empowering young writers online

Posts tagged ‘writing’

Benson’s Got Bling!

Benson Bling SWWhen you write a story, you’re never going to see it the same way a reader would. Because you’ve spent so much time thinking about it, writing it and revising it, it becomes impossible to separate the story that exists in your mind from the one that exists on the page.

And that’s why reviews, and other people’s opinions, are so important. That’s how you find out what worked and what didn’t.

Which is why I’m over here, still doing my happy dance, after No Ordinary Lizard received a 5 Star Review from Readers Favorite. (Click on the link if you’d like to read it.)

I wanted readers to fall in love with Benson, the lizard (and star) of this story, but I honestly didn’t know if anyone would. So yes, it feels awesome that Benson’s earned himself some shiny bling.

But. This is just one person’s opinion. What I really want to know, what I really care about, is what you think.

So I’ve made the ebook free at all major retailers and priced the paperback edition as low as Amazon allows. All I ask is that you give me your honest opinion by posting your review on Amazon.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for reviewing. I’ll be over at Amazon, ready to read your opinion as soon as it comes in. Yes, it does matter that much. After all, I wrote this story for you.  

 

A Feel Good Story

Are you in the mood for a cute, positive story? Check out Painter Dawg submitted by Ink Wolf. Thanks for sharing Ink Wolf!

Poetry and Song Lyrics

I’m pleased to share two new poems, Freedom and Rosebud, and lyrics to the song Glory of the Dawn. All guaranteed to make you feel good. Thanks, Mikaela!

Chapter Two

Mikaela submitted Chapter Two of The Magic Sword of Trestia. She says she’s really excited about this new revision and I am, too.

Follow the link and remember to comment. I know she’d love to hear what you think!

 

 

New Poem and New Revision

In her latest poem, Friendship Garden, Mikaela brings together two of my favorite things: friends and flowers. Perfect for spring. Perfect any time.

She’s also submitted the first chapter of her latest revision of The Magic Sword of Trestia. I’m truly impressed by the journey this story has taken and the time, dedication and talent that Mikaela has put into it.

I have removed the earlier version of this story so older links to it may no longer make sense. I apologize for any confusion this may cause but I know you’re going to love this latest revision. Excellent job, Mikaela!

Calling All Fans of Brian Jacques and the Redwall Series

 

brian-jacquesThey say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It’s also the best way to try on different writing styles. That’s exactly what Inkwolf has done in her latest short story, A Woodlander’s Lunch.

This is a perfect tribute to one of Inkwolf’s favorite authors, Brian Jacques.

Nice job, Inkwolf. I’m certain Brian Jacques would be flattered by this story that mirrors his highly descriptive style.

New Poem, New Chapter and a Readers’ Poll

read imagine exploreRead Mikaela’s Poem and the next chapter of God is Now Here by selecting the links. Both of these submissions made me smile but for very different reasons. The poem is a funny and smart explanation of how many married people stay married. The new chapter gives Tina a hard and important decision to make. It also includes a poll asking readers what choice they’d make.

New Continuing Story

planetMikaela starts her newest story, Awesome World of Randomness, saying she let her imagination run wild on this one. And run wild it did. Loaded with creativity, interesting characters and plenty of action, I highly recommend you follow the link for laugh-out-loud fun. Thanks for sharing, Mikaela!

More Trestia and a Reader Poll

voteMikaela has created several interesting and exciting characters in The Magic Sword of Trestia and she’d like to know which one is your favorite. Read her newest chapter, Chapter Six, then answer the poll that follows this chapter.

Two Additions and One New Group Project

author at workMikaela’s been busy writing and I’m pleased to say she’s sharing it all right here. Follow the links to read the additions then leave a comment to let her know what you think. I’m sure she’d appreciate it!

Read Chapter Five in her newly revised The Magic Sword of Trestia.

Read four new entries to The Spark Diaries.

Mikaela also started a new group project about a “tweetbird’. You’ll find it under Group Projects, Humor #2. Follow the link then select “Leave a reply” to continue this story.

Incredible work, Mikaela – as always!

A Major Revision and a New Writer

thumbs up winkMikaela has done an awesome, awesome job of revising the first four chapters of her story, The Magic Sword of Trestia. Excellent job, Mikaela. I can’t wait to read the rest! By the way, I replaced the first version of this story with this new revision but I didn’t remove any of the comments. This is kind of confusing (since some of these comments no longer apply) but I didn’t want to remove the comments because they might still be helpful to Mikeala.

I’d also like to welcome our newest writers, Wilson and Georgia. Wilson and Georgia have used a random word generator to help them create This Story. (Wilson and Georgia, please supply the title for this story so I can give it its proper name.) Random word generators are a great way to get your ideas flowing. Here’s a link to the one these writers used if you’d like to give it a try: http://writingexercises.co.uk/take-three-nouns.php.

Two Awesome Stories

Two talented writers are back on the site, sharing two powerful stories.

In The Spark Diaries, Mikaela shares a complex world of her creation through several characters’ diaries. Her excellent use of dialogue not only shows us how this world operates but also how each character feels about it. In just a few short segments, the beginning of The Spark Diaries imparts lots of interesting information in a dynamic, captivating way.

