Inspirational story-writing tips from top authors
Please note entries for 500 Words 2019 have now closed.
鈥500 Words鈥 is the UK鈥檚 most successful short story-writing competition for children between the ages of 5 and 13.
This edited Live Lesson, which was originally streamed live to schools at the launch of the 2019 competition, is designed to inspire children to come up with their own imaginative short stories.
In the programmme, 500 Words judges and authors Charlie Higson and Frank Cottrell-Boyce and author and illustrator Elys Dolan share top tips and attempt to write a whole 500 Words story in the space of a single Live Lesson.
There's also a special guest appearance from top author and comedian David Walliams.
Content and resources for this Live Lesson are tailored for both 5 - 7 year olds and for ages 7 and up.
Find out more about '500 Words' and the 2019 winning stories on the .
Please note that we are no longer reviewing emails and messages from schools for inclusion in the lesson.
How to use this resource
Check out our lesson guide for teachers and print out the student activity sheets below.
Have a look at some helpful
Watch again: 500 Words 2023 鈥 Live Lesson. video
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Charlie Higson and Francesca Simon share their story-writing tips in this Live Lesson for primary schools.
Tips and advice on teaching creative writing. video
Advice, discussion and creative writing teaching ideas especially for teachers from our panel of specialists
Read our Live Lesson story here
A chance to read the story written by our star authors with help from schools all around the UK
