Jenna Hines

Enid Blyton's The Famous Five. As there were five children, including me in our family, I felt that I could relate to the tale and enjoyed the adventures of the famous five; imagining it was me and my siblings joining in. I have re-read the tale many times during my life and still get pleasure from the story.

I always start with an idea then choose a genre. I do some research on themes, places, dress etc. I then create some characters. I generally use names relating to the period I am writing in and try to be imaginative with these names. For example I may use a proper name and then give the character a 'pet' name. Then I begin to set out the plot. This does not always stay the same throughout my writing. Sometimes I find the characters writing the 'plot' themselves, which means I have to go back and re-think. Often the words flow, but sometimes I get stuck and when this happens, I leave the story and return to it later. Once I am in the 'flow' of writing I only stop when I have to. Normally I write between 2, 000-3,000 words at each session. I constantly check my research and dip in and out for fine details, which I add where necessary. Once I have finished the first draft, I leave it for several days and return to do my first edit. Once I have read the first edit, I then do several more edits until I am completely satisfied with my MS.