Happy Birthday, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley!

How does a story begin? Sometimes it unfolds with a dream as seen in the opening of Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein. Growing up, I got into trouble a lot for daydreaming. I was excited to discover that the author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was just like me with imagining stories in her head. She also loved to read even as a young girl. Imagine becoming the next Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, R. L. Stine or your favorite author!

Learn more about Shelley's life and how she got her inspiration to write her most famous book, Frankenstein with Mary Shelley. Did you know that Shelley was only 18 years old when she wrote her first and most famous book? People didn't believe that a young girl could write such a story that is now over 200 years old!

You are never too young to start writing your own stories. Check out some of my favorite sources of inspiration with these books.

Are you a fan of the graphic novels, Smile and Drama? Telgemeier started sketching out stories as a young girl. Check out her secrets to telling your own story with Share your Smile.

Author of the Joey Pigza series and other popular kids' books, Jack Gantos shows kids how you can use your journal writing to create stories in Writing Radar. Cool fact: he kept a journal growing up.

Spilling Ink is the perfect handbook for aspiring writers that takes you step-by-step through the writing process.

Growing up, I wanted to be the next Judy Blume. What author would you love to grow up to be like?