Hi! I'm going to make a quick post about loving what you write. Now, first off, you're going to write a story even YOU wouldn't read, then what's the point? If you're bored with the story while writing it, what about while editing it, or while trying to write a query for it? If you aren't enthuasatic about your book, then who else will be? So first up: love what you write.
I know that if sometimes feels lulling to me while I write, or I just don't feel like writing, I think why? I look back and think, "Would I read this or skim through it?" I try to write to entertain myself, and in doing so, I entertain my audience along the way.
I'm editing my book, and it's almost done, and I'm just thinking, "Wow. I really love my story." And you may think that is rhetorical, for what writer doesn't love their story? But I've read this thing two times, and the beginning thrice and I'm still not tired with it. I manage to crack myself up everytime!
I know that if I was reading something boring, I would be bored. But thankfully I love what I've written and I love reading it and I know my love for it shows through my writing or when I talk about it to somebody.
Basically, love what you write. :)
Someone asks:
I prefer one hit... but in my first chapter I'm struggling to find a place where I can describe my main character proplely... just her hair, eye colour etc. nothing too over the top.
If you give it to us in one hit, it's most likely you're telling. Anyways, is her hair color a really prominent aspect of the beginning of the story? If not, then you don't really have to give it to us right away.
One way to show her appearance is through action, if you need any help. Like, her blonde hair secured in a ponytail bounced a long to the music (but better than that).
Someone asks:
Even in teen books I've seen words I've never seen/heard of before. Is it possible to over use the thesaurus?
I use the thesaurus when I've repeated a word too much or if there's a word that's on the tip of my tongue, but I don't quite remember it, so I consult the dictionary/thesuarus to help me figure it out.
But you know, there might just be an author who was a wide range of high vocabulary that they use in daily life - sometimes I say big words in normal conversation and my friends get confused.
Remember, the simplest writing is the best! :D
If you've never seen this video, then you MUST! Not only is it hilarious, but so very informative!
Someone asks:
I am 15 andI have wanted to write all my life: short stories and I have a very good idea for a much longer story possibly even a novel and I really want to be able to do well in this despite all the other pressures from school etc.
I can't really ask people at school or anything because they would think it just weird. I really want advise on how to develop my writing and how to set aside time for it among work and everything.
Thanks!
Yeah, I have school, too. I can't ask for writing help with my friends, either. But what I did was when I came home from school, I'd do my homework first, and then write the night away. When I'd get an idea, I'd write it in my cellphone to remember later. I joined a bunch of sites I will give to you, too. School doesn't interfere much with writing...it's not like writing is a job. You can do it whenver you want to and feel like it. So, I wouldn't worry about school much. I also read. A LOT. I was like a book eater - I visited the library every week. Reading influenced my style of writing.
Anyways, I'm having a hard time explaining myself here so I'll just post a bunch of sites that helped me get started:
http://www.writing-world.com/index.shtml
http://www.nathanbransford.com/
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/
http://critiquecircle.com/
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node
http://hollylisle.com/
http://www.amazon.com/tag/amazon%20break… (this one is more like a forum, but a forum that discusses writing, and also publishing)
Hope that helps you get started - cheers! Us young writers must encourage each other ;)
Someone asks:
I am trying to write a really good story and it has but i have been at a writers block for weeks and I am stumped at where to put my characters next.
Any suggestions on how to get rid of it?
Someone Asks:
Throughout my English courses, I have seen a correlation of the mistakes I often insert into my pieces of writings. For example, I tend to put adverbs, adjectives, etc. in the wrong areas. I have "awkward" sentences. I have "tense shifts". I have sentence fragments.
Could anyone please define those phrases/words and tell me how to improve them?
And could anyone please tell me how to generally write better? Apparently to a friend who has a Canadian GPA of 9.6, my writing skillz is equivalent of that to a 12th grader C: I'm sort of pleased by that since I'm in gr 9...
However I still feel like I'm lacking in my writing skills :/ some people write so...so... GOOD!
please tell me tips on how to be a better writer, and define those definitions and tell me how I can improve upon them C:
I'm also a 9th grader (going into 10th) and the best advice I can give you is to read. Read classics, read the books from the genres you plan to write about, just read. As you read, you'll get a feel for how things are supposed to sound so while you write, you can say, "Hey, this doesn't sound right." and fix it. Also as you read, you'll begin to be influenced by different styles so that when you begin to write, you will have your own "style".
That's how I did it.
Someone Asks:
I know this is a little epic for a 2 12 year old, my friend and I wrote it.
CHAPTER 1
Blood.
Blood.
That's all she could see.
Blood.
Who had it come from?
Was it her's?
Molly was not sure of anything.
She started to become lightheaded. But, she always became lightheaded at the glance of blood.
More, and more. It didn't stop. Why wasn't it stopping?
The rocks.
