For parents, writers and readers
Whether you're choosing what to read with your child tonight, or you've a story of your own you've always meant to write, this is where to start. Honest, practical things, gathered with care.
For parents · Reading guides
Children don't read the same way at three as they do at ten. These are warm, honest guides to what helps at each stage — and how Becoming's stories meet a child exactly where they are.
Ages 2–4 · Toddler
Short, warm and full of repetition — the very first stories, where naming the world is the whole adventure.
Read the guide →Ages 5–6 · Reception
Clear, satisfying tales with a little room to be brave — for the child beginning to follow the words themselves.
Read the guide →Ages 7–9 · Independent
Real friends, real fairness and choices that matter — for a reader who can hold a longer, deeper story.
Read the guide →Ages 10–11 · Year 5–6
Stories with real weight — change, keeping and growing up — for a child at the door of something new.
Read the guide →On trust
How Becoming uses AI — and how it doesn't. A straight answer for any parent wary of those two words together.
Read the note →For adult writers
Whether you're starting your first novel or going deeper into the craft, these are resources worth your time — honest, practical, and genuinely good.
Community · Courses
A UK-based writing community built by writers, for writers — free online retreats, flash fiction events, and short courses. Warm, practical and unstuffy.
writershq.co.uk →Craft · Video lectures
The bestselling author put his full university creative-writing course on YouTube for free — character, plot, world-building and the business of writing.
brandonsanderson.com →Courses · Prompts
Free ten-day email courses on every aspect of writing and publishing, taught by working editors and authors, plus weekly writing prompts.
reedsy.com/learning →Podcast · Publishing
Joanna Penn covers the full journey from blank page to readers, with a calm, practical honesty that cuts through the noise.
thecreativepenn.com →Essays · Culture
Essays on craft, interviews with authors, and writing that takes literature seriously. A daily read for anyone who loves books.
lithub.com →Craft · Advice
The Guardian's celebrated series where authors from Hilary Mantel to Neil Gaiman share the rules they write by. Contradictory and illuminating.
Read the series →For younger writers
For children and teenagers who want to put their own words on the page — the best prompts, competitions and communities out there.
Prompts · Daily
A new writing prompt every day of the year, built around a striking photograph. Works brilliantly at home or in a classroom.
pobble.com →Competitions · Community
Running competitions for children and teenagers since 1990. Stories and poems get published in real anthologies. Free to enter.
youngwriters.co.uk →Visual prompts
Short films and images that invite young writers into a story before a word is written. Beautifully curated by theme.
literacyshed.com →Community · Competitions
A global writing community for teenagers, with monthly competitions judged by published authors and peer feedback. Free to join.
writetheworld.org →Tips · Inspiration
Warm, practical writing advice for different ages, written by authors who remember what it was like to start.
booktrust.org.uk →Literacy · Resources
Reading lists, activity packs and research-backed guidance on building a genuine love of reading and writing in young people.
literacytrust.org.uk →When you're ready
Writing your own story takes courage and time. Sometimes you just want to be inside one. Your child's is waiting — a whole world to step into, one choice at a time.
Begin your story