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Sabina from Syracuse, New York USA wrote on November 19, 2015
Dear author of the wonderful short story "Old Glory",
in my eighth grade ELA class, we are learning how to write short stories and I can't think of any ideas because I think that every story has been written down and there aren't any more to be written. People in my class are writing stories based on others that they've read and they're all similar. I want to write something entirely different something people will learn a lesson out of. But again, I can't think of any idea. How do you come up with all these great stories like the one we read today, "Old Glory", and how did you realize that you had the talent to write???
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Sabrina -

Oh, there are always more stories to write. For a story like "Old Glory" think about what irritates you in the current news. Right now I could probably write a story about how dreadfully we are responding to the crisis of the Syrian refugees.

Watch the news. See what disturbs you. Then use that as a springboard for your stories!

BC
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