TFK Kid Reporter Dahlia Suiter spoke with the writer of Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink.

    You just said that you didn't think you'd become a writer. Why?

    I didn't know what I would be. There were times when I wanted to be a scientist. I loved reading about biology.

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    I never thought about writing stories for adults (成年人). It was always for children because when I was a child, books were so important to me.

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    Revision(修改) is my favorite part. If I can add (增加) something surprising at the same time, I'm happy about that, too.

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    Writing is hard, and if you're not having fun with it, why do it? "Save ( 保存) what you write" is very important because you may need it. You may need that part you cut.

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    I hope the book will open up new places to go with writing.

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    Yes. Writing can be a good way to discover (发现) yourself. You learn about yourself when you write. Writing also slows your thinking down, and you can make discoveries and go places that you don't expect.

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    After you get back home from a trip, one of the most pleasant things is sharing your stories with people. And that's what we'd like you to do. Our magazine's “True Stories” section is for your strange experiences, heart-warming tales and funny stories on your trip. So if you have good stories, please write to us!

    If your story is chosen as the best one, you will win the nine-day trip across North America, including a seven-night trip along the California coast. For more information, please call 800-227-2826, or e-mail us at TrueStories@hotmail.com.

    Besides, you need to remember a few things if you want to write a story:

    Keep the story brief (简短的) and lively (within 250 words).

    Please send your story as the body of your e-mail, not as an attachment (附件).

    Most of the stories we print have photos, so send pictures, but try not to go crazy. Send only the best one(s).

    Please send your photos as an attachment, not embedded in (把……嵌入) the body of your e-mail.

    We don't mind if you or your friends are in the pictures, as long as you tell us who or what is in the photos.

    We need to be able to get in touch with you, so tell us your phone number and home address.

    Sport is very popular in England. In other words lots of English people like the idea of sport A lot watch sport on TV. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} On the whole English people prefer to be fat rather than thin.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Football is played on Saturday afternoon in most towns and the supporters (支持者) of a certain team will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their teams play. There are four divisions(级别)of the football league. Not surprisingly the best teams are in the first division. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} You have to be a good supporter to watch the fourth division football!

    Many other sports are also played in England, such as golf, in which you try to knock a ball into a hole; basketball, in which you try to get a ball through a net; tennis, in which you try to hit a ball so that your opponent(对手) can not hit it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    Actually(其实), that is not quite true. Athletics(田径) isn't played with a ball; nor horseracing ( 赛马 ). {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Today taxis are very common in cities all around the world. While London is world- famous for its special back taxis, New York's yellow taxis are also well- known all over the world. How about the taxis in Mumbai, India? Before a project (项目)named Taxi Fabric, taxis got little public attention. But now things are different because some of them have changed their common looks. Artist Sanket Avlani started the project last year with some other artists. He said," Taxi drivers here try hard to decorate(装饰）their taxis and make them stand out from others, but they usually pay little attention to the insides of their taxis. "He hopes to use his art project to connect young designers(设计师）with taxi drivers." The designs that cover the taxi seats are often boring and forgettable ,but they can be improved with the help of designers in Mumbai.

    Last summer the project raised over £l1, 000, and they invited local designers to create different designs inside the taxis. All the designs are about Mumbai. The designers are local but they got their ideas from all around the world. So far they've created 26 different designs, which make the insides of Mumbai's taxis as colorful as the views from their windows. Taxi Fabric is now hoping to spread to other cities in India. They are also inviting designers from all over India to take part in the project and planning to redesign buses, trains and subways besides taxis.

    It's normal for you to feel shy and nervous when you are in the new environment. It's natural to feel nervous, or shy in front of others at times. If you think you are too shy and want to be a little more active, try the following advice.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There is no need to hide it. When people get to know you are a shy person, they may understand you better. It will also help you feel easier in talks.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When you smile, people will think you're friendly and want to talk with you. Remember that all people have feelings and most people will stay away from an angry-looking face.

You shouldn't keep quiet at a party all the time. If you find it hard to start a talk, you can say something nice about people around you. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It must be very helpful for you to start a talk! And after you begin to talk to someone or smile at someone for the first time, remember to say "I did it!" to yourself.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Think about more ways to enjoy the party and have fun. Don't waste time worrying about your look or whether all people like you or not.

    If you keep trying the advice, you may not be shy in the new environment one day. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

The story of the magazine

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    When you look at the different kinds of colorful magazines in the shops (and online) today, it's easy to think that they are a modern idea. However, magazines have been around since the 18th century and they have been an important part of people's daily lives for hundreds of years.

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    One of the earliest magazines was The Gentleman's Magazine which was started in London in 1731 by a man called Edward Cave. He was the first person to use the word "magazine" about a regular publication. The word comes from the Arabic makhzan or storehouse. His idea was that his magazine was a storehouse, or place that you could keep information about many different things.

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    Magazines became more popular in the 19th century. They gave people tips to help them with their daily lives, and they often had serialized(系列的) stories which gave the readers a new episode every week. Each part finished at a very exciting point in the story. Famous writers such as Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created serialized novels for magazines.

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    One very important serialized novel was Hard Times by Dickens. It came out in 20 weekly parts between 1 April and 12 August 1854 in the magazine Household Words. This magazine was very good value and it was a cheap way for readers to buy a version of a novel.

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    Soap operas on TV today are often similar to the serialized novels. These old stories have often been made into modern films or TV series and they are still popular with modern audiences because they are so exciting.