Expert judges Francesca Simon and Frank Cottrell-Boyce answered your burning
questions to help bust that dreaded writer’s block.
“Q: Do my characters have to live happily every after?
FS: NO.
FCB: Definitely not!”
“Q: My character is quite ordinary but the plot is fun. Is that ok?
FS: Sounds good to me.”
“Q: How do you create an original idea for a very popular genre like romance?
FS: Mix up genres. So do an animal romance, or a ghost romance, or an alien romance.”
Q: My story is a mystery but I can’t think of how to write a good twist. Everything I think
of isn’t very surprising! Any advice?
FS: Ask yourself lots of ‘what if’ questions about your story, often times you will surprise
yourself that one of your answers provides the twist.
FCB: the twist isn’t everything! Just let your mystery hang in the air if you want to. The
best place to look for an ending is at the beginning of what you’ve already written.
“Q: At school, we were given a strategy of ‘who, what, why, when’ – do you have any
strategies to help think of a story?
FS: Think of story types, like ghost, or school, or comedy, or family, or adventure, or
romance, or science fiction, or sports, or animals, or magic, etc. And smash two of them
together. So a ghost romance, or an outer space sports day. Harry Potter is magic/school
for example
FCB: Look into your heart. Ask yourself – what makes me scared, what makes me sad,
what makes me happy … what are the things that matter to you. What’s your worst
nightmare, your greatest ambition, your best memory. Start with passion. Then just jump in
and get going! Get something … anything … down on paper to start with. The real work
isn’t writing, it’s rewriting. So don’t worry. Jump in. Get going.
“Q: I want to write a scary story but I don’t want to set it in a graveyard. Does my setting
have to be spooky to be scary?
FS: No, in fact I think it’s scarier to have spooky things happen in an ordinary setting.
FCB: Oooh. I can already feel that that’s a great idea … it’s always AMAZING when
something strange happens in an ordinary place. Like when the Daleks invade London. Or
Wheelie bins turn out to be aliens.”
“Q: Are stories more interesting if they’re written in the first person?
FS: No, but a first person story can be easier to write, if you have a unique voice
FCB: That depends who the person is! Stories work in the first person if the character
telling the story is an interesting character, with an interesting way of talking. They should
always have a good reason for telling the story.”
“Q: I sometimes struggle finding exciting words…will I be marked better if I use long
words?
FS: Absolutely not! Short words are great. You need to choose the right words for your
story.
FCB: NO NO NO … words are for communicating with people, NOT for showing off.
Always use the simplest, clearest word you can.”
“Q: Is the only way to create a brilliant ending to close on a cliffhanger?
FS: That’s one way, but that could also be annoying if we are desperate to know what
happens. That said, a 500 word story doesn’t have to be the whole story.
FCB: No! There are lots of ways to end a story. It doesn’t have to be a cliffhanger at all. A
story ends when it ends.”
“Q: I normally write about one character I’ve made up. Is it ok for me to write about only
one chapter of his life?
FCB: Absolutely. Or even one moment of his life. As long as it’s an interesting moment.”
“Q: I love history, do you think it might be interesting if I use historical characters?
FS: There are no rules. Historical characters could be fun.
FCB: Definitely. Some of the past winners have been set in the past. We’ve had stories
about Stone Henge and the First World War. History is a great place to find a story.”
“Q: Do I have to use all 500 words to write a brilliant story?
FS: If you can tell a brilliant story in fewer words then go ahead. We’re not counting : )
FCB: If you can do it shorter that’s fine but most people struggle to get a good story told in
500 words.”
“Q: My story is quite sad, I’m worried people won’t enjoy it! Will I be marked down?
FS: If you look at last year’s winning stories, you will see that some are funny, some are
sad, some are scary, some are surprising.
FCB: NO!!! We LOVE a sad story.”
“Q: I’m trying to write a funny story but I don’t want it to be just a series of jokes. Do you
have any tips?
FS: A series of jokes wouldn’t be a funny story. Humour comes from character or situation,
and/or a quirky, unique way of looking at the world.”
“Q: It’s difficult to come up with an evil baddies that hasn’t been done brilliantly before.
How do you create an original hero or a really evil, believable baddie?
FS: By making the hero your hero. Think of a hero you admire, and see how you can twist
her or him to make him/her a bit different. Try the same with an evil baddie.”
“Q: I haven’t started my story yet….am I too late?
FS: Get off Facebook and start writing…now!”
“Q: I’ve never written a story before and I struggle with spelling. Do I stand a chance?
