Creative Writing Club: Alphabet Poem

Hi, welcome (or welcome back) to Creative Writing Club! This series details the activities we have done at my school's Creative Writing Club and gives them to you to serve as inspiration. Feel free to participate and to post what you've written.

This week Creative Writing Club is coming at you on Wednesday. Sorry about that, but I don't think you can complain too much because 1) nobody actually participates and 2) at least I'm posting! Yeah.

Anyway, this week we worked on a super cool prompt!

Prompt: Create a short story that’s 26 sentences long with each sentence starting with the next letter of the alphabet so that you have A, B, C, D, etc. Also include a one word sentence, a metaphor, a simile, a quote/paraphrase, a question, and a rhyme. If you want an added challenge, write a poem with all of the same requirements.

After today, I am so done. Before, I was content. Content! Dreadful circumstances have now brought me down to size and the world is full of elephants. Elephants the size of my mind and the heights and depths of my love. Floundering, like a fish, I am in this evaporating well of good emotions. Gorging your lumpy stomachs and greedy black eyes on me, are you? How it hurts me. Ice is growing from my fingers up my arms and down to my soul. Just wait and see how bitter I can be. Kites fly high and so once did I. Lacking love and patience though murders the soul. Murder is what this is. Night after night, I wake and can’t breathe for even my dreams of this suffocate me. Obliterate me and be done or let me be! Pray I only that you do one quick. Quick as a viper’s poison may kill one of those elephants. Rain down your poison on me and finish. Slither away then and smother someone else. Then I can live in my blissful state. Usually I love you so much, but lately.… Victim is how I feel. Wow. X-ray my chest now and you will find it still. Years from now maybe my chest will beat its own drum again, free. Zipperless and cageless and just free, free, free.

I had a lot of fun getting some emotions out and working on this prompt so you know, you should try this, too! Maybe you could even post what you write! Just maybe.

Creative Writing Club: Living Life Backwards

Hi, welcome (or welcome back) to Creative Writing Club! This series details the activities we have done at my school's Creative Writing Club and gives them to you to serve as inspiration. Feel free to participate and to post what you've written.

Yesterday, I gave you all the first part of this week’s Creative Writing Club. Today, I give you the second part:

Write something happening backwards. For instance, a city being unbuilt, a volcano unerupting, or weather erecting a city.

This is what I wrote:

The man slumps out of his grave, unkempt, memoryless. He slips, like a salmon, into the stream of his life, bouncing off of rocks he should’ve seen coming. His scar unwinds and oozes blood anew until he never hit his head on the rock in the first place. He sees his wife grow shallow, distant, until they get married and until they start dating and he never sees her again. But she was from his hometown, wasn’t she? So all  through his youth, he searches for the straight, long--was it long when she was young?--hair of his wife. But, didn’t she straighten her hair? Then or now? He searches until he loses control of his own ability, until he cannot keep his eyes open, until he erases back into his mother’s womb.

So I tried to play on the concepts of undeath, unlife, unbirth.

Now, it’s your turn! If you write something, feel free to post it.

Creative Writing Club: A Character in Action

Hi, welcome (or welcome back) to Creative Writing Club! This series details the activities we have done at my school's Creative Writing Club and gives them to you to serve as inspiration. Feel free to participate and to post what you've written.

Our prompt for Creative Writing Club was to write a story (either about a character or about ourselves) in which he/she was running, swimming, flying, strolling, etc. Basically, we had to write about a character in the middle of some kind of action. Rather than starting a new piece, I decided to write on my Work-In-Progress (WIP).

This is what I've got so far:

London at night had always been beautiful. This night, the stormy clouds swam across the skies and dove into the depths of the horizon. They swamped the Moon and the stars, and the only light emanated from the street lamps, the cars, and the offices open late. The lights reflected off of the roiling clouds so that no light from London stretched into the Heavens and no light from the Heavens touched the humanity of London.

Through the layers of clouds, Mara soared with white, angel wings. Her wings pumped the cool air into her face, brushing the hair away from her eyes, like the soft touch of a loved one. She tucked her wings close to her body and popped through a temporary gap in the clouds. The headlights of a car on a hill blinded her for a second as she descended towards London.

