Writing Stories: Fantastic Fiction from Start to Finish aims to help middle grade students get started writing fiction. This slim little volume packs a lot of good advice, and it contains a fair few writing exercises that would seem like good ways to get going on a story if I didn’t have a plethora of stories I’m already going on.

It focuses a bit too much on journaling (an occupation that I’ve never found productive), and on getting ideas (a part of writing I’ve never had problems with), and it’s a touch too patronizing (as if the author doesn’t realize that young people are even more sensitive to that kind of thing than older ones. As a writer for young people, doesn’t he know better?)

Still, there’s lots of good solid stuff on how to make memories into more; how to show not tell, and how to do the important stuff, like characters and setting and plot, well. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it as a good starting place for someone who wants to get into story-writing. Especially if they do have trouble coming up with ideas.