After writing more than one hundred books, it still amazes me that I have been lucky enough to spend most of my life doing what I truly love: writing.

What makes a writer? The desire to tell a story, a love of language, an eye for detail, practice, practice, practice. How well should you know your characters? Do you need to outline before you write? How important is length? Now Walter Dean Myers, the new National Ambassador for Young People''s Literature and New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, walks you through the writing process.

Includes:

Examples from his writing and reading experiences

Walter''s six-box and four-box outlines for writing fiction and nonfiction

Excerpted pages from Walter''s own notebooks

An afterword by Ross Workman, Walter''s teen coauthor of kick

Writing tips from both Walter and Ross

Anyone can be a writer, with a little help from Walter Dean Myers!