CHILDREN have been inspired to follow their dreams of becoming writers after an author visited their school.

Author James Campbell told Year 7 students at New Rickstones Academy in Witham that the beauty of being a writer is you can start at any age.

The writer behind the Boyface series of books spent a day giving assemblies and holding creative writing workshops.

He told students: “If you want to be a writer, then you can. One of the best things about being a writer is you do not have to wait until you grow up.

"You just need a pen, a piece of a paper or a notebook. You do not need to be anyone special or from a posh area to be a writer.”

In his Upside Town workshops, he got students creating story maps based on themselves and their own lives, encouraging them to then expand and twist the truth to create stories.

He said: “My stories are best when they are about things which have actually happened to me. I see things that happen to me as really brilliant stories. "Stop trying to write stories about things you don’t understand, like special effects, and write your stuff; they are the real stories.”

Librarian Sam Weatherley said: “James has been brilliant with the students.

"He is so funny and had them in stitches.

“They may think writing is boring, but James has shown them it is fun and interesting.”