Amanda B asked Alwyn Hamilton:

I discovered your book "Rebel of the Sands" today, read it in one sitting, and fell in love. Your writing style is beautiful and your characters felt so real - and this is everything I admire in a writer. So I was wondering, what do you think makes a book good? I have recently written a novel, and being a 14 yr old, I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but I would like to know what you think makes a book good!

Alwyn Hamilton Thank you so much! Very glad you loved the book. And congratulations on finishing a book! Finishing is the first step.

It's hard to say what makes a good book because it's so subjective but I think the key for the story is to write about things that YOU want to write about, a story, and characters, and scenes that you are excited about. If you are passionate about it, it will shine through.

As for making the WRITING good, just a lot of practice. Read lots, and keep writing. It's just like playing a sport or an instrument, the more you do it the better at it you become. And if you need to, find outside people to read it for your critically.

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