Teen Writing tip

Picture of a generic composition book, with a marbled black and white cover. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One thing I do that helps me keep up with my blog and story ideas is my idea book.  I hate it when I am driving somewhere and an idea for a story pops into my mind.  I look around and most of the time can’t find any paper to write on.  I use to have a collection of menus and napkins with ideas on them but most of time those bits of paper would vanish into thin air.

Your local dollar store is the best way to go when searching for an idea book.  You can get a composition book in a range of colors for under two dollars.  I also buy a few books just in case.  So there you have it.  Go out and get an idea book so you can keep up with your awesome, amazing creative mind.

Cool Writing Organization for Teens and More

Scribes (software) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Writers Circle in Summit, New Jersey offers a range of writing classes for all writers. Along with offering classes for adult classes for young writers  in kindergarten to high school students are also offered.  The Writers Circle really offers a range of learning opportunities for everyone.

The Writer’s Circle also has a great website with a must read book list, links to resources that will help writers improve their craft and in addition videos from writers like Kurt Vonnegut.

Of course there are also articles on writing. You should check out the website and invest in purchasing a copy their first literary journal, a collection of writings from student writers.It’s always great to see what your peers are writing.

Related articles

• Reviewed: Letters by Kurt Vonnegut (newstatesman.com)
• Tips for Writers, Pt V (kaleleneveholmes.wordpress.com)
• The Wisdom Of Great Writers (dish.andrewsullivan.com)
• Kurt Vonnegut: Letters, review (telegraph.co.uk)
• Kurt Vonnegut to John F. Kennedy: ‘On Occasion, I Write Pretty Well’ (openculture.com)
• Authors who look like their writing: #2 Kurt Vonnegut (beautifulorange.wordpress.com)

Your Words

Please check out the great writing in the Your Words section.  I am very impressed with the entries.  ALL OF THEM.  If you want comments on your work please let me know.  Feedback helps make your writing better and one day soon I will share a bit of my own work with you all.

As the summer approaches think about what project you’d like to focus on.  I can’t wait until June 27th when school will be out.  Besides writing I will be teaching a screenwriting class at the Writer’s Circle in Summit, New Jersey.

Words Move (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Teen Writing Tip

A Writing Kind of Day (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just looked over the Writer’s Digest 15 Tips for Writers  and I thought I’d add my own top ten list.

1. Don’t ever try to figure out what agents or publishers want.  This is one thing you will never figure out.  Just follow your instincts and go with that story that’s been bugging you to write it.

2. Write all sorts of stories.  Don’t think just because you’ve been writer one genre that, that means it’s all you can write.  Writers just write and that may mean one day they are writing a thriller and the next thing you know a horror books emerges from their creative minds.3. Write every day even if it’s just journaling.

4. Get feedback from your friends but you submit your writing.

5. Edit, edit, edit. Don’t be afraid to rewrite your work. Nothing is perfect the first time around.  All writing needs a little tweeking from time to time.

6. Don’t let anyone tell you that your story idea is no good.  I’ve known quite a few writers who let a teacher or friend discourage them from writing a story only to have their stories be written by someone else and became a big hit.

7. Sometimes it’s okay to take a break from a story because when you come back to it you’ll find you have a new take on the story.

8. Take a chance and enter your work in competitions.  Don’t let your wonderful work remain hidden away.

9. Learn from what works from other writers.  Read lots of different types of stories.

10. Don’t give up.

Teen Writing Prompt 531

English: A Girl Scout working on her Gold Award Project (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Write a story with:

 

• A deadly snow storm
• A girl named June
• Doug a 16-year-old boy who loves wrestling and milk
• A computer hacker who believes in conspiracies
• Sarah a super Girl Scout ( take this one any way you want)

Be creative and have some fun.

 

Related articles

• Girl Scout Architects Show Off “Green Building” skills at EcoHome Open House (prweb.com)
• The Way the Cookie Crumbles: The Girl Scouts Teach Money and Business Skills (blackamericaweb.com)
• Girl Scouts help build ‘fragile’ dreams (cinewsnow.com)
• Are you tough enough to be a Girl Scout? (troop3302.wordpress.com)
• Let’s Go Camping! (memaandpoppashouse.com)
• Yes, the Girl Scouts Do Have Common Core Badges (dianeravitch.net)

Teen Writing Prompt 530

Write a story where you inherit characteristics on an animal.  Maybe you can run as fast as a cheetah.  Or maybe you can blend in like a chameleon or breath under water like a fish.  Which one is it?  You decide.

Be creative and have some fun!

English: Uncurable (injured from a trap) cheetah from Africat Foundation, Namibia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles

• New research suggests complex animals evolved more than once (sciencenews.org)
• Wild Cheetah May Disappear by 2030 (newser.com)
• The Loudest Roar (headoftheheard.wordpress.com)
• Be Kind To Animals E V E R Y Week (consciouscompanion2012.com)

Teen Writing Prompt 529

South Australian Police officers wearing duty belts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All characters influence each other in one way or another.  Create a story with the following characters

A teen girl with parents who are police officers

A 5-year-old brother

A crazy neighbor

A cute guy who’s a best friend who just returned after 10 years after his family moved to England

Something crazy happens one night.

Be creative and have some fun!

 

Teen Writing Tip

Flaws (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

When I first was learning about creating compelling characters I learned that characters should have flaws. Think about it all those characters you love have some pretty serious flaws and maybe this flaw is something that your protagonist has to overcome.  Flaws can be a good thing too like with Clary from Cassandra Clare‘s City of Bones.  Clary is headstrong and a risk-taker. Taking risks helped Clary saved someone she loves on more than one occasion.

 

Think about what problems your character has and is challenged to overcome.  When I write sometimes I know this right away but somethings those flaws emerges as I write.  what flaws do your characters have?

 

Related articles

• Cannes: ‘Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones’ Team Returns For Sequel ‘City Of Ashes’ (deadline.com)
• The Mortal Instrument Series (jjjernigan1.wordpress.com)
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – review (guardian.co.uk)

 

Teen Writing Prompt 528

“I had to finish what I started so I turned back…”

Finish the story.  Is your character running from something? Leaving someone behind?  Continue from where I left off and have some fun.

Runaway (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles

• What causes teenagers to runaway? (teenagerunaways.wordpress.com)
• Runaway or abducted? Up to 100 kids go missing in state every day (q13fox.com)
• MPD Says Teen Last Seen Near MHS (wtok.com)
• Missing 14-year-old girl found safe (clickorlando.com)
• Runaway Girl (mandamoonflower.wordpress.com)
• Teens Believed to be Runaways (wtok.com)

Teen Writing Tip

Ethiopian Spices (Photo credit: La.Catholique)

I just came back from an awesome Ethiopian Cooking class at Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant in South Orange, New Jersey.  Experiencing new things is the best way to come up with a new story.  What if there was a handsome guy in the class?  Or maybe what if you discovered that you were allergic to something that you were cooking with and the allergic reaction caused you to go into a coma and when you awake you realized that you had a new power?

Try a new class.  Go to somewhere that you’ve never been before and let the new experiences create a new world for you and your stories.