Spice Up Those Characters!

Characters are what bring life to stories, so don't ever forget to bring your characters to life!  It's the reason for which we read stories, to get to know these characters and to see how they react when put under stressful circumstances.

As you probably already know, what motivates characters in a story is either a dear desire that they hope to attain by the end of the story, or a terrifying fear they try to avoid as much as possible, and even surmount it.  By making these aspects of each character clear, you already have yourself a story you can build on!

Another important part of developing character is to establish their relationships with other characters in the story.  These relationships can in turn lead to how characters make their decisions that make up who they are throughout the story.

Also, if you're planning on making a story with a lot of characters, make sure it is clear why each and everyone of those characters is involved.  Make each one have a part to play, even if it's a small one, that will help mold the story you are trying to tell.

Inspiration

Looking at things from a different angle can give
you a completely new outlook on things.

Writers find inspiration from multitudes of things.  Yet, a fun way to stir that imagination is to find a really interesting image or picture that makes your mind go!  While looking at a picture, think of the cause and effect or why the items in the picture are arranged in this way and not another.  Also consider the color scheme.  Do the colors suggest a happy tone or a depressing one?  If the picture is of a landscape, imagine what could happen there.  If the picture is of a person, create some sort of intriguing past for them.  Either way, let your imagination run wild and you'll be surprised at how many original ideas you come up with.  Try to look at things from different angles.
Also remember this key fact: imagination is like a muscle, you need to train it and practice using it often to fine tune it.  Happy imagining!

Create Your Own Writer's Club!

Writer's Clubs are great opportunities to spark some fun with writing.  

Sometimes, you might feel like you're out of ideas or out of inspirations.  Well, friends can definitely help!  Gather a small group of friends who want to write just like you, and find a meeting date!  Together, you can do many fun exercises and fun activities to help you write!  You can find some exercises on this blog and you can come up with some of your own too!!!

Just remember, have fun and keep writing too!!!

Fun Games for Writers!

You and each of your friends pick out a book from a shelf.  Write down all the book titles on your paper, and with your friends, think up a title using at least one word from each book.  Then, write a sentence summarizing the plot of this new story.

For Example:
Books:

• The Boy who Cried Wolf
• Anne of Green Gables
• Alice in Wonderland

Title Made Up: 

-The Boy of Green Wolf Land

Plot:

-A Boy from Green Wolf Land discovers something that will change his life.  But the King, the Green Wolf, will stop at nothing to get it too.

Have fun and be creative!!!

Search for a Companion Sample

​The last pairs of eyes closed, my cue to escape from my tree.  I jumped out of the leaves and headed to the graveyard.   ​I drifted to my friend’s grave.  My human companion.  Without her, my life was dangerously unstable.  I needed a bond to the Earth in order to not fade away or else, I’d die.

Cats in the Attic Sample

Here's a preview of my newest short story for the July issue of the Author's Pen Magazine. Hope you enjoy it! Lily's long and flowing white fur seemed to glitter in the moonlight streaming through the windows. Sally sometimes wished she had fur like Lily's instead of her short tortoise shell fur. Lily was a Persian kitty, purebred and super smart, Sally was a mutt, a mix of who knows what. She didn't even know why the family adopted Sally from the pound after they bought Lily for, well let's just say, Sally was a cat and she couldn't count that much money. Lily had become Sally's friend though, even if she was a bit snooty sometimes. Like, right now, for example.   ​"Sally! Hurry up! And be quiet or you'll wake them!" Lily snapped.  

A Trip to the Park

The pens are visiting the park, not for relaxing in the sun, but to gather some inspiration worthy of writing down!  Perhaps these inspirations will lead to stories, that will lead to next month's magazine!

Keep posted!