The first thing you have to do is figure out what you’re going to write about.  You may already have an idea in mind.  If not, here are some resources you might want to use for inspiration: 

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/wordplay/ 
  • This is an interactive website that lets you write your own poem, using words and backgrounds they provide.  This could be a great place to start to get your creative juices flowing!

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/downloads/blastcasts/
  • This website includes a video of a children’s and young adult book writer talking about how she gets her ideas for stories, and how she gets started writing them.

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You might consider starting by deciding which genre you want to write in, and getting ideas from there.  If you already know what you’re going to write about, you should identify the genre it fits into.  Here are some websites with definitions of different genres. 

• http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/Genres.htm
  • This is a very simple site that will tell you the basics of some genres, along with some examples of books that fit each genre. 
•   http://students.resa.net/brownm/genres.htm
  • This is another site that gives definitions for some genres that the previous site doesn’t address.

When you've got an idea, move on to Step 2 - Diagram Your Plot!