She flew to her house, through the open window and unto her mattress, which sped along the floor with the force of her landing. It hit the wall and Mara’s shoulder embraced the rough edge of a brick. She began to bleed.

Mara left her wound to bleed and sat on the edge of her mattress, tracing her skin with her fingers, feeling its soft, pure, whiteness end in a searing pattern of scars. She traced them as they marched up her skin. They hopscotched up her right arm, around and around, like an entangling serpent. They met her shoulder and danced across her chest, around her breasts in a parade of emotions, sliding their way to her stomach and down, down. They fled, like tears streaming, down both legs and to the tips of her pinkie toe. Across her left arm, too, they skipped.

Her back was almost unmarked. One x-shaped scar split her perfection. This scar split her heart, breaking it into fragmented pieces, slices stitched together with the scars. This scar split her heart, slid in between her ribs, and came out the other side. It was x among the o’s.

She remembered each scar and she wept. Her tears flowed from darkness, the heavy bags under her eyes, and into the light, as the shadows roved around the room, shifting with the wind’s movement of the lights in the room.

The lights in the room acted as spotlights. As they blew, they highlighted the crying Mara and then highlighted, one by one, the pictures covering much of the wall space in the room.

There was a time in her life when Mara could tell the story of each and every picture hanging--the picture of Shakespeare and Anne, of Mary and Joseph, of Mark Antony and Cleopatra--but as time unraveled, her matchings became clumsy and her arrows sometimes missed, and Mara no longer knew who all was on her walls. The two men in front of the altar--had she shot them? King Henry and his one, two, three, four--fourth wife, it was--kissing beside the guillotine. Had she done that? Had she betrayed the name of Love in that way? She couldn’t remember. Perhaps she had. Or perhaps, while she had been languishing in her self-pity, the world had escaped her grasp. Perhaps she was no longer the Cupid of the heavens and the earth. Perhaps the humans were damned to make their curses and graced to make their own blessings. Or perhaps it had always been her doing. Perhaps she was the Medusa and also the Hercules of Love.

Either way, Love was her domain, and no one--not Venus, not the Erotes, not humanity--was going to take her passion from her.

Mara stood, walked to her table, and began to sharpen both her golden and iron arrows. She dipped her golden arrows in Love and climbed the stairs. She perched behind the curtain of her window and waited.

That's all I have right now. The idea for this story didn't come from the writing prompt above, but from the music video below: Ed Sheeran's Give Me Love. So feel free to write using either one of these for inspiration. If you participate, post what you wrote. Pretty please.

Creative Writing Club: Clock Taboo

Yesterday, I introduced to you a new series: Creative Writing Club! This series outlines the activities that my high school Creative Writing Club does in order to get inspired.

Yesterday, I shared the first activity that we did in this week's meeting. Today, I will share the second (and final) activity that we did in our meeting for this week.

To start, our club listed several specific topics we could hypothetically write about. These topics included clocks, Stonehenge, Jerry Seinfeld, etc. We chose one topic as a group and then brainstormed a series of words commonly associated with the first word. Our teacher challenged us to write about the first topic without using any of the words we listed.

So we had to write about a clock without using any of the following words: clock, tick-tock, hand, minute, hour, time, second, face, number, pendulum, antique. Basically, this was like the game taboo.

I wrote this:

Running around, stuck in the eternity that ends only when midnight is struck. There's no need for me to carve hash marks into the walls of my prison, as this round cage already contains them. These hash marks dictate my life. Each hash mark passed is life lost, and every 360 marks, an infernal dinging rings inside my head. Those outside this dome jump with fright at every ding, but I envy them: they are free.

Now, I'm challenging you to write anything about a clock without mentioning the taboo words (clock, tick-tock, hand, etc. as listed above).

If you participate, feel free to post below!

Creative Writing Club: I'm Sorry But...