Annie Song also uses different characters and snappy dialogue to share information and ramp up the action in The Dust Bunnies 7 – The Real Enemy. In this story, the team grows from an unexpected source after the real enemy is revealed.

I’m certain you’ll enjoy both stories, so go read them now and remember to comment.

Yay! More Dust Bunnies!

more dust bunnies (2)Annie Song added three more stories about the dust bunnies. Here are links and summaries to each:

The Dust Bunnies 3: The First Step — Find out about Raven’s role and the dust bunnies’ past

The Dust Bunnies 4: The Bottle — The Legend of the Thorn Bottle and how it might help them fight Raven

The Dust Bunnies 5: The Alliance — Dust bunnies and dragonflies plan to unite but before they can put their plans into action, something goes horribly wrong

I am so loving this world you’ve created, Annie Song. And so glad you’re sharing it here with us.

New Poem

poetryAh, poetry. Perfect words arranged in the perfect order to create the perfect tone, the perfect rhythm and the perfect feeling. Read The Shack of Decision and see how Anne also uses poetry to show how different people respond to the same thing. Perfectly. Welcome to the site, Anne and thanks for sharing!

Welcome New Writer

welcome bouncy headsPlease help me welcome our newest writer to the site, WolfyAwesome. WolfyAwesome is a talented writer with a flair for descriptive language. But don’t just take my word for it. Go read WolfyAwesome’s addition to the Adventure #2 Group Project and see for yourself.

Inkwolf also shows her flair for descriptive language in her newest ongoing story, The Long Road. With mighty animals facing unknown dangers, it’s a powerful beginning to what promises to be another exciting story from Inkwolf.

Pssstt…

yellow python coiledSirius uncovers a life-changing secret. Read Chapter Two of Ink Wolf’s Scales and Tails to find out what it is.

Adding to Group Projects

groupPlease make sure you read the entire string of comments and continue the story after the last comment. A note to Komali2: I received your addition to the Mystery Group Project but didn’t post it because it wasn’t at the end of what had already occurred in the story. You’re more than welcome to add to the end of any group project, start a new one, or submit your own story. Thanks for understanding.

New Poem

dawnI love poetry. And poets. And Mikaela’s latest poem, The Dawn. Check it out. Bet you’ll love it, too.

Short but Powerful

mountainsNight Wolf uses compelling and solid imagery to show readers the power of God in the story, God’s Mysterious Ways.

Looking for Your Advice

adviceMikaela is revising The Magic Sword of Trestia and is looking for advice. Follow the link, read what’s there and let her know what you think! You can comment here or there.

Looking for Plot Twist Suggestions

twisted pencilInk Wolf shared Chapter 3 of Guardians in the Window. Now she’s looking for a twist for Chapter 4. I’m sure she’d appreciate your suggestions, so follow this link and look for her comment about plot twists. Scroll to the end of the comments to find it.

When imaginations come together. . . cool things happen

surprising elementsMikaela’s been busy! She’s added to several group projects, including:

two stanzas to the group poem Unicorn

three trials to the Fantasy group project

and… and…

well, she also added quite a fantasy element to the Historical Fiction #2 group project. A bit unexpected. But it also struck me as extremely funny because.. well, because it was so unexpected! You should check it out. Maybe you could add more elements from other genres to this story? I think it’d be fun to mesh all the genres together. Fun to write. Fun to read. Of course, as always, it’s all up to you guys. (But I think you should do it. Really. Please?)

I Love to Write Day – Come Celebrate with the Ninjaz!

celebrate I Love to Write DayThe 12th Annual I Love to Write Day is still a few days away (November 15) but I can’t think of a better way of celebrating than sharing Neve’s latest addition of The Secret Life of Ninjaz. Neve is obviously having a great time writing this story and I know you’ll have a great time reading it.

There’s a lot of bickering and fighting and hilarious dialogue and imaginative scene changes in this installment. Not only will you find plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but also scads of hot dogs, a crazy amount of ponies and… are you ready?… plenty of slightly altered Star Wars characters.

Neve’s brain has to be frizzed and her fingers have to be frazzed. Even Neve says “this took ages” to prepare but this time, at least, she had help from her brother, Finley. So. Welcome to the site, Finley, and thanks for helping your sister make us laugh out loud and celebrate I Love to Write Day in one of the absolutely best ways.

 

Those Spiders are There for a Reason

spider purple webYou’ll find plenty to keep you up at night in Ink Wolf’s latest addition to Guardians in the Window: spiders and wasps; explosions and flammable dust. Thanks for sharing, Ink Wolf. I can’t wait to read what happens next.

Writing Contest

Paper and Pen ClipartFrom now until December 30, 2014, The Young Voices Foundation is accepting short stories from students in grades K-12 for their writing contest, Young Voices of America Tell Their Stories. You can write any type of story you want but the story can’t be longer than 10,000 words. Follow this link to enter and make sure you read all the rules.

Thanks, Mikaela, for sharing this contest with us. Good luck to everyone who enters!