After receiving letters from fans asking for writing advice,accomplished authors Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter joined together to create this guidebook for young writers. The authors mix inspirational anecdotes with practical guidance on how to find a voice, develop characters and plot, make revisions, and overcome writer's block. Fun writing prompts will help young writers jump-start their own projects, and encouragement throughout will keep them at work.

Ready, set, go!: Is it really this simple? -- Ugly first drafts -- Inspiration -- Crafting your story: Convincing your characters that they are alive -- Naming your characters -- Blackberries, raspberries, and story ideas -- Now we get to the weird stuff, plot -- Who is telling your story, the narrative voice -- Starting points -- How to create a great story setting -- Suspense -- Title tattle -- How to write dialogue -- Description -- More crawling lizards, please, talking about illustrations -- Shape shifters -- Ta-da! -- Revision -- Journaling -- Two heads are better than one -- Writer's brain: Writing process -- Hellooooo, anybody out there? -- Keeping your readers awake -- Writers are strange creatures. Thank heavens! -- Writer's block 9-1-1 -- Your writer's identity -- Begging, borrowing, and stealing -- Writing habit -- Belly buttons -- Criticism -- Writer's life -- Spilling secrets.