The Special Things You Do To Your Story

A/N: Uh, I don't know if I'm suppose to post today... so I'm going to anyway and I hope that's all right. :)

The Special Things That You Do To Your Story
By: Chelsea

Howdy-hi-hey again, everyone. It’s Chelsea! Let’s begin with this; me and every other author/writer on here take times out of our life to write these articles for the sole purpose of helping young, aspiring writers - you. I hope you get the best out of the articles and like I've already said; we won't make you perfect. Because, frankly, no one is perfect but we can make you the best we can.

Okay, let's get started. When I mean "special things" I mean more of the technical stuff - Wait, don't close out! This is important stuff and I'll make it as painless as I can. The "special things" are like the weird things you do the the actual text; italicizing, bolding, underlining, and just a lesson on sound effect. Yes, sound effects needs a small lesson. Let's dive into the cool stuff to the text.
I'm sure we've all seen the three, famous symbols on any word processing program: the upper-case, black "B", the slanted "I", and the underlined "U". These are important symbols, let's take them one by one!

Italicizing.
We're going to start with the "I" first! Let's refer back to good 'ol dictionary.com for this one. It's always good to start out with the formal definition from the dictionary but then it's also good to get to dumb-down version of it because, believe me, the formal definition is just confusing sometimes. Italicizing: to print in italic type. Now, this is one of the more stubborn definition with the actual word in the definition. Let's save you some confusion; italicizing a word is basically slanting it. It's simple.

Now, what is the purpose of slanting your words? Well, for emphasis; most commonly. I'm sure in at least one of the books you've read that the author has italicized or "slanted" a word of phrase. Normally, if an author does that it is to emphasize the words. Here's an example, and we're also referring back to my past lesson on Dialogue.
"Luke, I am your father." Darth Vader whispered darkly, clinching his gloved fist.
"No!" Luke stammered clinging for mercy onto the pole, "that's not true. That's impossible!"

Did you catch what I did? I italicized - "slanted" some of the text for emphasis! Now doesn't that just make your dialogue seem a bit more interesting and realistic. Because there are some people who just put more emphasis into their words.

Though, I've also seen at least one author - my favourite, in fact - italicize the language they speak in the book so you can differ from the actual text.

ALSO! I just thought of this one; this is another issue that young authors typically get mixed up or confused with. You always italicize a characters thoughts. Always. Regardless of any circumstances, always italicize a characters thoughts. When you do, it throws up a flag saying, "Okay, we're going to jump into the characters mind now". Of course, this is different from narrating but there is a difference but that isn't what I'm teaching you today.

This might be a bit off topic but I just HAVE TO tell you. Never, ever for any reason what-so-ever do you completely capitalize a word or sentence. Don't do this: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Please, don't do that! It's very unprofessional and it just doesn't look good. Yeah, sure it does better emphasis that your character is probably screaming at the top of their lungs but... just don't do it. Instead, italicize it. What are you doing?! It just looks, to the eyes, more appealing.

Okay, let's get a move on.

Bolding & Underlining
Here is the reason I've coupled these two instead of doing them individually: you don't typically see any bolding or underlining in books... I can't recall any time I've seen them. Actually, I take that back; I've seen it once in one series. It was a military science fiction book and so, there were some messages in book that you were able to ready and there was some bolding and underlining in there but that wasn't part of the actual body of the story. I can't... think of a reason why you were do bolding or underlining - and if you can think of one, please don't hesitate to tell me.

Let's jump into sound effects!

Sound Effects.
Sound effects are in literature to entirely enhance the story and it's just another way you can make your reader feel like they're there. Describing a sound and showing the reader what the sound would have sounded like are two totally different things. I typically use both in my writing. Let's see if I can find an excerpt from my writing:

I didn’t say anything as my throat went dry. Marcus gave me one last look before disappearing out the window and into the night. I stood there, watching his dark silhouette fade.
Chink!
The sound made my heart leap as cold metal was pressed against my temple. I froze as I realize what it was. I glanced over to see General Keller crushing the tip of a pistol into my temple.

~~Xenophobia: Ambitions, by yours truly.

Aha, did you catch that? I italicized the sound effect! Are you beginning to see how these things go hand-in-hand? One the first paragraph, your just reading and then - BAM! Chink! I did that to make it more suspenseful, which is another reason an author/writer would do that.

