Can you write the story of the year for six to nine year olds?

The Independent/ Scholastic Story of the Year Competition, now in its sixth successful year, aims to encourage top writing for the very difficult to please six- to nine-year-old age group.

To help you meet the challenge, some of our most successful novelists and scriptwriters will be explaining how they set about writing a page- turning narrative.

This week, Jilly Cooper, international bestselling author of Riders, Polo and Apassionata, tells Nicole Veash about her approach to storytelling, from her copious research and detailed outlines to the vital ingredients of a good love story, characterisation and humour.