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Inspirational story-writing tips from top authors

Please note entries for 500 Words 2019 have now closed.

‘500 Words’ is the UK’s most successful short story-writing competition for children between the ages of 5 and 13.

This edited Live Lesson, which was originally streamed live to schools at the launch of the 2019 competition, is designed to inspire children to come up with their own imaginative short stories.

In the programmme, 500 Words judges and authors Charlie Higson and Frank Cottrell-Boyce and author and illustrator Elys Dolan share top tips and attempt to write a whole 500 Words story in the space of a single Live Lesson.

There's also a special guest appearance from top author and comedian David Walliams.

Content and resources for this Live Lesson are tailored for both 5 - 7 year olds and for ages 7 and up.

Find out more about '500 Words' and the 2019 winning stories on the .

Please note that we are no longer reviewing emails and messages from schools for inclusion in the lesson.

How to use this resource

Check out our lesson guide for teachers and print out the student activity sheets below.

• Have a look at some helpful

Additional resources and external links:

• ����ý Teach - Video and audio resources for story writing

• ����ý Bitesize - KS1 Stories

• ����ý Bitesize - KS2 Creative writing

• ����ý Scotland Authors Live - Frank Cottrell-Boyce