MANY people believe they only have one life and ought to make the most of it.

But children’s author Jo Cotterill is not so sure, and is encouraging young writers in Oxfordshire to live a different life by entering the Ox Tales competition.

The Kidlington writer said the chance to explore an alternative existence is just one of many reasons for 11 to 14-year-old pupils at the county’s secondary schools to get involved in the competition.

Since the contest’s launch two weeks ago students have started composing their entries and exploring stories which must be inspired by a place in Oxfordshire they feel strongly about.

Mrs Cotterill, who has written 23 books for young people, said she would encourage everyone who was eligible to enter to do so.

She said: “Stories are tremendously important because there is a limited amount of life you can live yourself.

“But through stories you can live thousands of lives and that is important to let you find out about yourself and what matters to you.

“You can explore lots of different aspects of yourself.

“For example, exploring the dark side of life in a story is important because it allows you to explore it without it being a reality.”

Ox Tales is run in partnership with the National Literacy Trust (NLT) and the author of the winning 500-word story will receive £50 worth of book vouchers and will get their tale published in the Oxford Mail.

It is open to schools that are taking part in the Oxfordshire Gaining Momentum programme, which is run by the NLT and aims to improve literacy and language skills in every subject area.

Mrs Cotterill, whose novel Looking at the Stars was recently highly commended at the Oxfordshire Book Awards, said: “I gave up writing as a teenager because school did not give me any time or space and did not teach me that creative writing was important or valuable.

“Expressing a story in a written way may be useful in later life if you want to write to your MP or write an application for a job.

“It is so important to be able to express yourself clearly in words.”

Entries in the competition will be judged by Oxfordshire Gaining Momentum ambassador and author Frances Hardinge, as well as representatives from the Oxford Mail, NLT and Oxfordshire County Council.

Mrs Cotterill, who wrote her first story when she was six, encouraged young writers to get involved.

She said: “People get worried that they have to use clever language and lots of vocabulary and for me that is secondary.

“The most important thing for me is understanding what is going on.”