Don't use like hundred exclamation marks - ever. Not even in dialogue. A hundred exclamation marks is not one of the things you can get away with. Again, it looks very unprofessional and if it's in dialogue; make up for it in words. Tell the reader how the character said it; roared, bellowed, screeched, etc, etc. If it's a sound effect; don't use unleash your army of exclamation marks; please, keep them at bay. Just use one and then italicize it.
I believe my work is done, I hope it cleared up some things! :D Also, if you ever need any help or question, and I hope I won't regret this, shoot me an email or comment on here and I'll get back to you. I'm willing to help anyone in need. :)

prettyjester12@yahoo.com

~May the Force be with you,
Chelsea

Settings, Settings, Settings!!

Settings. TADA!!!! You can make them boring, or they can really give the reader a better view of your story.
Okay. Here's an example of a not-so-good setting:
"We were at a playground. There were swings, and bark, and grass. There was also a slide. In the park there were monkey bars and tunnels too."
You see? Doesn't it just... I don't know, but it doesn't flow that smoothly, right?
So here's a tip to make your settings better!!!
You want to make the reader feel like they can actually see it, and be in your story. So don't just describe the setting, add in all the senses. Also, you don't always have to say "There was" and "I saw." Do some metaphors, or personification, or something. Here's another example:
"I breathed in the sharp smells of wet grass. Birds chirped in the light blue sky, and the swings swayed back and forth in the breeze. Dew shone on the slide. The rusty iron of the monkey bars and the tunnels creaked slowly."
That sounds a lot better than the other example, right? Well, settings are a pretty big part of a story! Don't just list everything, make it sound interesting! Draw the reader in!
I hope this helped! Adios!

Inspiration

Hi there! Welcome to The Writer's Blog!!!

So today, I would like to tell you a littlebit about INSPIRATION!
forgive me for the drab title BTW...

Okay...so let me begin with a question..
What inspires you?

Think real deep. What's that something that keeps you going despite the ups and downs of being a writer? Have an answer? no? well think of one...

Here's an example-- My mother inspires me. She is my role model and when I'm having a bad day, shes the first one I call to. --Kristine, 14

My English teacher's my inspiration. He was the one who made me realize that I could be so much more. --Lauren, 17

Everyone needs inspiration. Even world famous authors who's works continue to enchant thousand around the world. And mind you, this does not only apply to writing. Everyone...form the honor student to the opera singer has something that urges them to go upward.

For me there are two kinds of inspiration. The first is the same throughout a lifetime and the second constantly changes.
Confused?
An example again...

Throughout a lifetime- Family and Friends
Constantly changes- the blooming rose (yesterday) The curtain pattern (today)

---

A friend once told me, "Inspiration is everywhere; You just have to look." Anything can be any one's inspiration, anytime, anywhere.

So...

Where can you find this inspiration?

Your Inspiration throughout a lifetime, that's up to you...

But here are some of the best places to find inspiration that constantly changes...

Home Sweet Home- The place where you can kick of your shoes and relax. And while you relax, look around you. There's something always new at home that you perhaps never noticed. You just have to open your eyes. Have you ever gotten a good look on the intricate design of the chandelier that looks very much like a star when you look at it form underneath.

Garden/The Park- Lets go out and get some fresh air and smell a few roses. And even if you have no roses, there is much more to see. Like maybe the spiderweb or the nest. Look up at the sky. Play the childhood game of "Hey look! that cloud looks like a cotton candy." Only think larger and let your mind soar.

Mall- You know, there are other things aside form clothes at the mall. And those don't come with shocking price tags. Those things are called ideas. Just looking around at all the colors, textures and designs is sure to light a long busted bulb.

Museum/Art Gallery- Remember your last field trip here? You were 10. These places are overflowing with ideas that are just dying to get down on paper. The key is to go beyond and imagine. Read the history on those little cards where people only seem to read the first sentences. Create your own different story!

Books- No ticket? No passport? Not a problem. This reminds me of Emily Dickinson's poem, There's no Frigate like a Book. Books can take you to as far as the Great Wall of China to the Mighty Pacific. All in the comfort of your home. And nothing is more inspiring than the works of your favorite author. Their great for getting ideas....not forging:P

There are so much more. Like I said earlier, you just have to look. So what are you waiting for? Step away form the screen for a while will 'ya...and be inspired.