CHAPTER 2
It had started out as a normal family vacation for Molly and Lucas. They went tubing, fishing, and camping. Adventurous, you may say, but only Lucas. Molly was more of a "stay at home" girl. Lucas was about 4 years older than Molly. At this point in time, Molly was 12, and Lucas was 16.
The rock bluffs were famous, not for their pretty sight, but their record to kill.
Molly and Lucas had both suffered the loss of their dad, and the disease almost killing their mom. Both had a record or hurting themselves on the outside to stop the pain on the inside. Lucas was always protecting his sister, from herself.Im going to revise ch. 2 a bit.
Dear Diary,
I think these vacations are a waste of time. Sure, Lucas and I had preoblems with dad's death, and even more with mom's cancer, that doesn't mean we are not capable of having fun without vacation.
But, I could tell by the look in Lucas's eyes that he was excited. Shouldn't the youngest be more inthused than the oldest? Well, not in my world. In my world, people hurt themselves on the outside to get rid of pain on the inside. In my world, i sit alone slashing my wrists out of guilt. In my word, I'm all... alone. Well, you could say I'm alone in the world, but I'm not. I have my brother, I've always had my brother. I love Lucas no matter how annoying or gross he is. He's my brother, and im his sister. We should protect eachother, shouldn't we? Both of us try, but there's one thing that neither of us can protect eachother from, guilt. I started to get mentally sick after Dad died, Lucas started after I did.
-Molly
I'm sure the story is awesome, but the way it is executed...isn't.
For example, you two should get into writing in active voice. An example of that would be like this:
Passive Voice: She started to become lightheaded.
Active Voice: She became lightheaded.
Active voice draws in readers more.
Another thing is that you are TELLING and not SHOWING us the situaton. You are giving us a LOT of backstory. You are telling us about their family vacation, you are telling us about their age (which to me is pretty amateurish), you tell us straight away about a disease they have. You have to find a way to weave and incoporate this into your story without telling us. If you need more help on the Show, not tell rule, you can research it. Of course, with proper execution, there are some exceptions to that.
As for what you got so far, I like your Chapter 1. I suppose it doesn't appeal to me because that kind of stuff isn't really my thing. I think your Chapter one would be better off as a prologue, as it seems more prologue-ish.
To answer your question: No, I do not want to read more.
But you know what, I hope you learn from what I said and you two become even BETTER. Never stop writing. :)
Good luck.
Why do people like bad books? Some of them probably don't read enough to know the difference. But all the same, I suspect that they wouldn't be equally content with Martin Amis' "The Pregnant Widow" should the bookstore clerk have mistakenly slipped that into their shopping bag instead of "The Lost Symbol." Chances are, Amis' strenuously inventive prose would strike them as too much work. The popular species of bad writing (for there are many, many kinds of awful prose) abounds in clichés, stock characters and conventional plot twists, and, as Amis indicated in the title of a collection of his literary criticism, he is a general in the War Against Cliché.
My Opinion:With the advent of Amazon reader reviews, such readers have finally found a voice, and a vocabulary with which to express their taste. Speed is the operative metaphor. Novels are praised for being a "fast read" and above all for having writing that "flows." "Flow" is an especially fascinating term because it's one that literary critics have never used, and it perfectly captures the way that clichéd prose can be gobbled up in chunks at a breakneck pace. "The Da Vinci Code" is over 400 pages long, but you can race through it in about three hours. Combine the large population of casual readers who limit themselves to such books with the hardcore bibliophiles who like an occasional dip into something easy, and you have enough buyers to create a hit.
Wow. Well, I suppose I agree with this. Humanity is acquiring more indolence every generation. My classmates despise literary merit books, and they hate analyzing the skillfully woven symbolism, metaphors, and social commentary along with them. They prefer reads in simplistic, straightforward language, and they absolutely despise excessive description.
This is depressing. Whatever happened to "good writing"?
This was asked here in the Critique Circle forums.
My Answer:
Hi all. I'm a teenage girl and I'd like to offer my input on this subject of "beauty" and beauty in literature, particularly YA. I usually don't like reviving "dead" threads, but I do want to have a say in something.
Let me start with beauty in real life. Of course, my friends, my classmates, and I worry about looking good. It's a way of life for us. We must look at least decently good enough to go in daylight. We've adapted to this kind of thinking. And if on a day we don't look as attractive as we wish, we self-loath ourselves.
I believe this stemmed from the media. The reason why girls want to look older is because television and movies give teenage roles to actors in their twenties. The reason why girls put makeup on at an early age is because of the flawless, airbrushed pictures of the magazines. The reason why we strive for beauty is because almost every book, every TV episode, every movie approves of this beauty.
Do I worry about beauty? Surprsingly, not as much as the ordinary adolescent. Surely, I do sometimes sigh at my short stature and I do wish to cover up the acne that likes to make an appearance at the most inadequate of times. But I am not as obssessed as my friends, who starve themselves to be thin, and who ceaselessly compare themselves to the other girls at school. It's altogether quite sad really.
