Come and have a look at my tips for creating a book with your toddler over on Today’s Parent. It’s a fun way for you as a writer to try something crafty and new with words, even if you don’t have a toddler to hand!

Using your favourite character from a novel or story, write a brand new scene where they might appear.  Perhaps the scene could be from this character’s life before the novel began, or after i is long finished… or perhaps you’d rather put your favourite character somewhere entirely new and unexpected.

How do they react to the change in circumstances?

What is it about this character that makes you want to write about them?

Today give yourself exactly one hour to write.  Start the clock and don’t get up from your desk until the hour is up.  No cheating by slipping onto Twitter or Facebook… this hour is for writing (or staring at a blank screen) only.