Show, Not Tell

EDIT: A/N: Wha? Yeah, now it's probably even more messed up because I forgot the title. -_-"

A/N: The formatting of this might be messed up. Stupid insane computer. -_- Anyway, I kept rewriting most of it because I didn't like it. I still don't like it that much, but I need to get it posted, soooooo… here it is.

When receiving CC or looking for advice, you may have heard of showing instead of telling. Hopefully by the end of this article, you will know what it means, and how to show instead of tell, making your description better.

Instead of just stating the emotions of a character, show it. Two examples, one of telling, and the other of showing:

He jumped up happily and began running forward.

Or:

His eyes shown with emotion. They had changed from their usual dull, lifeless stare, to a gaze full of wonder and amazement, as if seeing the the world for the first time, all evil swept away. Jumping up, he began running with a new vigor, enjoying the feeling of the wind flying past him, laughing with delight.

Now, wasn’t the second paragraph better? Didn’t it depict the character’s emotion better, showing the reader how he feels?

Another example:

He raised his hands above his head, eyeing the guns warily.

Or:

His hands moved up slowly, almost as if they had a will of his own, while he eyed the guns aimed at him warily. Letting his eyes close, his hands rose up above his head.

Not only does showing instead of telling add to your description, helping your readers visualize scenes, it also adds to the length of your story/novel, which will be helpful if you ever participate in NaNoWriMo.

Take the following examples, personalize them, add more description and emotion, and make them show, instead of tell:

Aaron strode over to the table angrily. He picked up the box of cards off of it, then brought it up to his face and examined it.

He walked up to the sword, then quickly pulled it out of the stone it was set in, trying to keep his face emotionless. “This will end the war,” he whispered.

The bullet dug into his arm in slow-motion, but he did not show any pain.

Now, get out there and write some more! Don’t forget to check the other articles on this site! ^- ^

How to Show Don't Tell

“Show don’t Tell” you have probably heard those three words many times. No, your not back in first grade, ready to show the class your new toy, its different, but as meaningful to us writers as show and tell is to the giddy first grader.

What is show don’t tell? Show don’t tell really means, use your five senses to show the read what is going on, instead of saying

Darcy was mad.

You need to show the reader instead, because when you just say

Darcy was mad, Matt stole her pencil. BLAH BLAH BLAH.. It gets boring right? So you want to spice it up with some sensory images. Instead try,

Darcy’s eyes pierced through Matts pale skin. She her face turned the color of a purple beet. Sweat dripped down Matt’s neck and onto the fresh cut grass.

See how much better that sounds? Now you can imagine Darcy and Matt and find her in a crowded room. With that description you can now determine, also what kind of mad Darcy is.

Did you know? 5 out of 7 young writers know the meaning of Show don’t Tell. That is why it is important to learn. It makes our writing more sophisticated, as we grow older as readers and writers we want the story to captivate us, and that’s exactly what show don’t tell does.

A friend of mine brought up a good point, lots of children’s books and fairytales tell instead of show, she’s right. For example in Eric Carles book The Very Hungry Caterpillar all he does is tell. The caterpillar ate an apple on Monday ect.

I really hope this has helped you become a better writer, I’m just swamped with homework and my own writing on top of it, my posts will become longer, as long as I remember to save my work next time.

How To Spice Up Your Comments

How to Spice Up Your Comments

by Ashley E. Wolf

Everyone wants people to comment on their work. I cannot think of a single person who doesn’t want comments. Just think about what a comment can do. They allow constructive criticism to be passed on, little words of praise to be heard, and the opinions of the reader to reach the writer. Without this useful tool, the writer wouldn’t know what people will like to read.

However, giving a comment isn’t as simple was typing, “Good job, I hope you continue this.” Not unless you would like your comment to be as memorable, helpful, and personalized as possible.

First of all, you need to know some of the do’s and don’ts of commenting. For instance, telling someone in a comment, “I don’t like this. You can do better,” tends to be insulting. Instead, you could kindly give them a compliment (such as, “I like the way you phrased everything”), and kindly offer some Constructive Criticism.

When you comment, try and avoid words such as stupid, dumb, boring, weird, annoying, mean, and not good enough.*

[*= NOTE: The only time these words are appropriate, is when you decide to express your feelings towards a villain in the story.]