If you asked me what my definition of beauty is, I'd tell you it's a balance between the inner and outer. One person may have, what I like to call, aesthetic beauty, but their personality would be so horrid, that it would counter her physical beauty and make her ugly. Likewise, a person who is generally considered as "unattractive", but with a marvelous, kind personality I would find as beautiful. In fact, I can find the beauty in every perosn, whether it be aesthetic or personality wise. In an overweight girl, I can see her beautiful eyes. And in an outcast, misfit girl I can see the beauty in her awkwardness. You may say I am not a normal teen, and maybe not the best one to ask for their definition of beauty. But then again I am a writer and an observer. I could tell you the real names of the people I used as examples in this paragraph.
Okay, enough with that and on to literature.
I've read a great deal of teen books in my life. The best ones, I think, with strong female charactesr would definitely be Hermoine from Harry Potter, Violet from The Series of Unfortunate Events, the heroines from Sarah Dessen's books, Gemma from the Gemma Doyle trilogy, and Alejandra from My Most Excellent Year (which isn't as popular a book as it should be, and I recommend you read it now). What I take as a strong, female character is one who is not always reliant on other people. She has her own mind, and can stand up for herself. Not to say that she is an ultra-feminist, but that she is just as intelligent and strong-in-the-mind as men.
Beauty is definitely a dominant topic in young adult literature. The reason this is so is because it is supposed to be about young adults, and young adults today worry about appearances. Now, to answer the original question: Must YA heroines be beautiful?
No. In fact, there is a trend towards them being NOT beautiful. That way, such as in The Princess Diaries of which I will get to later, the teenage reader can better relate. Sometimes we may have beautiful protagonists, and this also attracts attention because the reader likes to live vicariously (I admit I've done so before) through this beautiful heroine.
Extravagant, interesting things apparently happen to the beautiful MCs. Just look at The Clique and Gossip Girl series. People may think this is sending a bad message to young adults, but I say that every book must be exciting in some possible way. These people already have beauty, now it is time for them to get into other antics.
However with unattractive female protags, the opposite occurs. One of their major problems is their beauty. Now, people may praise these "normal", "average-looking" teens, but I absolutely abhor what happens to them in literature. It is established that they are ugly - yet how in the world did they get the hot, popular guy? This is shown through countless examples in literature, including what somebody here mentioned: The DUFF. Which, by no means is a badly written book, in fact, it is written by a teen. But do you see this unbelievable plot? Yes, I know that they "hate each other and then eventually get to know each other and see the "true selves". I hate those kinds of books. Sorry. If it's not getting the popular guy, it's getting the outlandish occurences. Take, The Princess Diaries. Average girl -> princess!! But, you say, she didn't ask to be a princess. Well, it happened anyway. This also happened in another book I read a long time ago - I believe it was called "Violet on the Runway". Ordinary girl -> supermodel!
So, in my belief, YA books with normal looking MCs are maybe just as bad because things that would not happen in real life happen to them. I'm not saying all books with normal heroines are like this, in fact I've listed some that are not above, but I dare you to go the teen section of libraries or book stores and just read the blurbs. "Blah Blah was a normal, high school junior until one day...blah blah blah"
I could expand on this subject, but I think I've exhausted it enough almost into ranting mode. Sorry for that. Hopefully my insight was of any use to this topic.
Someone asks:
well im writing a book and a ton of stuff happens in it.... but im well over half done and it's only 150 pages. i hoped it would be a lot longer than that. So how exactly do authors write such long books? in each scene i make sure to describe the character's feelings and what's going on around them. So what else can i add to make it longer but not any less interesting?
IF you do want to add more stuff to make it longer (though I don't suggest it) you can add scenery, plot twists (this one I might recommend though), or introduce a new character? I don't know, but the reason authors have such long books is probably because every single word there is necessary for the overall story. I'm sure they'd have to do a lot of chopping.
Besides, if you're halfway done and 150 pages through, then you're overall total should be around 300 pages, which is pretty normal for a novel. Keep in mind though, in real books font size and spacing is different so that may add to the total of page numbers.
Someone Asks:
What is the word count of an average novel? And also, how many words are there in an average chapter?
YA novels tend to be from 50K-75K
While Adults tend to be longer and middle grade and below shorter.
The amount of words in an average chapter depends on the author. But really, a chapter is never too short or long, just what you think is right.
Someone Asks:I’m 13 years old and a very gifted writer, if I do say so myself :) I’ve just finished writing a novel and my mum, who is the owner of a big publishing company, wants to read it. However, I don’t like it when people read my writing – I feel that I’m going to be shot down or that they think it’s not very good. Plus, my story involves romance (not icky stuff, just teenage crushes) and I’m not sure how my mum will take it. I really need advice!