Hello, random Internet dweller who has stumbled onto my modest and long-abandoned blog! It's been almost a year since I actively blogged, but now I've decided to return to my blogging days, so here I am!

In my nearly-year-long absence, I helped to create a Creative Writing Club at my high school, which is, unfortunately, named Creative Writing Club still (feel free to throw some ideas out there for a new name!). We meet every Tuesday as a club so I've decided that I will post the club activities to serve as inspiration for anyone who may be reading this.

This week, we read a poem:

This is Just to Say
by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Our teacher then challenged us to mimic Williams in both his style and tone. The resulting poems were hilarious and also slightly morbid. I wrote this:

I'm Sorry But...
by Bria

I didn't see
you there
on the sidewalk
in the midday sun

I'm sure
you were happy
dreaming of
anthills

You know
until I squashed you
and you lay
crumpled

Now I challenge anyone reading this to write a quick William Carlos Williams-ish poem, like his "This is Just to Say." Don't shy away if you're not a poet or if you "don't have time." This activity is really quick (it took me five minutes) and really easy even for those who are not particularly skilled in poetry.

So have fun and if you participate, feel free to post your poem!

A Story I Wrote

This is a under-300-words story I wrote for Sparknotes Writer Wars. Although I wrote several stories for Writer Wars, this is my favorite. I just felt like throwing this out there for you all (meaning, I don't have any posts written and this was the first thing I thought of). The prompt was to write a story (300 words or less!) from the perspective of an inanimate object. My story (UNTITLED!):

We finished practicing and he tucked me in his coat, laying his hand over me. I felt safe (I know it’s strange for a gun to ever not feel safe, but it’s happened).

As he walked, I daydreamed of hunting in the forest. I was ready. So ready, baby.

But I didn’t see the forest when he took me out.

We were on a street. I sat in his arms and watched the people. A little kid, his blonde hair flopping on his forehead with every step, ran by. Boy, he could consume ice cream (mostly chocolate) faster than I could spit out a bullet on my best day. His mother walked slowly behind him, but when she saw him nearing the road, she kicked off her heels and ran to him.

I felt a tickle then, like a feather rubbed against my insides, a sneeze about to erupt within. The trigger.

I looked to my master. His teeth showed, but it was no smile. It was like looking at the smile of a shark, knowing that if you can see it, you’re too close.

His hand went cold. Staring into his eyes… Anger. Anger so hot it had gone cold. He had been under the scolding hot water for too long. His skin, too broken to heal anymore, had grown numb to its effect. He had no control.

I didn’t… NO.

He pointed me at them. And my belly lurched as the first bullets escaped my mouth.

No.

Running. Everyone was running. But there on the sidewalk. A pair of heels. And a chocolate ice cream, melting into his hair now, mixing and turning his hair a sick crimson-ish color. The color of death, of dirt and red clay.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

I’m sorry.

Bloody Sunday. The song by U2 (and the
cover by Paramore!) inspired this story.

I may want to edit that up some, but oh well for now!

I would love to read a story from you all too! Maybe even something about an inanimate object? (;  

Interview with Teens: Part DOS

8. How has your writing evolved since you started writing?

Dakota: Well, it's not written in crayon anymore, for one thing. Haha, I use a computer now, instead of scribbling in notepads held together with tape. Erm, I suppose it's become more mature, hopefully more in-depth and involving....but probably not. ;)

Bria: My voice has certainly improved as I’ve been writing. When I first started to write consistently about two years ago, I was childish in my writing. I liked to make my writing seem clever by telling jokes. Of course, this didn’t make my writing clever; it only made me look stupid for sacrificing the story for petty jokes. And now, instead of that, I sound like this. Let me tell you: this is much improved. The only way this evolution in my writing came about is because I write, so write. There’s no way to become better at writing if you never write.

Ravena: I used to fill up notebooks. Now I use a laptop. (On a serious note... I like to think I've gotten better, that I'm using less unnecessary words and am able to end up a piece of writing which is closer to what I imagined in my head. I can't really say though. I mean, it happens over such a long period of time, evolution, that sometimes it seems like nothing has changed at all. Oh no wait... nothing has changed at all. I still write like I did when I was eight. *Cries.* Let's move onto the next question :)

Elizabeth: My writing evolves constantly as I get older and my writing improves. It also evolves based on my current major influences and inspirations, as well as my experiences.

