Then I begin to write. I usually have several stories in progress at once. That way if one story stumps me one day, I can work on another one for a while. Once I get a clear vision of one storyline though, I'm reluctant to stop working on that particular book. Maybe you think it's already perfect and you don't want to change a thing.
Authors have to make lots of changes to their stories too.
Before an author's story becomes a book, an editor at the publishing house suggests lots of changes. Sometimes it is easier for someone else like a teacher, who is reading your story for the first time, to notice that something that you didn't. You don't have to make all of the changes your teacher suggests, but remember that your teacher is trying to help, not hurt, your story. So keep your mind open. I first wrote the story for Pen Pals , it was 3 times as long as the published book is.