In March 2000 the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) launched a new national writing competition for schools, Write Here, Write Now. Open to Year 4 and 5 pupils, the aim of the competition was to improve writing skills in support of the National Literacy Strategy, and fire children's enthusiam for, and confidence in, writing. Four professional writers, Jacqueline Wilson, Roger McGough, Alan Ayckbourn and Phil Redmond each wrote the start of a story, poem, play or film/TV script and the children then followed on from these opening lines to complete the work. The result is Write Here, Write Now: A Celebration of Children's Writing - a wonderful collection of the winning entries in each genre.

* National Winner, ** National runner-up, Teacher's National Awards for Improvement Winner STORIES No Normal Day Manic Monday Academic Animals ** Clean-up What a Weird Day New Delhi Wizards Gorgeous Graffiti The Seymour Attack * What is That? The Tank PLAYSCRIPTS The Riddle of the Warehouse Jurassic Monopoly Lost in the Game The Journey of the Block Game Trap Remember, It's Only a Game! Into the Future The Murder of Doctor Black Hagem * POEMS Colourless ** Mystery Man A Stranger Called This Morning The Colour Thief A Rainbow of Colours Black and White Adapted for Colour * A Stranger Called The Colour Thief The Stranger at the End of the Rainbow The Colour Collector FILM / TV SCRIPTS The Ghost that Lost His Hand Voyage Operation Get Rid of Gran The Blind Date * Payback Time! Blake's Magical Mistake The Holographic Parents The Day We Blew Up the Toaster Outside School