Instead, use words like interesting, wonderful, thought-provoking, well-written, well-planned, attention-grabbing, funny, dark and mysterious (but in a good way), or awesome.*

[*= NOTE: Over-using words can make your comments seem generic. http://thesaurus.com/ Can help you find similar words that can help you express your feelings.]

Second of all, you need to know exactly how you feel about the article you have just read. How you feel will affect your comment dramatically. And how you feel will be conveyed to the writer.

EXAMPLE:

“This is VERY interesting! KEEP WRITING!”

Now, how does that sound to you? Does the person sound like they enjoyed what you wrote? Yes, it does. Definitely. But, if the person TRULY liked it, don’t you think that they would have written a longer or at least more specific comment?

Granted, this reader could have been rushed or too tired to comment.

But there IS a way to write a short comment, but still get your feelings and thoughts across to the writer. In fact, there are many approaches you can use.

OPTION ONE:

Target one specific part of the article. A character, something a character said, the description of a person, place or thing. Anything that you particularly enjoyed. If you feel that the writer could work on one specific point, kindly point that out, and suggest an alternative way. But—don’t forget to pair that up with a compliment. If you always point out ways to improve, the writer may feel that you only see their flaws.

EXAMPLES:

Focusing on a point: “You did a marvelous job on this! The way that you described Billy Bob was VERY intricate and well-written. I felt like he was standing right in front of me!”

Constructive Criticism: “I really enjoyed reading this! The dialogue is incredibly realistic and flows very well! Just a little more detail, however, and this would be even MORE life-like. Maybe describe what Anne is wearing or how cold it is?”

OPTION TWO:

For things such as poems or song lyrics, homing in on a specific verse, how the passage made you feel, or what you think the poem/song means are all good things to include in a comment.

EXAMPLES:

Specific verse: “Oh wow…when I read the lyrics, ‘The sharp knife of a short life’, I felt a chill run down my spine! This is magnificent!”

Feelings: “I was practically in TEARS as I read this! The pain, the suffering, the loneliness that is conveyed in this in simply breathtaking.”

OPTION THREE:

Go crazy. Be creative. Add an artistic flair to your comment. Break away from the norm and branch out.

EXAMPLES:

Artistic comment:

“W

O

W

!

[Add why you said ‘WOW!’ here]”

Crazy comment: “:D :) :3 :O AhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhH!!!!!!! The action, the description, the setting!!!!! AHHH!!! I felt like I was actually there, watching Sir Bob and Sir Brad swordfight!! YOUR SKILLS ARE SIMPLY AWE-INSPIRING!!!!”

Now, which of these comments would you rather get?

A) “Oh, WOW! I really like this!!!! YOU BETTER KEEP WRITING!!!”

B) “xcjhgcxckds! There is NO word I can think of that can describe this. Amazing would be an insult. Breathtaking would be an underestimate. You TRULY know how to paint a mental picture!”

Option B, right?

In conclusion, no one likes to be told that they’re writing is bad, so refrain from using words that could hurt their feelings. When you comment, be specific. Use the comment as a way to talk to the writer one-on-one. Point out what you really enjoyed, and maybe give some tips on how to strengthen the weaker points. Be creative. Be honest. Be yourself.

Best wishes!

Ashley E. Wolf

Dialogue 101

Dialogue 101
By: Chelsea

Allow me to introduce myself. If you don't know me already, my name is Chelsea and I've been an avid writer since third grade; nine years old. I mainly write and read Science Fiction and I don't do much else. I am not published but I am currently writing a military sci-fi series called Xenophobia also, I've written a zombie-thriller called Cryptic Dead and a humor/adventure series called The Chronicles of Heinous Jester. I've been roughly writing for five years of writing in total and definitely counting. I had a subtle, innocent beginning with writing. I haven't been writing since I could write words and I haven't been writing since I could hold a book. That's all a bunch of smack-talk. I grew up normally but one day, in third grade, my next door neighbour (one of three other older brothers) asked me to write a Star Wars play. I've been a Science Fiction fanatic since I was young and I'm going to be one until the day I die. At first, I said to him, "What? Are you kidding me? I can't write," That is, of course, until I actually took up a pencil and found a piece of paper and started writing. And... that rocketed off to my very long career as a writer. Enough of me, let's get down to business.

