Writing is a true art; that’s why it’s really hard to tell someone how to write well, because no one really knows the answer. There’s no secret to writing a great story or best selling book, but Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted and more, wrote an excellent book that share her ideas about how to come up with creative ideas, find your voice, write humor and how to get over writer’s block.

Opening up Writing Magic is like sitting down for a cozy conversation with Levine and asking her all the questions a writer would possibly want to know. Divided into easy, clear chapters, you can find whatever you need help on and get lots of writing prompts to help you practice what you learned.

• Have problems starting your story? Levine says try starting it in different places, especially the one that interests you the most, right in the heart of the action.
• To help you include more details in your story, she suggests paying close attention to everything you see, hear, smell, touch and taste in the next hour and then writing it all down in a journal.
• To bring in more conflict and tension in your story, make your characters suffer so the reader feels sympathy with them.

You also get to read how Levine used her tips to help her when she wrote her books like Ella Enchanted, Dave at Night and the Princess Tales series. After reading this book, you should be fully charged with writing creativity and buzz to go tackle that next poem, short story or novel. Levine says to always save what you write and have fun!

The next step is, of course, sharing your writing with the world like in the Miss O and Friends fiction contests!