Hello! I do

Chatterbox: Inkwell

Hello! I do

Hello! 

I don't know if you all remember me, so I'll do a quick (and updated) introduction, then I'll go on to why I am visiting the Chatterbox when I have been gone so long.

My name is Nat. I am 13 years old and live in the USA. I left the Chatterbox a little over a year ago. I have come back to visit because I need the help of better writers than me, which I am sure is many of the people on the Chatterbox (as I am an awful writer).

So, I am trying to write a story, but I keep deleting it as it has many problems. Here are the problems that I've been having:

1. The story has been too fast-paced and short.

2. The characters have no depth and personality.

3. The romance is unrealistic and too fast-paced.

4. I'll be really into it for a few chapters, then suddenly I'll lose all inspiration and I will have no idea how to keep writing it. 

5. It is just overall poorly written. 

So, I'm wondering if anyone can give me some good advice on how to write a good story? I pretty much need advice on the 5 topics above, but anything else will be appreciated.

I know this is asking a lot, especially since I have been gone for a year, but I have an idea I really want to see written, and I can't figure out how to write it myself (as I can't really force anyone else to write it LOL).

I may come back to the CB every once in a while to check in and see what's going on, but I am mostly going to stay gone after I have enough advice, at least for right now. 

Thanks so much! I really appreciate any help I can get, no matter how small.

Sincerely,

Moonlight 

submitted by Moonlight, age 13, Ashai
(September 10, 2018 - 2:26 pm)

Hiya Moonlight! You won't know me, because I joined about 4 months ago. Nice to meet you! 

Ohmygosh, I totally feel the first point. I'm trying to write this novel, but it's just WAY too short. Here's my solution: add small details. Describe the current weather. Add little bits that add a funny element. Put in a bit of dialogue. Just add in small bits untill you have ten more pages, twelve more pages, twenty more pages. I'm not quite sure how to help you with the rest, but as you said, this place is full of talented writers. :)

Hope this helps! - Soren 

submitted by Soren Infinity, age 27 eons, BeaconTown
(September 10, 2018 - 7:03 pm)
submitted by Pop Top!
(September 11, 2018 - 3:53 pm)

shoot I’m Moonlight too.....

submitted by Moonlight #2
(September 11, 2018 - 4:32 pm)
submitted by Soren InTOPity!
(September 11, 2018 - 7:17 pm)

WOW! I totally understand what you mean, I'll try to give some advice

1; begin with something over all normal, and slowly introduce the aspects of your story, like soren said, explain the weather, pay attention to the trees that seem to russle in the wind, making your character jump with ever sharp noise. explain how the boy's eye shone bright like light churned caramel, with glints that looked like crinkled gold. 

Find something you want to write about, and stick to it, and when you find it predictable and boring, that's fine, that's normal! you wrote it, and chance are you've reread so many times you have it memorized, don't worry. 

if you feel it's hard to just shoot from the hip, set a plan, Bob can't just find the dragon out of nowhere, figure out a back story. give your readers a short history lesson on the dilapitated building that no one goes into, but is forbidden to take down.

2; make up a backstory for your character. even if you don't write into your story that Jane's cat died when she was six years old, something like that could make you releize she would be kinder to animals, and want to help them. think up Five secrets your character has that no one else knows. maybe horrific fear of the dark, so whenever underground is mention their hands get clammy. you don't have to tell the reader the secrets, but it helps you to get to know your characters better. 

Make your dream self into a character. personally, I'm really bad at making conversation in person, and talking with people I haven't known for a long time, I like to make my characters laid back and extroverted. maybe you've secretly wished that your hair was dyed neon rainbow, your character can have that, have you always wanted extremely vibrant freckles, or maybe wanted to get rid of them? go for it. writing is where you can put yourself however you feel you want to be portrayed in worlds you've wished to travel to.

3; SAME! truthfully, I don't know how helpful I'll be on this one... but, think of real romance. typically, people have crushes and won't tell the actual person about it. think about what crushes make people do, is your character the type to be sarcastic and snarky whenever their crush is around? do they completely melt when said crush walks into the room? or maybe somewhere in between. or maybe they just fall for each other, a psychologist once had a study where two complete strangers were brought into a room, then each explained intimate details of their life for 30 minutes that just stared into the other's eyes for 4 minutes, love is weird. sometimes it does happen over night. sometimes it's something like Hermione and Ron, they start off hating each other become friends and then love each other. 

OR you could have one character confess their love for another character and the one confessing gets a bad reaction, the other person telling them they don't feel the same. and only after they say that, does the character begin to notice the little things and start to fall in love with the original confesser. 

4; if you're able to, listen to music. different genres of music will give you different feelings leading to different ideas. I have the same thing happen to me, and honestly, you just need to push through, write some complete trash, if it means it gets you back into the habit, it's your first draft, it doesn't need to be Riordan worthy yet. 

get a good idea, and figure out how it can tie back into what you were doing, and go ahead and write some 'and then bob laughed. the joke was funny. he was happy.' if it means you're writing that's good! 

5; no matter what you're going to look back over your writing and wonder why you aren't like Veronica Roth, or John Green, and that's okay, you aren't supposed to be like them right now, they have gone over their stories so many times, the books you read aren't the first second third even fourth draft. write what you want, and rewrite. rewrite the same scene over and over and over intil you like it. it's your story, it's your ideas that you are giving out to the people, if they don't like them that's their problem, as long as you feel like you gave your ideas justice, you did positivly amazing. 

I hope this helps! if you need anything feel free to ask! 

 

submitted by Annabeth C
(September 11, 2018 - 9:40 pm)

Hello Moonlight!

Rule number one-

NO MARY SUES/GARY STUS. These 'perfect' characters are super cringey and usually completely non relateable. If you find that one of your characters is veering toward this area, give them a weird quirk.

Rule number two-

come up with a few things to describe each character and set these aspects in stone. It's really hard to write about a character who you can't see clearly. Trust me, I know from expierience.

Rule number three-

Don't be afraid to look to books both good and bad for example. What makes the plot interesting, what makes it fall flat. 

That's all for now, but I may come up with stuff later. 

submitted by Spring Flower, 春乌艾
(September 12, 2018 - 9:31 am)

Thanks everyone for the very helpful advice! And @Moonlight, as you have been on here more recently than me, everyone can call me... hmm... Hero. Unless someone on the CB is already called Hero. I just like the name for a gender neutral version of Hermione (my favorite Harry Potter character), so I’ll use it. 

submitted by Moonlight/Hero, age 13, Wonderland
(September 12, 2018 - 9:25 pm)