9. How do you feel about teens being published/self-published?

Dakota: It's awesome!! :D I applause them with a vigor spurred by both jealousy and pride. I SALUTE THEE, SIR!! And madame. ;)

Bria: Respect. I am nowhere near publishing anything (besides blog posts). I have so much respect and admiration for teens (anyone, really) who can control and motivate themselves enough to not only finish something, but to publish it too. If you’re reading this and you’ve published something: you’re awesome!

Ravena: OMG I AM SO PROUD OF THEM I WANT TO GIVE THEM ALL A GIANT HUG. Good for them for proving the stereotype all teens are lazy dodobrains (yes I made that word up) is wrong.

Jane: I think it's awesome, but only if they have talent. I'm always drawn toward books written by teens, I feel that they have a pulse on how teens actually think, and do. Better then a 30 year old woman. I'm not saying that the 30 year old woman doesn't have any talent, but sometimes a teen just hit's it on the nail.

Elizabeth: I think it’s great that teens are published. It’s valuable experience, and it shows that creativity isn’t restricted by age.

10. How do people react when you tell them you write, if you tell them at all? If you don't like to talk about it, why?

Dakota: If I tell them, they're usually like, "Oh, that's cool. What do you like to write?" If I don't tell them, it's b/c I don't think they'll care/appreciate it, or b/c I'm still insecure/self-conscious about what I'm writing. Also b/c doing something, no matter what it is, without anyone knowing about it, gives whatever you're doing a secretive, dramatic, spy-like feel, and makes it 10x more fun!! :D

Bria: People know that I like to write, but not many people realize that I want to be a writer. This is probably partially due to one of my friends. You see, I told one of my best guy friends that I wanted to be a writer. He looked at me and he was confused. “Why?” he said. I told him, but the confusion didn’t go away. “Why would you want to do that?!” …yup. Just so you know: this guy is not a jerk. Some people just don’t understand.

Ravena: I hate telling people I write, unless they're other writers.  People don't understand how much it means to me, or they generally tend to think I'm strange (I've only talk about it with a few of my closest friends (hi Asli, Mariana and Jodie) plus my mum but she doesn't count.) I guess I don't want to bring it up, because I feel weird.

Jane: I don't really tell people. Writing is more of a hobby for me, then a serious thing. When I tell my friends there okay with it. I don't really bring it up, because it's kind of hard to bring it up without bragging, so I don't unless I'm asking for advice or trying to work out a plot point.

11. How would you like people to treat teen writers?

Dakota: As equals? As interesting people that matter? As individuals with more things to say and more creative ways to say it than most people realize? Something like that, I suppose.

Bria: Respect would be nice. And encouragement. We are going after our dreams and an awareness of that would be awesome. Awareness by way of less homework would be especially nice. Hint, hint, cough, cough.

Ravena: Like royalty. Only joking (a little.) I would like people to encourage teen writers, but take us seriously too. Is that possible?

Elizabeth: People should give teen writers a chance. We don’t all write high school dramas or vampire novels. There are some extremely gifted young writers who are just as good as older writers and they deserve to be taken as seriously as anyone else.

12. What is acceptable content for a teen to be writing in your opinion? (Eg. genre, romance elements, age etc.)

Dakota: Hmm, anything but smut. SMUT MUST NOT BE WRITTEN!! BY ANYONE!!! EVER!!! But especially by teens. Mature (in body) and independent as they may be, THEY'RE STILL JUST KIDS!! Basically, anything you wouldn't want your parents, or grandparents, to read, you probably shouldn't write it.

Bria: I don’t know. I’ve never thought about this. Generally, I don’t write characters who are older than me, because I don’t know if an eighteen-year-old will have different thoughts than little sixteen-year-old me. But that’s just me.