I'm going to be discussing dialogue from what it is and all of its mechanics. Dialogue is tricky and hopefully I can clear up somethings and hopefully make writing dialogue not so much of a struggle; if it is, of course.

About 70% of a novel consists of dialogue because it's the finishing the "icing" to the beautiful cake that makes up your story. Throughout these advice-column things, I will be referring to your book as a cake because frankly it is a like a cake. And when I mean "cake". I mean like a grand wedding cake with the multiple layers of cake and covered in icing and finished to the two-newly weds desires, which is exactly what you are. But I seriously hope you're not married; you might think you are but I hope you're not legally married because that would be really strange. Anyway, back to dialogue. Like I said, it's what makes the cake look whole and complete. I don't see how... you could have a novel and not have dialogue. And if you've somehow managed to pull that off and make it a best-seller, please, don't hesitate to tell me.

Let's start with the dirt. Here is, directly from yours truly, the life-saver dictionary.com, the definition of dialogue: the conversation between characters in a novel, drama, etc. Pretty self explanatory but to those who need a simpler definition; here's my definition of dialogue: The words that come out of a character mouth. So, basically it's just what the character either says to himself or another character. Easy right. And being the Sci-fi Fanatic I am, let's use a reference everyone should know. Here is an example of dialogue:

-Luke, I am your father.
-No, that's not true. That's impossible!

Of course, since this is such a famous line; we know whose speaking but to people who don't know what Star Wars is and who Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader is, they'd be generally confused. And to solve this problem of whom is speaking and how they're speaking the words; man created things called, "dialogue tags". Here are is a simple dialogue tag: "He said". Simple enough, we've established that a man is saying the bit of dialogue and that he just merely said it.

Now, I want to tell you one simple rule that people often just ignore because number one; it's annoying to the reader, and two; it's grammatically incorrect. Always, always use quotation marks when a character is speaking. (") <-- Those without the parentheses. It looks kinda like the claws to a paw. And please, please, please PLEASE use them. Don't just not use them... please.

Okay, let's get to into more detail about them. Dialogue tags can not only say who is speaking and how they're speaking but if they're doing an action with the words. As you know, some people are very gestuculative when they speak; as in, they use a lot of hand gestures or motions to emphasis what they're saying. (Being an Italian, I am very gestuculative) And not only can they display those three things, they can also be before the dialogue is spoken so it can be established early-on, or it can be in the middle, like there is a pause, and also at the end to maybe create some suspense as to who is speaking. Here are an example of dialogue tags being used.

"Luke, I am your father." Darth Vader whispered darkly, clinching his gloved fist.
"No," Luke stammered clinging for mercy onto the pole, "that's not true. That's impossible!"

Ta-da! Hooray, we used dialogue tags! Those are very helpful to the reader so he/she is not confused on who is speaking. Also, it doesn't only clear up confusion, it gives the book a bit more zest than just saying "he said" or "she said". Which also leads into another subject.

Dialogue tags come in many forms and use a huge myriad of words that use humans know. And I advise when choosing a word to describe how the character is saying a bit of dialogue; try to stray away from the constant "saids" because after a while it gets annoying and dull. Of course, if you're a published author and well-known, like the one I know of, you could probably get away with just saying the "saids" with a couple of "growled" "shouted" and "whispered". Why? Because the dialogue itself is probably more interesting the tag itself.

I could give you a list of all the words you could use instead of "said" but I'm not going to. It's not because I'm not helpful, its because I really don't want to list them all because truly, the list is endless and if not; there's gotta be at least 100+ words to use. Just keep it fresh and new and try not to be boring... the last thing you need to be is boring.

Let's get to the more technical stuff of dialogue; grammar. I know, I know, grammar sucks and I'm not even good at it either. We're not perfect but you have to at least know enough to get by without being completely off. The good thing about dialogue, since it's speech, grammar doesn't apply! Yes, you can cheer, it's wonderful... BUT that doesn't mean you can use text language. Actually, I don't to ever see text language in dialogue because frankly, that is for Facebook and cellphones. Don't worry; I have a Facebook and I also text - a lot and I use text language. I'm guilt of it because it's convenient and easier than typing out the entire word with your thumbs. Trust me, I understand but leave that for the cellphones please.

