Third grade was a special year for Margie Palatini. She remembers, “That was the year I had a teacher who told me I was talented and who nurtured my talent.” As a kid, Palatini made books and produced plays. “I could draw,” she says, “and I communicated my stories through pictures, or I made plays and acted them out.” Because Palatini never actually wrote out the words to her stories, she didn’t consider herself a writer. Looking back on it now, she realizes her books and plays were part of her creative process. “Creativity has to have a soul,” says Palatini, and role-playing gave her the foundation she needed to develop plot and character—essential story elements. [Read the rest of Margie’s profile.]