Ravena: I think anything is acceptable. Teens know about the goodness and the badness in the world, and all the little bits in between. They should be able to write whatever they want.

Jane: Basically anything, except hardcore erotica or any romance novel where the characters aren't teens.

Elizabeth: In terms of content, I hate smut in books from any age, but I think it’s something teens especially should avoid because it reaffirms stereotypes about young writers.

13. What advice do you have for teen writers who are just starting off?

Dakota: Hm...For starters, ignore the doomsayers, or course. ;) And, DON'T be like me, meaning that you should have a writing schedule, even if it's just, "I will write 100 words this week," or, "Every Tuesday at 6, I will sit down and write for 15 minutes." It doesn't have to be a lot. Hm, what else? Write whatever you like (yet remembering what I mentioned before), however you like. Sci-fi in a notebook, fantasy on the computer, mystery on you iPod. Whatever, it's entirely up to you. Never let anyone tell you a certain genre or way of writing is stupid or wrong. And....PUNCTUATION MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!! Example:

"Let's eat grandpa!!

Let's eat, grandpa!!"

You see????

Oh, and one more thought; A cup of tea (or coffee, but mostly tea) is a writer's best friend. ;)

Bria: You tend to hear the same advice so I’m going to try to throw something new in. “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12, the Bible) Don’t be discouraged and don’t believe that others are better than you simply because they are older and “wiser.” I’ve read plenty of books written by people who should be old enough to realize their writing stinks. (That sounds harsh, but we all know it’s true. Some people write bad books.) Get yourself some confidence, get your writing out there (blogs, contests, etc.), and live by this quote from Ray Bradbury: “If you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. You must write every single day of your life. You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories –science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”

Ravena: Don't ever give up, no matter how many rejections you get. And there's no rush to get published. Some of our favourite authors weren't published until they were waaaay out of their teens, but look how happy they are now!

Jane: Take inspiration from everything. Write different things until you find the one that's your fit. You don't have to be an author to write, just write. If you’re good, good for you, if not that's okay because no one has to see it.

Elizabeth: I advise young writers to practise constantly. It’s the only way to get better. Experiment with other genres you don’t usually write in, and read lots! Reading different genres from different periods from an array of different authors also helps a lot. Keep exercising your creativity. Challenge yourself to be inspired by anything – this helps avoid writer’s block. It gives you a chance to discover what works and what doesn’t. Also, do not get stuck in one genre (especially fanfiction!)

There you have it! Do you agree with any of it? Do you disagree with any of it? Tell me, I command thee. 

Interview with Teens: Part UNO

I took part in the following interview. It talks about teen writers and all of its opinions are from teen writers. If you want to read more from any of these people:

Dakota Densmore

Ravena Gruon

Jane Shaw

Elizabeth Watson

Thanks also to Sunny Smith, whose idea this was and who organized the whole thing.

So here you go:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself (age, how long have you been writing, and what you write)

Dakota: I am 17(@ sunny, lol it's close enough), and I have been writing since I was very little, say 4?

Bria: My name is Bria. I am sixteen. I’ve basically been writing since I was six (I mostly plagiarized stories then), but got serious about writing (realized I could be a writer!) two years ago. I write stories with a bit of everything. Some have fantasy feels, some have a sci-fi sense, and some are stories about normal people doing normal things in a non-normal way.

Ravena: Well, I'm sixteen and I've been writing since I could hold a pen (I know... I'm so funny.) I tend to write science fiction or fantasy because I love creating new worlds. 

Jane: Started writing in grade 6. I first started writing the stereotypical girl crushing on the stereotypical senior boy, because in my mind it made sense that the senior boy would like the freshman girl, of course once I got to highschool  I realized how naive my grade 6 self was, but I digress. I then moved on to writing books where the main character suffered from some tragedy that left them blind. deaf or some other physical disability. I then moved on to writing story's where the main character was an orphan and they would go on a quest to find their birth parent's. As I matured I started getting into writing fantasy, and this is where I am now writing Urban Fantasy.

