BBC Young Writers' Award - Teaching Resources

A downloadable PDF for pupils with quick ideas to kickstart writing a short story.

A downloadable PDF which will guide pupils through the process of writing a short story from beginning to end.

A downloadable PDF guide for teachers, with ideas for using the Young Writers’ Award in or out of the classroom.

In this short video YWA judges, including BBC Radio 1's Katie Thistleton, reveal what makes them feel inspired to write something new.

A downloadable PDF full of great short story anthologies and collections to inspire pupils.

In this short video Katie Thistleton and the 2018 YWA judges share short story writing tips.

Bestselling poet, playwright and novelist, Nikita Gill offers five creative writing tips to help budding young writers.

BBC Student Critics is an opportunity for students to flex their critical muscles by reading, listening, discussing and critiquing the stories shortlisted for the annual BBC National Short Story Award.

In this short film, Anthony Horowitz introduces a line-up of top writers of children’s and young adult fiction who offer a smorgasbord of approaches to writing. Jamila Gavin, Keith Gray, Jacqueline Wilson, David Almond and Malorie Blackman share their writing secrets, giving consideration to where they find their inspiration, what their writing triggers are, and how they get writing started.

In this short film, best-selling author Michael Morpurgo reveals some of the techniques that shape his writing. He describes how he came to write the novels War Horse and Private Peaceful and reads from the latter, a powerful novel inspired by the execution for cowardice of more than 300 British soldiers during World War I.

In this short film, Anthony Horowitz discusses writing the Sherlock Holmes novels and shares his top tips for writing. He considers where his ideas come from originally, and how to imagine stories behind everyday sights and sounds. He shares his own writing practices and talks about what it feels like to immerse yourself in writing.

In this short film, novelist and journalist Rebecca Abrams offers advice for young writers, from how to find inspiration to how to devise plots. But above all, she says, it is important to remember that no one expects someone to pick up a violin and play it straightaway. It is the same with writing – you have to learn the basics, build on them, and practise.

Created in partnership with First Story, these short films for secondary schools offer insights into the ideation and creative writing processes of contemporary writers working across a number of genres. From playwrights to poets via children's authors and graphic novelists, each short film follows a real writer's journey – from how they find their inspiration and work with a stimulus, to how they edit and perform a written piece.

UK young adult novelist and Young Writers' Award judge Holly Bourne tells Authors Live about her new book.

Watch with your class to find out how history can inspire creative writing. Catherine Johnson is an award-winning author and screenwriter who has used historical settings in many of her novels – and she reveals some of her secrets! Designed for schools in Scotland, P5 – S2.