Jamie Yorke is more than just a PE teacher at TK, he’s also a prolific writer who has several books under his belt. If you want to be a published author just like him or one of our very talented student authors, here are his top tips:

1. Passion: Write about things you are passionate about! If you love what you are writing about, you will likely love writing.
   
   
2. Get comfortable: Find your comfort zone when writing. Some people like to write with music in the background, others need a quiet spot.
   
   
3. Have a plan of attack! Are you writing a short story, a simple reflection, or just the start to a series of stories?
   
   
4. Be brave: Share your stories. Don’t be sensitive. Ask for feedback, accept feedback, modify your story to incorporate feedback.
   
   
5. Edit, edit, edit! Review your work. You will be surprised how many mistakes you will find before even sharing it with others. Take pride in your work.
   
   
6. Be creative! Think about ways to make the reader excited about your writing. Try different writing styles.
   
   
7. Add juicy words! Descriptive words will bring your story to life.
   
   
8. Bring your characters to life. Give the reader a reason to care about them. Think about your audience. Will they care or connect to your writing?
   
   
9. Have a sizzling beginning. Start your story with an action sequence or something that will get the reader's attention quickly and make them want to read more.
   
   
10. Read more and write more! Good writers should read a lot and good readers should write a lot. They are deeply interconnected. They go hand in hand.

Good advice, Jamie. We hope your tips can help more of our aspiring young writers at CIS get published!