The room was packed for The Story Museum's How To Write For Children event, which was unsurprising; Oxford is a hotbed of active and aspiring children's writers, and the panel was made up of some of the leading lights in the industry. Featuring publisher David Fickling, agent James Catchpole, author Cas Lester, and chaired by the co-founder of new publishing company Knights Of, David Stevens, the evening promised to be chock-full of advice and knowledge for authors, and it definitely delivered.

The event was split into three rough sections, covering each of the panellists' roles in the process of making a children's book; writing, agenting, and publishing. Each of the speakers had plenty to contribute to each section, though, and were up-front and honest about what it takes to be a successful children's author - namely, 'begin with a bloody good idea' (Lester) and 'start, go on, and finish' (Fickling). They discussed the need to have a strong and compelling voice in your writing, and the equally important need to be a person who'll deliver - not just on the first book you get accepted, but on all the ones that come after.

The audience was rapt throughout the discussion, partly due to the wealth of information and advice that was being divulged, and partly because of the panel's dynamic - while some of them clearly knew each other better than others, they quickly fell into an easy and witty rapport that kept the conversation bouncing along. The Story Museum was the perfect setting for the talk, with artists' impressions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland watching from the walls. I left How To Write For Children enthused and determined to 'go on and finish' my own book, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one.