Christopher Edge, author of ‘How to Write your Best Story Ever!’, shares his top 10 tips to help your child write amazing stories.
How to write your best story ever!
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Blog posts for: creative writing
500 Words: Black Lives Matter – how are British children responding to the emerging themes and issues in their writing?
Almost 6,000 children entered the writing competition in July 2020 and Oxford University Press’ analysis shines a light on children’s insight, empathy, and imagination when writing about race. Find out more.
2018 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year: Plastic
Plastic has been revealed as the Children’s Word of the Year by Oxford University Press for the BBC 500 Words Competition. British children have once again shown themselves to be fabulously inventive, funny and socially astute.
4 fun ways to develop characters for a short story
Every story needs a star! These four fun activities will help any aspiring author dream up some page-turning protagonists.
Writing non-fiction for fun
As writing for pleasure becomes less popular with children, Isabel Thomas emphasises the importance of writing non-fiction for fun.
4 tips to inspire children’s creative writing
Coming up with a great story idea can be tricky, which is why we’ve gathered together four fun activities to inspire your child’s creative writing.
4 top tips for writing great plots
Top tips for helping children develop great plots in their creative writing.
How to find the perfect words for your story
Every writer wants to find the perfect words to tell their story. These activities will guide your child through four ways to make language sparkle in their creative writing, from creating striking similes to wielding unusual words.
Inspire the author in your child with the BBC 500 Words Competition 2020!
Oxford Dictionaries for Children has teamed up with BBC Radio 2’s 500 Words – the nationwide competition to find the most talented young writers in the UK!
Inspire the author in your child with the new 500 Words: Black Lives Matter Competition!
Oxford University Press is proud to be partnering with the 500Words: Black Lives Matter story-writing competition. Our language experts collect and analyze every story received to better understand children’s language and inform learning, so get your pens at the ready!
Harriet Muncaster’s creative writing challenge
Harriet Muncaster gives her top tips on how to write a story, from developing the characters to designing the plot.
Story sparks: find inspiration for your short story
When you look down at a blank piece of paper, inspiration can seem a long way away. Here are Christopher Edge’s top tips for coming up with story ideas.
How to edit your 500 Words story
Finished a first draft of your short story and not sure what to do next? Read Christopher Edge’s top tips for polishing your story to perfection.
How to write your 500 Words story
So you’ve got your idea, and you’ve planned the plot. Now comes the hardest (but most rewarding) part – actually writing your story. Here are Christopher Edge’s top tips on how to get started.
Creative writing
Are you a budding David Walliams or the next J. K. Rowling? Find top tips, videos, activities, and books to help unleash your inner author.
6 top tips for finishing your 500 Words story
It’s easy to start a story, and it’s hard to finish one. Francesca Simon, author of the Horrid Henry series, shares her top tips for finishing a story.
BBC 500 Words: Story idea generator
Pick a type or genre of story, character and setting and put them together to think up a story idea. You can pick and mix from every category or even throw your own ideas into the mix.
BBC 500 Words: Character profile
Complete this character profile to collect ideas about the lead character in your story. Try to answer every question to find out what makes your character tick.
BBC 500 Words: Story mountain
Complete the story mountain to plan out the plot of your story. Start at the bottom with a dramatic opening and then work out the different twists and turns your plot will take until you reach the end!
BBC 500 Words: Striking similies
Complete the examples below to create your own striking similes. Try to choose unexpected words that will create an original picture in the reader’s mind. Then create your own similes from scratch!
BBC 500 Words: Story buddies
Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can help you to spot how to make your story even more awesome! Team up with a friend to swap your stories. Use the checklist to note down your thoughts about their story and suggest any improvements.
BBC 500 Words: Action and emotion
Can you show how you’re feeling without saying a word? Pick an emotion from the list below and then mime an action that shows how you’re feeling. Can the rest of the class guess the right feeling?
Oxford Roald Dahl Thesaurus
This is a real thesaurus for all chiddlers and even some adult human beans. It features hundreds of spliffling words used and created by the world’s best storyteller, Roald Dahl, together with useful synonyms, related words and phrases, idioms and word origins.
How to Write Your Best Story Ever!
Ideal for children wanting to enter story writing competitions! This is a humorous and authoritative book that will awaken the author in every child, unlocking their story ideas and giving them hints and tips to create their own stories.
How To Be A Young #Writer
Created to inspire and guide budding writers, this book covers tips and advice for plot, characterisation, world-building, tone, editing, and much more to turn initial ideas into powerful stories.
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