Read. Read every day. Read different types of writing and books by new authors. Readers and writers go together. The best way to understand the craft of writing is to explore all the different ways that a story can be told.

Write it down! The most important thing about writing is the words on the page. Until you start writing down the words, you don't have a story, you only have an idea.

Look around you. If you're stuck for an idea, try and look at the people and places around you with fresh eyes. The world is an amazing place and it's full of incredible stories.

Daydream. The more thought you put into a story, the more elements from the real world and from your imagination that you bring to it, the more powerful it will be.

Don't give up. Everybody gets stuck sometimes. When I get really stuck in the middle of a story, I skip ahead and write a later scene. Then I go back and fill in the missing pieces. Have faith that if you persist, your story will come together in the end.

Read your drafts out loud. If you're too shy to read your story to someone else, read it to the mirror. Your ear is the best editor you will ever meet.