Elizabeth: I’ve been writing since I was 4 or 5 (around 15 years). I write a bit of everything. I probably won’t pursue writing full-time (can’t afford to), but I’ve always written in my spare time.

2. What is your favourite book/author (and yes you can give more than one:P)?

Dakota: Good gosh, don't ask me that! I'm the most--SECOND most indecisive person in the world!! But if I absolutely HAD to pick an author or two or else I'd DIE, then I'd have to go with Wayne Thomas Batson, Jill Williamson, and....Donita K. Paul. hmmmm....yes, let's go with them. :)

Bria: I don’t have favorite (I’m American, ha) books, just favorite authors. Ray Bradbury, Orson Scott Card, John Steinbeck, and Joan Bauer are my absolute favorite authors.

Ravena: Argh! I can never answer these questions, because I'm terrible at making decisions. I always feel like I'm picking favourites, and that the books will get offended and cry (if, you know, they could and all.) I think I'm going to play it safe and say my favourite book is "The Lord of the Rings." The world Tolkien creates... oh gosh I have no words to describe how in awe of him I am. And, of course, the "Harry Potter" series (I'm cheating, I know.) It was a huge part of my childhood and Rowling's world building is wowza (am I getting a little predictable? Okay, here's a fun fact: when I turned eleven I waited for my Hogwarts letter just like everyone else. When it didn't come I told my parents I wanted a house elf for a birthday present instead. I got a pen (or something completely ordinary that wasn't a house elf.)

Jane: Favourite Authors: Ally Carter. Patricia Briggs, Alyxandra Harvey, Nalini Singh, Anee Bishop, Tamora Pierce, and Jane Austen! Favourite Book: I Hunt Killers (atleast for now) :) there are many others...

Elizabeth: Shakespeare, Jane Austin (Pride and Prejudice), Shilpi Somaya Gowda (Secret Daughter), J. R. R. Tolkien

3. What is the first thing you ever remember writing, that wasn't for school?

Dakota: BAHA!! Ah yes, I remember it well....I do believe I was four, or thereabouts, and had just completed my first-ever story. It was perhaps four pages long, two of those pages being drawings, and all written in crayon. It was about a family of people that suddenly got mad during dinner and threw all their food on the floor and in the toilet. I can't remember how it ended, tho.... But it was a happy ending, I know. ;)

Bria: If we don’t count the stories I wrote/plagiarized when I was six, it would be this story I wrote when I was nine. It was about a kid who liked to invent things.  His name was Peter. He ran away from home because…actually, there wasn’t a reason. Anyway, he ran away from home with his little sister and they lived in a cave in the woods. Peter invented things to help keep them alive. Yeah, it was a cool story, and Peter actually won second place in a character-making contest with Scholastic Storyworks. I won a notepad. :)

Ravena: A "novel" when I was six about two parents who went to the beach with their two children and forgot them. It had about ten lines of writing, and lots of awful pictures. I even "published" it by getting someone to staple it for me. Thankfully it got lost.

Elizabeth: I wrote stories on a 90’s computer program called Storybook Weaver. I wrote about horses (my favourite animal).

4. What's your writing schedule (if any) and how often do you write?

Dakota: *chokes on and spits her drink halfway across the room and falls to the floor in an insane laughing fit* SCHEDULE??? Oh, you poor, dear, soul, you. Ah, I don't HAVE a schedule. My ADD and laziness won't allow it. I merely write when the mood strikes. That, while not being an efficient writing strategy, is more fun for me. ;) hehe

Bria: I try to write something every day. I don’t have a certain time or place because my schedule fluctuates and changes depending on school and church and my job and family and just life. If you want to know how I balance all of these things, the simple answer is: I don’t. Mostly I compromise on my sleep. As I like to quote: You can sleep when you’re dead. (Not that you should compromise on your sleep! Don’t get into that habit!)

Ravena: I write everyday, for at least an hour (by that I mean I try to. I'm lazy) When I can I write in the morning because that's when I'm "freshest." If it's a school day (and too often it's a school day) I'll write in the evening. 

Jane: I don't really have a schedule I just write when I feel like it. Yes, I know it's bad, but that's what I do.

