Questions

I’m a junior in an American high school, and I’m an aspiring writer looking to fulfill my dreams by studying Creative Writing in a British university. I’m looking to find a solid education while still being able to enjoy my stay in the UK. ANY tips would be greatly appreciated.
- Nathan D.

My background: I have never written a short story or novel before, but I have the confidence and past education and writing experience from school to be able to try my best!

I have wanted to write a novel for many years now. Before sitting down and getting to work on it, I have lately been toying with the idea of just doing a short story.

But of course I have dreams of being published. (This is not my main motivation, of course, but I figure if I’m going to spend a good portion of my time and effort on this, I might as well try to get published - if it’s good enough!)

So, should I spend the time and effort doing a short story? Can any money be made off of short stories as opposed to novels? Would it be worth the extra work to do a novel? Also, if I wrote a short story, in the future could it successfully be expanded into a novel? Have any famous works of literature ever started as a short story and ended up as a novel?

I know this is a lot, but thanks for your time!
- Bernie J

I’m running some sessions on creative writing with a group of 13 - 15 year-olds (excluded from main-stream education). They’re an imaginative bunch, but I’ll definitely need to keep things varied to maintain their interest. Any simple ideas for activities I can get them involved in?
- EvilEdd