2020 was supposed to be the year of many things. 

For some, a shiny new decade symbolised a fresh start, a way to wipe the slate clean and start again. For others it was going to be a year of change, making resolutions to hit the gym, to finally land that dream job, or pick up an instrument. Back on January first, little did we know how much change we, as a society, would be faced with. ​

Young writers who have their stories published show tremendous creativity, focus and discipline -  some relish the chance to show their pieces to their friends and family, while other kids are motivated by the tangible goal of completing their work by a deadline. We love providing opportunities for kids to see their work published, and here’s how we do it:

Have you ever listened to a child tell you a story that contains a million amazing ideas, but they don't quite fit together? Maybe you know adults with the same problem! 
If our ideas are hard to follow, our audience will find it hard to enjoy the story. This is why it's important to structure our writing.

A well structured story:

• is easy to understand
• flows smoothly from one section to the next
• follows a clear narrative arc.

As young writers become more confident, they can play with story structure (for example, by starting at the end). This can be a lot of fun! But it's still important to make sure all of the story elements are there, so that readers are never scrambling to fill in too many blanks.
​
How to help your child plan a well-structured story:
There are many ways you can do this, but here's one we use often!
Once they have their story idea, invite them to:

• think of three everyday things their main character does (these will help to describe their 'normal life' in the beginning).
• think of a strange or unusual event that affects the character (this is the where the action happens!).
• Finally, think about how that event changes the main character's normal life, for better or worse!

You will start to see a clear plot developing as the answers to these questions are added.

Then there is just one thing left to do: start writing the story!

Ria (Grade 3) used this prompt to a plan a story about her dog, Rex. Have a listen to her explaining her plan:

Ria turned her plan into a story by expanding her notes with details and descriptions. Read the finished story below!
​

9 August is Book Lovers Day, a highly prestigious day in everyone's calendar. It will come as no surprise that we love books at Creative Write-it, and our studio housed hundreds in our awesome bookshelves. We'd love to show you, but since we are all at home we'll just have to show you our bookshelves!
We asked our Workshop Leaders to share pictures of their bookshelves and something they love about them. 
​Read on to discover five things we love about our personal bookshelves.

They lived underground. Ever since ‘they’ had come, the above was no longer safe. We still told stories of looming trees and ripe, colourful fruits, but they were just stories. The grounds people could not go above, or else they would be punished. Adam prepared his gear. He took his black vest out of the cupboard and pulled it on. He then pulled his hood over his head, with two small slits for his eyes. He looked at the clock: 11:57pm. It was too late already. Adam swung his backpack over his shoulders and strode out of his room. Mr Flaherly sat down calmly drinking a cup of tea. Mr Flaherly had been good to Adam. Ever since Adam was a young boy. Flaherly had taken him in.

“I know it's no use tellin ya not to go,” said Flaherly in his strange accent, “but be careful out there.”
“I will be Mr Flaherly,” said Adam.
“Bring us back somethin nice,” he called after Adam.

The hole opened at 11:59 exactly and Adam jumped out. He clutched his knife tightly, as other communities often tried to attack. Adam cautiously walked to the corner store, careful to stay in the shadows. He opened the vent and slid inside. Adam crawled and crawled until he saw a trapdoor. Now it was the hard part, the waiting. Minutes and hours gradually slipped away. Adam understood. No raid was every well planned. Then, it came.

BOOM! The wall burst into pieces as Adam punched the trapdoor and jumped down into the store. He filled his bag as quickly as he could. He could see them running towards him, rifles in hand. Adam zipped his bag and ran out of the store. He saw the guards stop running and give up. Now it was the next part, the slaying. Nobody had enough time to get much food during a raid, so Adam had to hide in a bush, ready to take out other runners. A runner ran down from many yards away and Adam tensed himself.

Adam exploded outwards and threw his body on top of the other runner. They struggled as Adam drew his knife and stabbed him in the chest. Then, Adam grabbed the other runner’s bag and swung it over his shoulder as well. He then saw it. Barely visible in the night, but it was there nevertheless. The green. It was larger than anything Adam had ever seen. There were bits of the Green where Adam lived, but they were barely anything compared to this. Then. He snapped back into reality. Adam sprinted to the hole. He took one last glance at the green and dived back into his world below.

He lowered himself down slowly and dropped onto the hard, metal floor. Mr Flaherly had told him about a time when people visited each other and brought gifts. A time when people enjoyed each other’s company, and smiled and laughed. These times seemed difficult to imagine. Nowadays everyone was so absorbed in their own lives that hanging about was out of the question. Adam thumped the door of the administration office and dropped the bag down in front of it.

He then went down the dark metal staircase and entered his cube. In each cube there were four flats. Mr Flaherly and Adam lived in flat B. Adam took the key from his pocket and opened the door. Mr Flaherly stood there, drinking tea in the same position he had been twenty minutes ago.

“Did-ya hand the goods in?” he asked, not bothering to look up from the table.
“Yep.” Mumbled Adam. He was too tired for a conversation.
“Corrupt administration. We’ll be lucky to get a scrap.” Muttered Mr Flaherly to himself.

He was right. The administration never gave enough food or resources despite how much Adam got after every raid. Adam planned to become a raider when he was of working age. Raiders planned the raids and got to live in much better facilities than others. Adam could even bring Mr Flaherly with him. He shoved his gear into the closet and turned in for the night.

He woke up with a rifle to his head. He jumped out of bed but the soldier didn’t even seem fazed.

“Security footage revealed it was you rascal.” Grunted the soldier. He grabbed Adam by the collar and pulled him towards the door. Mr Flaherly lay on the floor, his eyes closed as the other soldier watched over him.

“No.” said Adam defiantly. There was no way. Not Mr Flaherly. He had always been there. He couldn’t die just like that. But he made no move and simply lay there. He was long gone.

“NOOOO,” screamed Adam. “This isn’t fair! You can’t do this!” he roared with tears forming in his eyes.
​
“Kid. Fair died out long time ago,” said the soldier as he pulled Adam out the door and threw him down the staircase. He was only a boy, but he had been a victim of this system. The soldiers simply walked away, refusing to think about it a second longer
 
Samiyar Samiee