Elizabeth: I write every day, with few exceptions, for at least an hour. It’s part of my life as much as eating and sleeping.

5. Have you ever taken any classes/studied writing in some way? If so, how has it helped you? If not, why?

Dakota: Yes, I did take a class. Twice! The same one. ;) haha. I can't say HOW it's helped, b/c I have difficulty pinpointing that kind of stuff, but I know that it has. :)

Bria: Last year, I took a creative writing class at my school. It was interesting. We wrote a travel piece, illumination essay, play, dystopian, some poems, a children’s book, and a short story. What was really cool about this class was the community. We were all writers, so we all understood the voices and the story urges, and we all enjoyed talking to ourselves; basically, we all had the weird writer quirks and it was stinkin’ amazing! Lots of encouragement, definitely.

Ravena: I haven't taken any classes, because there aren't any where I live and if there were I probably wouldn't be allowed to go anyway. I'm planning on watching Brandon Sanderson's lectures (although I haven't yet.) I've also ordered Stephen King's "On Writing" (which has yet to arrive.) (A recurring theme... I'm not making excuses, I swear!) In Year Nine, when she found out I liked writing, my English teacher gave me a book which eased me into the world of publishing. That counts right?

Jane: I took a Creative Writing class in highschool. It helped me, by teaching me different ways to write, and the process that you can take to write a story. It also taught me about different types of creative writing.

Elizabeth: I’ve attended some writer’s classes and conferences. I went to my first one when I was 12. Everyone else in the class thought I was lost. I also took creative writing classes in high school and university. They’re helpful because they teach you a lot about writing “theory”. They point out flaws in your writing that you’ve never noticed. They also give you a chance to get feedback from a variety of other writers.

6. Who/what influences your writing?

Dakota: Mmm...video games, both fortunately and unfortunately. Fortunate in that it gives me a plethora of fantasy-type names and ideas for fantasy-type places, but unfortunately in that it messes with my plot lines. I end up picking up too many characters. :P

On the other hand, my friend Sunny is a great help to me in my writing, being both inspiring, helpful, and encouraging. :)

Bria: Life influences my writing. The people I know and the circumstances I live in influence my writing more than anything else. Honestly, people should be scared to talk to me, since so much of my dialogue comes from conversations with people.

Ravena: I would say every book I've ever read has influenced my writing in some way (although I can't exactly say how.)

Jane: I started writing when I was in elementary school. It was my 4th grade teacher who had everyone writing story's for English class. She was the one who opened my eyes to writing. I'm also a huge bookworm (I work in a library, for petesake), so whenever I finish a book I was always think wow I love the way this character said that, or that was cool the way she wrote that, and then BAM a story idea pops in my head.

Elizabeth: Tamora Pierce, Tolkien, and Austen

7. What's your motivation for writing?

Dakota: Motivation? You sound like an over dramatic actor being paid way too much to do little of anything. Ah, my motive it FUN, and of course, the dream of any aspiring author, to be published. Perhaps even made into a movie. ;)

Bria: I love stories (as if that wasn’t obvious from my blog name). I love telling stories, I love listening to others tell stories, I love stories. My love of writing is based on this love –and obsession with –stories. Everyone has a story and everyone’s is different (even twins’ stories are unique!). This intrigues me and so I pursue stories. I creep on them and I find them and then I write them. It’s just so fascinating to me!

Ravena: I have no idea. No, seriously. I think that even though at times I have to force myself to write, or it feels like I would rather stick needles in my arms then sit down and make words appear, I love it.

Jane: Everything, no seriously everything. I find motivation mostly in other books, movies, and T.V, shows. I find inspiration when I'm at work, or when I'm on the way to work, or when I'm taking ling trips, and when I'm trying to sleep and my mind is running a mile a minute.

Elizabeth: My motivation is what I call my “writer’s waves”. If I get an idea, I have to write it down.

This was actually only half of the interviews. The rest will be posted soon. Do you agree with these brilliant people? Or do you disagree? Any points of dispute? I want to know.