Book Review: Writing Fiction: A Guide for Pre-Teens – by Heather Wright

Book: Writing Fiction: A Guide for 
Pre-Teens
Author: Heather Wright
Publisher: Saugeen Publications
Date: July 24, 2014
Genre: Writers' Guide-book
Pages: 68
Price: under $7.00
My Rating: A helpful, easy-to-follow guide designed for 
young writers and useful to anyone

When I learned that Heather Wright had put together a writing guide for pre-teens, I asked for a review copy. Hoping there would be tips even I could pick up, I wasn’t disappointed.

When I was a pre-teen or teenager I could have benefited from this book, as will any young writers now. Writing Fiction: A Guide for Pre-Teens is well-planned, covering everything a young writer needs to know to give them a sound foundation. It is easy to follow, enjoyable to read, informative, helpful, educational and challenging in a fun and encouraging way.

Each section is divided into sub-sections as follows:

Getting Started

• Joywriting

What do I need to be a writer?

Habits and Goals

• Choosing Your Goal
• Writing Every Day
• Don’t Miss a Word
• Write with a Friend or Two

Pantser or Plotter: Which are You?

• The Pantser
• The Plotter

Where do I get ideas for stories?

• What if?
• Write What You Know
• Pick 4 Words

Writing Prompts

Plotting Tips

• Basic Rule of Plotting
• Story Planning

Plotting with the Hero’s Journey

How do I start my story?

Who should tell the story?

• Point of View: First Person
• Point of View: Second Person
• Point of View: Third Person

How do I describe my characters?

• Show Don’t Tell
• Change is Good
• Character List

How do I describe the setting?

• Think about how much you really have to describe
• Use Comparisons
• Get the Senses Involved
• Draw a Map or Use Photos

How do I write dialogue?

How do I end my story?

How do I make my writing better?

• Revising and Editing
• Words
• Sentences
• Combining Sentences
• Paragraphs

What do I do when a story gets stuck?

1. Outline
2. Forget about making the first draft perfect
3. Write more than one story at a time
4. Put the story away
5. Brainstorm
6. Ask “What if?”
7. Don’t worry

The author ends with a section called Last Words in which she invites readers to visit her website and ask any questions they may have, or share with her a paragraph or two of their stories.

Writing Fiction: A Guide for Pre-Teens by Heather Wright is an excellent teaching aid for young writers. I suspect that if you are a writer – no matter your age – reading the headings above you found something that caught your interest. Why not add this helpful writing guide to your collection of writing books?

You can find Writing Fiction: A Guide for Pre-Teens on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

As a bonus for you I am including a link to Laura Best’s blog so you can read the very interesting guest post by Heather Wright.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