If you haven’t read books such as Tom Sawyer by the well-known humor writer, Mark Twain, since the setting of that particular story is in the 1800s the dialect they spoke in was really low-class. Especially the Africans; you could tell they weren’t educated. Their dialogue was so hard for me to read that I had no idea what they were actually saying until my teacher had to decode it for me. I don’t have an example, I apologize. That’s when you can get away with that but all in all...

Use proper spelling when you write dialogue.

Lastly, I would like to discuss the very important matter of... clichés! If you don’t know what the word “cliché” means let’s go back to the good ‘ol dictionary.com. “Anything that has become trite or commonplace through overuse.” Here are some examples:

-___ is my middle name.
-Is that all you got?
I’m just getting started.
-Tell my wife and kids that I love them.
-Cover me. I’m going in.
-So, we meet again...
-(greeting) Well if it isn’t...
-You’ll never get away with this.
Watch me.
-Time to die.
-I’m not leaving you.
You have to go on without me.
-I eat guys like you for breakfast!
-Wait! I can explain! It’s not what it looks like.

And so on and so forth. If you want an entire list of cliché lines, feel free to browse and de-clicheify (my new word) your writing.

http://www.gointothestory.com/2009/11/definitive-list-of-cliched-dialogue.html

To solve yourself from straying to something cliché, try to always think about the situation your character is in from different perspectives. When you feel you’re character has said or is going to say something cliché, take the time to write out the many things your character could say in that situation. This normally does the trick.

All in all, keep your dialogue fresh and original, stray away from clichés, be courteous with grammar, be creative in dialogue tags, always use quotation marks, and... of course, never stop writing. You’ll never gonna get better until you actually take the time to practice... so what are you waiting for! Go check out your dialogue and make those changes and become a better writer!

Also, I really hope this website will help you be better and better but... you won’t be perfect. No one is perfect and I understand right now that I’m not a perfect writer and I probably will never be. But I can make my work the best I can make it be. And so can you! Go get out there, and show the world what you’re made up!

Happy Writing,
Chelsea.

The Secret to Intruiging Characters

Think of your favourite book. Got it? Good. Now, answer the questions below.

• What was the plot like?
• What were the characters like?
• Which of these made it your favourite book?

So. Do you have you answers? I bet you didn't do them, did you? Well,  do them.

Okay, so now that you have your answers, we're ready to move on from there.

Good authors know that that last question up there, it's a trick question. Why? Because a story can't solely rely on only one of the two in order to become a success. No, you need both of them working together. So how do you come about that? Well, you need to have solid, three-dimensional characters. Not simple cardboard ones which have been cut from the back of a cereal box. And so, how do you come about developing in depth characters?

Well, that's what this articles is about. If you look up at the title, it says, The Secret to Intriguing Characters. That means, today you're going to discover the secret to bumping up your characters to be even more real than they were before.

But before we continue, I just want to make one point clear. The reason we're talking about intriguing characters today, and not plot,  is because your readers are introduced to your characters first. The plot unfolds along with the rest of the story, but what's the point to keep on reading if the victims (AKA, the main character), is someone we don't want to read about?

Okay, so now that I have made my point up there, I think it's time to move on.

Character Profiles

This little blurb was taken from an interview with KP author, Chelsea.

"First of all, I find a good character profile that you get to fill in the blank and there I fill in all of empty fields with information. But it doesn't stop there. I put them into action into the story to display their emotions, opinions, thoughts, and of speech because it's one thing to write down what a character is like but another entirely to put them in action.
"I do so sometimes base them off of myself, not out of selfishness, mostly to see how I would react in those type of situation I put my characters through. And I've also made some promises to put people into some of my stories as minor characters."

If you notice, one of the first things she said was that she fills out a good character profile. Now, I don't know about you, but I find filling out character profiles very difficult for me. So, I just like to put my characters in a really tough situation and see how they would react. However, recently, while going over random links in my "Favorites" on my browser, I found a really awesome character profile sheet thing. Here's the link:

http://www.elfwood.com/farp/thewriting/crissychar/crissychar.html

The Voice Journal (James Scott Bell)

This is something I found out about while reading The Art of War for Writers which is written by James Scott Bell. The Voice Journal is basically where you write as if you were the character. For example:

My name Black Moon. I don't suppose it's a pretty decent name for a thirteen year old like me, but then again, my parents are freaks. People always told me-every single time I saw them-that my parents were psychos. But I never believed them. How could I? They were my parents after all. But one day, that single thing happened that changed my life forever...

