Creative writing advice out of a lockdown project

Helping out with a creative writing competition can mean many things from judging to helping out with the logistics, to donating prizes. 

This #WriteToRide competition aimed to give young riders something to do during the pandemic lockdown, and it involved developing 7 Top Tips for short story writers. They are equine-flavoured and aimed largely at schoolchildren but some are relevant across the board, for example:

Be your own critic

How to write convincing dialogue

Making your story a good read

and some can easily be adapted to suit most creative writing projects, for example:

How to decide what to write about

How to get started

and some are clearly tailored to a school or college audience, though I hope still with useful advice:

Use your entry to help with schoolwork

and some are simply fun ways of showing writing techniques in action, including from the late great James Herriot:

Worked examples showing techniques in action