One way to become a better writer is to read a lot. When you read a range of books, you can learn from different authors' styles. You can see what sort of words they use and expand your vocabulary and knowledge of English. You can also do research about writers on the internet or from books. When you have collected enough information, you could write a profile of the author.
If you are lucky, you might even meet an author. Sometimes, when authors visit schools, you can conduct an interview with them. Before talking to an author, it is a good idea to prepare a list of questions to ask.
Useful questions include how the author began writing. You could ask them how they plan their writing and when and where they write. Authors enjoy being asked about their books. Read the interview below.
Interview with an author
Anne Fine wants to encourage all children to read books. She should know what she is talking about. Fine is the author of more than 40 books, mostly for young readers, that have won numerous prizes, including the prestigious Carnegie medal and the Whitbread Children's Novel Award.
Fine, who is now a grandmother, recently spent two years as children's chief poet in the UK and enjoyed being able to promote greater access to literature especially for visually-impaired young people.
Her latest book, Frozen Billy, which was published in September last year, is the first one she has set in the past. 'I chose the late-Victorian world of the music hall. It is a rather spooky story about two children, Clarrie and Will, and their uncle who is a brilliant ventriloquist.'