When I first started writing this, I had no idea his/her name would be Black Moon. Even after I wrote that down, my mind was trying to come up with possible reasons for such a queer name. Well, I just kept writing, not really thinking, and eventually, Black Moon kind of unfolded his story for me. Well, just the beginning. I would write more, but am too lazy too and we need to move on. Oh yeah, and because that's a Voice Journal, it's simply a rough draft I came up with off the top of my head, so if it sucks, don't eat me.

Speech Patterns

What would you do if one day you woke up, and everyone was wearing the exact same thing, talking the exact same way, walking the exact same way, and thinking the exact same way? It'd be pretty boring, huh? Well, characters are like that. Can you tell the difference between these three characters? Try and guess who is saying what.

James-an ace student. Has many friends, has a scholarship to Harvard.

Mary-A total girly-girl. Is insecure. Belongs in a clique of exclusive airheads.

Luke-A slacker. Is into drugs. Has a shaky relationship with his parents.

Now, try to match up the following dialogue with the correct person.

Dialogue #1: "What's your problem?" I demanded, slamming Jake against his locker.

Dialogue #2: I seriously could not believe she would say such a thing! I'm messed up? Please! Who does that b**** think she's talking to anyways?

Dialogue #3: My hand were shaking as I held the envelope. I wondered whether I should open it or not. Maybe I should just burn the cursed thing instead. But then I'd never know what their answer was.

Answer key-Dialogue #1 belongs to Luke. The second belongs to Mary. And the third belongs to James.

You see, every character should have their own unique voice. It should be flooding with personality. Now, I admit that I'm not the best dialogue writer in the world (look at Mary's example!), but I'm not good at writing as if I were some girly girl because I'm not, and probably never will be, so there you have it.

Here's a link on the WB to help you get your character's voice patterns in your head.

http://www.kidpub.com/forum3/showthread.php?t=711

Also, you can try doing this exercise at a bookstore as well! Turn to any random page of a book you've never read before while at your local bookstore, then try and guess what the personality of the character is like. Then, read the first page of the first chapter, and often times, you'll find out whether you're right or not.

BIPOLAR, YO!

Yeah, this technique will probably get a lot of people to think of you as bipolar, but it's VERY effective! Go a whole day acting like your character. That's right. From the time you wake up to the time you set your alarm for the next day. However, if you're character's a snob, uhh...well, if people start thinking of you as obnoxious, I am not responsible for any damage which may occur to your face, so...

Well, I think I should wrap this up now. Try all four of the techniques mentioned, and soon, you will have intriguing-3-D-non-cardboard characters in your story which will make readers continue to turn the pages of your novel!


Appendix
I don't really know how to do an appendix, so I'm just going to say that I got some of this information from The Art of War for Writers and Plot and Structure, both by James Scott Bell.

-C.T. Connor

Uh, what do you use to make your work better???

Um, DETAILS!!!!!

Yes, my writing friend, DETAILS!!

The Meal Factor

Details are kinda like food. You eat too much, you can't eat any more. You eat too little, you're craving for more.

Too much details will drive your reader insane. Too little details will make your reader let go of your measl-ly meal (coffcoffbookcoffcoff) and move on to a feast (coffcoffanotherbookcoffcoff).

For example, take this:

There was a fruit.

Uh, LAME.

You can put it this way, too, though:

There was a big, huge, red, dark red, juicy, impossible-to-eat-in-one-bite, sourish, round, sweetish, cut-up, tasty, heavy, easy-to-peel, with seeds fruit.

Uh, WHAT WAS THAT????!!!!

That has WAY too many details. WAY WAY WAY to many details about the fruit.

Here is a well written sentence:

There was a juicy, red apple laying on the stone counter.

See? You have just the right amount of details about the fruit and what it's on.

Notice that before, you just knew what the fruit tasted like and looked right.

With a sentence that has less then the details of the second sentence, you have learned what the fruit looks like, tastes like, and where it is!

That's the detail factor.

Be sure to have enough details, not too much, not to little.

Just like a meal!!!!! XD!!!

Details and Details

How to know that you have just the right amount of details?

Simple.

You reread your work.

It may seem perfect, but there are always little things you can add or take out. Think about it.

Once you have the firm feeling that you covered everything with not too little or not too much words, you're all set to go.

