We originally created our story jars to help with making homemade bedtime stories. However, we have noticed that lots of folk have been using them to write stories with, so together with our own kids, we decided to design and launch story writing notebooks. It’s been a delight to see so many of your small folk bring the characters to life in their own unique way by writing stories using the story cards from Magical Story Jars as a framework.

Last Spring we ran a story writing competition in collaboration with the festival of words, What’s Your Story Chorley?, enabling kids to use story cards from the adventure themed Magical Story Jar as a framework for their story. We thought it might be nice to interview one of the winners and find out more about what makes them tick. So without further ado, here are some fun facts, writing tips and lots more from Arista, whose beautifully written short story ‘Enlighten Me’, won second place in the 11-13 year age group.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name, of course, is Arista. I have two adorable little rabbits, one called Tuli (it means paintbrush) and the other called Gulgul (nicknamed fatso!) I love mystery or crime books and to write songs. I also like to draw and paint and love making animation using my own stories. A fun fact a lot of people don't know about me, is that I like costumes and dressing up. It's lovely to see how your book characters would look like in real life!

What made you want to enter the Magical Story Jars Super Story Writing Competition?

I wanted to enter because the story cards we needed to use sounded fun, and I was interested to see how such random things could come together in a story.

Who is your favourite book illustrator?

Nick Sharatt, who has illustrated books for the likes of Jacqueline Wilson, Julia Donaldson and Jeremy Strong.

What were the most enjoyable parts of creating your winning story; Enlighten Me?

Making up the anagrams! The name, 'Glein Theem' was really funny to make!

*A note for younger story makers. An anagram is when the letters of a word or phrase get jumbled up to spell out something quite different. For instance, exactly the same letters can spell out the words "listen" and "silent"

What do you do when you are writing and you begin to feel stuck?

I like to take a break and come back to it after a little while. I tend to leave it and then my writing flow takes hold again.

What problems do you want to solve during your time here?

I would like to be a better storyline guide. Abrupt and sudden changes in scene are one of my weaknesses. I'd like to be able to switch scenes more swiftly and one day to become a bestselling author.

What do you like most about your Magical Story Jar?

I loved the story cards. I am currently writing a story with them right now.

How did you feel when you were notified you had won the competition?

I was in disbelief! I was extremely happy.

Do you have any top tips you would like to give to other kids wanting to write fantastic stories?

Don't try too hard - your story will end up sounding forced and fake.
Figure out what will happen at the start, middle and end of the story before writing it. This'll help you along the way.
Lastly, give great personalities to your characters. In some cases, characters are more memorable than the story itself.

Who is your favourite book author and what is your favourite story?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling or Warrior Cats The Darkest Hour by Erin Hunter. I can’t pick one between these two.

Just for fun….would you rather run through a forest of candyfloss or bounce on a trampoline filled with jelly?!

Run through a forest of candy floss, of course! Bouncing on a jelly trampoline sounds too messy and sticky for me.

Here at Magical Story Jars we really do think Arista is an author in the making! To figure out the anagram 'Glein Theem' read Arista’s story here. We’re very thankful to Arista for taking the time to participate in the interview and pass on some story writing tips to other fantastic folks like you.

Enjoy your run through the candy floss forest and keep on writing and illustrating Arista!

Beth and Co x

Being Creative With Magical Story Jars - A Question and Answer With Author Arista