Why Aiyven and Kirsten are Happier Every Chapter Sisters Aiyven (age 12) and Kirsten (age 13) both love writing stories and both published debut novels in 2020. Families talks to them to find out more about their writing and their achievements. What made you start writing stories? Our parents read stories to us every night when we were young, which opened up whole new worlds to us. From around the age of 4 or 5, we were folding pieces of paper into cards and writing stories inside them - and just never stopped! What do you like best about writing stories? The best thing is how in a few hours, a new universe can sprout out of thin air. How many stories have you written? A lot of our early stories were on laptops we don’t have anymore but every month we write short stories for our book subscription box. Over time, we’ve written at least thirty stories each. That’s excluding our books. Which is your favourite? A: My favourite short story is Scapegoat Kid. It’s about a boy called Tom whose parents are splitting up. As the oldest of many children, he finds all of the responsibility turns to him. Tom becomes distant from the people closest to him and falls in with the wrong crowd. I feel it is one of my most powerful short stories. I think that even if people haven’t experienced the situations that occur in the story, they’d feel just as touched. K: So far, my favourite short story is Life in the Kennel which is about a girl called Elizabeth... but not a human girl. Elizabeth is different, she has wings sprouting from her back and claws
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instead of feet. Because of her differences she is imprisoned in what she calls The Kennel. It was such fun to write and I almost felt like I was going through life in the kennel with Lizzie! Do you work together on stories or write them separately? We each write separate short stories although occasionally we’ll share ideas and give each other tips. Do you make a plan for your stories before you write? When we were younger, we often just typed whatever came to mind, which can result in an unusual plot and a storyline that doesn’t flow very well. Now, we plan the beginning, buildup, climax, resolution and ending. Once you have those five factors planned, it’s just a matter of connecting the dots. Tell us about the books you have published A: My book is called Land of the Nurogons: The Zest for Quest. It tells the story of a young boy called Hayden who lives a relatively normal life, until the day he plummets through a black hole into a parallel dimension, Nurogonia. The world
is faced with the threat of being taken over by a scandalous man, and it is up to Hayden and a few of his friends to overcome him. K: My book, Sagas of Anya, is a historical fiction novel which follows the life of a young Welsh girl. When her mother tragically dies from a long term illness and her father turns to drink as a coping mechanism, Anya is forced to move to Victorian era London. The London life isn’t all glitz and glam however, as she comes to terms with the hardships of living as a scullery maid. Any advice for other children who’d like to start writing? A: Manage your time as well as possible. You have plenty of time to produce a good piece of writing, no one is rushing you. Prioritise the most important things first, like getting your homework done. You’ll be happier and freer to write that way. K: Plan or plot the rough idea in your head before jumping straight into your story. Also, I find it quite constricting to have a set title as it means your story must follow what your title is. It will be easier once the story is finished.
Aiyven and Kirsten launched their Happier Ever Chapter monthly subscription box in November 2020, promoting reading for pleasure, literacy and diversity among their peers aged 8 to 14 (www.mbawabooks.co.uk). Each box includes two bestselling books (one being diverse), two short stories written by the girls, activity sheets and 4-6 lifestyle items. They also offer boxes for younger readers aged 4 to 7.
Email: editor@familiestvw.co.uk
Families Thames Valley West • 13
