Young Writers, Big Ideas…
- carolineboxall
- Jun 7
- 2 min read
What do a lonely penguin, a courageous pear and the dancers of Souli have in common?
Dear Readers,
Something exciting is on the horizon—and it’s not just the next Ember Enigma twist (although that is coming soon too!)
Over the last few months, I’ve had the enormous privilege of judging the Crazy Creatives Short Story Competition—a challenge I set for young writers aged 9–13. And wow. The imagination these young people unleashed was nothing short of astonishing.
There were blue diamonds, a cursed doll and a secret key - not to mention a princess called...Caroline :) One story had me laughing out loud, while another left me welling up.
But it wasn’t just reading. I’ve spent a fair amount of time editing, formatting, and helping bring these stories to life—because the winners will soon be published in a real paperback, available to buy on Amazon. And yes, it looks brilliant.
For each story, I've created a pen and ink drawing that appears at the beginning of each story and on the front cover.
As a writer, it’s been strangely lovely stepping into a different role for a while—cheerleader, editor, champion of the next generation of storytellers.
In the next email, I’ll be announcing the winners and sharing some of the standout story moments. Trust me—you’re going to want to read what these children have come up with. They’re clever, funny, scary and wonderfully weird.
Until then, thank you—as always—for supporting stories, books, and the power of imagination.
Best wishes,
Caroline
P.S. If you’ve got a young writer in your life, tell them to sharpen their pencils. I’ll be running another competition very soon…
Best wishes,
Caroline Boxall
Author, Teacher & Head of the Crazy Creatives Club ✍️
Thanks Neelam!
New book due out at the end of the month - the third in the Ember Enigma series :)
Dear Caroline,
It's amazing how you're encouraging and supporting young writers. Keep up the good work with your Creative Writing Competition. Looking forward to reading the results! (And to your own next publishings!).