Plots

There's nothing worse than a teacher saying, Write a story.

Your heart sinks, your imagination goes off on holiday, and you spend an hour writing rubbish. How can anyone expect you to just come up with an exciting plot for a story without a chance to think about it? What's worse, you're surrounded by other people. I doubt if there are any authors who could work in a crowded room. What do authors do when they need some ideas? They go for a walk, sit in the bath, pop down to the pub, or take a plane to Los Angeles.
(I dare you to ask your teacher if you can do one of those things. Or, if you really want to get into trouble, ask her how she would like to spend the next hour sitting next to Sniffy Smithy trying to write a best-seller.)

Don't panic. The task isn't as impossible as it seems. If your teacher doesn't give you any ideas, you'll just need to think up some of your own. It's easy. Honestly, it is.

All you have to do is close your eyes and think of something. Do it now. Go on. Close your eyes and think of something. I'll do it as well. Press the button when something has popped into your head.