Did you have an imaginary friend, a made-up world, or a secret game you played alone? Tell me all about it.

A natural way to answer

I created an entire imaginary kingdom under my bed, with its own rules and characters. I'd spend hours there, completely caught up in the story. It was my private little universe, and I think it's where my love of storytelling first took root.

Key phrases to use

• play along — to pretend to agree or go along with something to please someone“I didn't believe him, but I played along.”
• as real as anything — completely real and vivid, despite being imaginary or unlikely“The dream felt as real as anything.”
• caught up in — so involved in something that you forget other things“She got caught up in the excitement.”
• lose yourself in — to become completely absorbed in something, forgetting everything else“I love to lose myself in a good story.”
• lose the plot — to behave in a confused, irrational, or crazy way“I thought he'd completely lost the plot.”