ASPIRING authors got to learn from the work of a best seller during a special visit.

Bali Rai, who has written novels for young adults, visited Highworth Warneford School as part of the seventh annual Swindon Youth Festival of Literature.

He spoke to pupils about his work and the process of creative writing.

Deb Tremblin, learning resource centre manager at Highworth Warneford, said: “Bali captured their attention, pointing out that we are naturally very curious, or nosey, creatures.

“Great stories ignite that curiosity by creating questions in the readers’ minds at the very start of the story, thus creating an empathetic link between you the reader and the character.

“If this connection doesn’t happen quickly, you probably won't like the book.”

Students found the visit inspiring, educational and entertaining, she said.

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Pupils from schools from across Swindon pitted their wits against each other as part of a book quiz

Earlier in the day, pupils from all 11 secondary schools in Swindon sent teams to the Dorcan Academy to test their literary knowledge.

And despite a fiercely competitive quiz war over words, home advantage proved vital, with Dorcan coming out on top, with Highworth Warneford and The Ridgeway School tying for second place.

Fiona Hardcastle, learning centre manager at Dorcan and festival coordinator, said the school was delighted to triumph in the battle for book bragging rights, which featured a range of rounds to test the most knowledgable of wordly-wise youngsters.

But she said there was no favouritism in the result.

“The quiz has been running for seven years and we (Dorcan) have never won before,” she said.

“It did get quite competitive but it was really good.

“There is always such a brilliant atmosphere and the children seem to really enjoy it.”

Among the testers on offer was a music round, featuring the theme songs from movies based on novels, as well as rounds dedicated to authors Liz Pichon and Tom Gates.

The winning team took away a special trophy and book tokens, while the second-placed teams received books for their collections, which were provided by Bower and Bailey Solicitors, of Swindon, through sponsorship.