This sounds so simple, but I cannot emphasize it enough. Reading is essential fuel for a young writer. By reading good books, you will nurture your mind and imagination while very quietly building your skill set. You will gain insight into new topics, possible subjects, timeless themes, and how different authors approach plot, character development, and the use of language.Try your hand at a wide variety of content - fiction, non-fiction, "popcorn" books, and more serious literature. Your writing will improve.

Most stories follow a dramatic structure and you'll save yourself a lot of headaches if you spend some time thinking about yours. While many readers will readily acknowledge that a book has a "beginning, a middle, and an end," sometimes writers forget to plan these out beforehand. If your story involves some drama, then you'll need to:

1. Introduce us to your setting and characters
2. Put some sort of conflict into the characters' lives
3. Show how your characters address these conflicts
4. Share the outcome with your audience

It sounds so simple, but I've heard editors gripe about writers who begin a tale with no real sense of where it's going. There are award-winning, bestselling authors whose books periodically baffle me - stories that begin with such a promising premise and interesting characters only to implode toward the conclusion as the author madly tries to bring a long, meandering tale to a close. In my mind, that's a structure issue - the author became so enamored with developing characters or exploring a theme that they allowed the structure to sag, compromising its integrity or sense of proportion. Spend some quality time planning out the narrative arc of your story and you'll reap the benefits throughout.

Very few people become emotionally attached to a plot. Readers become attached to characters and the worlds those characters inhabit. I can read Sherlock Holmes stories again and again despite the fact that I already know the mystery's conclusion. The reason is because I'm very fond of Holmes and Watson and their comfortable rooms on Baker Street. A clever writer can construct a plot that keeps readers turning pages, but unless the characters are truly compelling, the book will be a one-time read.

So, how does one craft compelling characters? I've seen writers handle this a variety of ways. Some choose to provide you with little biographical snapshots when you meet a character; others reveal the details and quirks of a character over time. Ultimately, a reader needs to be able to picture the characters, empathize with them, and (most importantly) care about what happens in their lives. This holds true for villains as well as heroes. List a few of your favorite characters that you've come across and take a minute to ask yourself why they resonate with you. What techniques did the writer use? Did you want to be that character? Did that character make you feel safe or empowered? Do you associate that character with a particularly appealing time or place? Do you feel that the character is a dear friend? This last dynamic is a particularly powerful one. When I pick up Moby Dick or The Lord of the Rings or Lonesome Dove, I feel as though I'm attending a reunion of old friends and that's why they'll always have a place on my bedside table.

One of the really inspiring thing about art is that it's such an intrinsically human thing - a person's passion, soul, and skill that's been channeled into a piece of prose, or a drawing, or a poem. It's one of the most powerful things on this planet and has moved people to laughter, tears, rage, love, and everything in between. To do this, however, the art has to be genuine - it must truly reflect something in its creator. A generic piece of art - something that could have been created by anyone - will never have this effect.

While others may write similar kinds of stories, I'm quite confident nobody else could create The Tapestry. It is the byproduct of who I am and the experiences I've accumulated at this point in my life. Vyes were born in childhood nightmares; the Bahai Temple was a landmark from my childhood; my family actually makes popovers every Christmas morning. In short, there's a little bit of me (actually, a lot of me) woven throughout the story. My sister, in particular, will comment on this - I'll get a call and she'll laugh and say she knows exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote a particular scene or snippet of dialogue. She's often right and I find those moments to be a reassuring indicator that my tale is very Henry.

My tale - its tone, language, themes, characters, and many of its details are very much a product of who I am. Your best work will be a tale that only you could tell. Think about the things that have defined who you are at this stage of your life - your experiences, values, triumphs, failures, fears, hopes, people, places, culture, language, etc. - and try to incorporate them into your story. It will lend flavor and authenticity to your work and transform a generic tale into something with a bit of soul.

Note that I didn't just say 'get feedback' because the temptation will be to show your work to a parent or close friend who will look to reinforce you rather than react to your story. While "it's really good!" is nice to hear, it won't make your story any better and that is after all, the goal. The goal is meaningful feedback - constructive criticism that will make your work better.

The first step is to actually solicit some feedback. This is a tough thing to do as it can make you feel very vulnerable. After all, you've poured a bit of your soul onto a page and it can be exceedingly difficult to invite commentary on something so personal. The big worry is that someone will not like your work or - even worse - ridicule it and/or you. It's a natural fear, but let me let you in on a little secret:

Not everyone will like your work.

Ahhh...it's a bitter pill to swallow, but that's the way it is given the fact that our little planet is populated by billions of people with different tastes, perspectives, values, and means of communicating all the above. When I visit schools and speak with students about their writing, I often conduct a little experiment. I'll ask those students who love Harry Potter to raise their hands. Many do. I'll then ask those students who despise Harry Potter to raise their hands. Alas for Ms. Rowling, many hands go into the air. Now JK Rowling one of the most popular, successful authors of all time and yet here we are in a school auditorium with many students saying they don't like her books. Should Rowling storm off to her room, slam the door, and vow never to write again because some readers don't like her work? Of course not. And neither should you.

So now that you're actually willing to share your work, I'd encourage you to share it with people who will really take the time to read it and react. Instead of simply asking your reader whether or not they "liked it", enable them to make more constructive criticism. You can do this by having them comment on specific aspects of the story, such as character development, the plot, the use of language, etc. Specifically, ask them how you can improve these areas. By phrasing the request in this way, you empower the person who is giving you feedback (by letting them know you value their input and that it's okay to offer suggestions) and you have given them specific tasks rather than a general request that can be fulfilled with a generic compliment. Little tweaks like these can make all the difference when it comes to feedback. Some specific areas in which you might invite comments and suggestions are:

• The overall concept
• Plot development
• Pacing
• Character development
• Language and writing style

The final tip when it comes to feedback is that you ultimately decide what should be done with it. You're the artist. Just because someone makes a suggestion, does not mean you're obligated to follow it. Some suggestions are great, while others will miss the mark. You may even choose to discard some outstanding suggestions because they would change the tone or direction of your work. Ultimately, some things are simply a matter of taste and you'll have to make a call. The goal is to solicit good feedback that will improve your work and stimulate your growth as a writer and artist. The goal is not to try and please everybody - critic or reader. If you embrace feedback as an important part of the creative process, you'll become a much better writer or artist in a much shorter period of time. I promise!