Then again, you could take the easy way out and just ask someone to read your sentence....

But, anyway, I can't exactly tell you that you have too much or too little of details, half because it depends on what you are writing about and what your idea is.

Too little? Too Much? UGH! This is Gonna Drive Me Insane!!!

Yeah. It probably will.

But, here's the thing...

Remember the old saying:

"You have to much... that isn't healthy for you (or your book)! you have to little... That ALSO isn't healthy for you (or your book)...!"

xD

--Mysty

Welcome Guests!

Well, it's just as the titles says... Welcome guests! So, let me introduce myself before I go on into a long description about what exactly this blog is, and how it works.

My name is Chiaki, but some people just call me Chi. I am, like you (well, hopefully), an author. Except, I'm not one of those "grown up" authors. I'm still a kid. Yuppers, I am simply your average thirteen year old girl who wants nothing really except a new wardrobe, more muffins, more books, a new computer, a new eReader, more songs on my iPod, a new phone, and a completely random dream to become a writer. Oh, and I also want a really fancy dress for my grad ceremony in May (I'll be fourteen by then)

Okay, so now that you know a bit about me (a young girl who doesn't really want much), I'll move on.

What is The Writer's Zone?

Well, so are you wondering that? Huh? Are you? Are you? Well, whether you are or not, I'm going to tell you what it is anyways. The Writer's Zone is a website where a team of young writers of many different ages and backgrounds come together to write their advice for other young writers like themselves. The advice given ranges from things like spicing up your comments on other people's work (Ashley E. Wolf), to things like freshening up your dialogue (Chelsea).

Do I need an account to comment?

No, you don't. You can always comment as an anonymous user. However, you have to be an author in order to post things. If you want to become an author and share your advice with the rest of the world as well, check out this page for more information. http://www.kidpub.com/book-page-or-chapter/writers-zone-85992821 If you have a KidPub account, please leave me a comment and I will email you all the rules and how the author's community works. However, if you don't have an account on KidPub, feel free to leave me your email address as a comment. But if you don't feel comfortable giving me an email address, leave me a comment as well, and we'll work something out. However, email addresses are very much preferred. There is only one person who doesn't communicate via email, and that's because she's too young to have an account.

How do I become an author?

That is explained up there. Go to the link provided, and leave me a comment (don't worry, I always check my comments, so I won't miss you) if you have a KidPub account. But if you don't, well...GAH! Just read that subheading up there! -_-

So how does this work?

Every day, a different author will post something on WZ (Writer's Zone). You can read their stuff on the assigned day. If there is a specific author you like to read stuff from, or if you want to see what kind of advice will be posted for each week (or "round", as we like to call it), check the schedule. The schedule is sent out to every author, and is also posted on KP. However, as I understand that some people might not be from KP (I strongly doubt that though), I will post the schedule on WZ as well. Maybe. It depends... If I don't, just ask for a link, and I'll give you the link to the schedule via a comment. Unless you want me to email you the schedule instead, but I know some people can be very paranoid about email addresses... But who can blame you? I would give out my email address, but I'm paranoid right now as well so... We're even!

When will this start?

Right now, nothing is posted. However, on Monday, the first post will be posted, and you can expect a different post every day after that. Please be sure to leave a comment. Well, I'm obviously not going to shoot you in the foot if you don't, but, y'know, who doesn't like comments?

How much does this all cost?

Well my fellow young writer, it's your lucky day! This is all FREE! I honestly don't see any decent reason to charge people to get an account, and even if I did want to do that, I don't think I'd be able to since I don't own Blogspot.  Haha, well, you're lucky... Lol, jk! But seriously though, this is free, and always will be. Never even mention that to my face again! (Never mind the fact that you can't really see my face...)

Wait! I still have more questions!

Unfortunately, my brain capacity is very limited, and so is my attention span and motivation, so I can't really bring myself to think of any more questions you might have right now. If you have more questions, just leave me a comment, and I shall be more than happy to answer them! ...Well, let's face it. I'd be quite irritated. I mean, who isn't? Sales people just say that so you'll buy their junk. ...Okay, I was just kidding about that. I'll gladly answer your questions, because I'M A HAPPY PERSON, OKAY? Haha, maybe...

Well, I guess I'll be signing off for now. We all look forward to hearing from you! Yup, we really do!

-C.T. Connor