Thousands of young people are feeling inspired to write and publish their own stories on community writing website Movellas.com.

The site provides a platform for children and young people, without restrictions regarding age or experience, to write stories or even whole novels, read other people’s stories for free, and comment on what they have read.

Originally started in Denmark, Movellas was officially launched in the UK at the end of July and now has about 20,000 daily users. In the 30 days leading up to 23 August alone, the company’s statistics revealed young people had spent 100,000 hours reading and writing on the site, one million books has been opened and 100,000 comments posted.

Fan fiction books are among the most popular categories, with 4,500 publications in that 30-day period - including 2,000 on boy band One Direction. And some aspiring young writers have gained an established fan base on the website: “Jodemeister”, aged 16, has so far received 8,000 comments, and her 31 Movellas have had 110,000 “reads”.

The site’s popularity may be down to its combination of a love for stories and modern technology. A poll by Movellas also revealed that 72 per cent of children and young people felt they did not get to be “creative enough” in school.

More than nine in 10 of the over-500 12- to 18-year-olds questioned in the poll this summer said the internet and social media had helped them to be more creative by opening their eyes to new experiences, and 89 per cent said teachers could learn from social media. Over 90 per cent of them said creative writing had helped them to express their feelings, although 87 per cent said that was not considered “cool”.

www.movellas.com.