Kentucky Fried Curelty and an Update

I know this has nothing to do with writing, therefore it doesn't really belong on the Writer's Zone, but this is important.

How important?

Well, on a scale on one to ten...?

Eleven.

Haha, well, obviously, it's not that important. It's not so important that the fate of the entire world lies in you watching this video, but this is important enough for you to watch this:

 http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/w-whykfc.asp

So did you watch it? If not, get off your butt right now, open a new tab, and watch it!

*****
Twas scary, eh?

Yeah...I'm never going to eat at KFC again. I mean, I hated eating there to start since I've had a bad experience eating there as a child, but my brother, sister, and dad LOVE that place so...that'll soon have to change.

So, now that you are a bit more aware of this inhumane tyranny (well, when is tyranny ever human anyways?), I shall continue: 

Here's a blog update:

Lately, I've been really busy lately with high school applications and stuff. In fact, think I'm probably going to try a last minute application to this really smart school, but seeing how eighth grade isn't going too well for me, I'd most likely be wasting my time. And since this blog isn't supposed to be a  window into my life which you'd most likely rather not know about, I shall move on.

So, now that you know that I haven't been procrastinating, I am pleased to inform you that this blog is still continued, and that the next round will commence shortly :D

-C.T. Connor

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