene and avoid clichés, as well as a word web ("The Language of Horror") with relevant vocabulary (e.g., poisonous, catacombs, macabre). Everything from character development to script writing to genre mash-ups is covered and accompanied by brightly colored cartoon illustrations. The layout can be a bit busy, but overall this is a valuable resource. VERDICT Recommended for elementary classroom collections in need of an accessible introduction to creative writing.—Elizabeth Anne Ragain, Springfield Public Schools, MO

School Library Journal

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