Notebooks

Hey! I'm posting again! Finally! It's been almost a month and I have no excuse for not posting. I'm sure if I thought really hard I could think of one, but you don't come here to listen to my excuses, you come to read about writing! If you're not, well... I don't know what to say to that.

I have a notebook that I carry around almost all the time. When I have to wait at a train station or my fast food is not fast, then I can whip it out and work on the latest chapter to some story I'm working on or jot down funny things people say. I'm serious, I actually do write down funny things people say (or I think of). Sure, you hear about writers doing this, and it sounds like a good idea. But in the moment, you figure "that's too much work I'll remember it later". Been there, done that. But do you know what happened? I didn't. I FORGOT!
I decided that those writers must have a memory that doesn't remember things, just like mine! And since I started carrying a notebook I have written down some pretty awesome stuff. And a lot of it has been going into stories.
Another thing to jot down is anything that inspires you! The most random of things can spark a story. For instance, remember Lemon Crayon?  That idea came from a conversation with my dad. It was his idea, but I wrote the story. I've come up with a lot of other stuff like that from random little things.

I hope all of this has convinced you to start carrying a notebook around with you! It comes in more handy than you would think! Take my word for it.

Writers should never go to jail!

"Freya" and I were talking the other day about some of the characters in our stories. Well, it was more like gossiping about the characters. "Freya" pointed out that it's not wrong to gossip if they're not real people. If we gossip about fake people, that kind of makes it so we don't have the urge to gossip about people in real life. And when you don't feel guilty about it, that makes your characters so much more fun!

And then I got to thinking: Well maybe if we lie, steal, and do other wrongs through the villains... Doesn't that mean we won't want to do it in real life? She agreed with me. Of course this was another one of our nonsense conversations... but still, it made sense (Yes, the nonsense made sense). Writers shouldn't have a reason to go to jail. If they want to do something wrong they can write and do it in first person!

Don't sin... just have a lot of villains in you stories.

The Carpet Cleaner

This is a poem about an unsung hero: the carpet cleaner. I wanted to tell people about how great this profession was. Share this with a friend. Together we can spread the word about the awesomeness of carpet cleaners!

The Carpet Cleaner

I stood there with my good ol' vacuum.
The Carpet was full of dirt gloom. 

 I had never seen such a dirty floor.
I prepared myself to run out the door.
A carpet cleaner, this was my job.

My partner's name was Frank, mine was Bob.

The carpet was tan, though it was supposed to be white.

To clean that carpet, we'd be there all night.

I looked at Frank, he looked at me. 

I took a deep breath and started to clean. 

As I vacuumed and scrubbed, the carpet looked fine.

On this carpet, you could even dine!

We finished at midnight, I heard the bell.

We were done, and the carpet looked swell!

Thanksgiving

Hello everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! If you want a writing assignment today, here: write about what you are most thankful for. Pretty easy right? I wish I had some cool Thanksgiving tradition to start at Words on a Page. If you can think of a good one, tell me! Ideas for Christmas are welcome too! We have some stuff that should be posted soon... well, soon-ish. I'm going to have to make this short, it's time for Thanksgiving pie!

Family Game Night

Hey ya'll. Sorry for not posting in so long, I had a post written down somewhere and it disappeared. Sometimes disorganization is a blessing, other times a curse. Because I have lost my writing a story post, you get to read another story I wrote. For some reason my short stories are all comedies. I don't know why, and I'm not complaining.

 Family Game Night

 Written November 19, 2010

          So this is how it was. They had turned against me. This was war! They brought it upon themselves, really. They were so eager at first, it was a game to them. Now they were fidgeting nervously, waiting for their cards to be dealt.
          We were in a dimly lit basement room. The tension was so thick you would have needed a jackhammer to cut through it. A crowd of six or seven people were watching and occasionally whispering to one another. Were they placing bets? It was anybody's game, really.
          I motioned for the crowd to be silent. My opponents and I just sat there. The dealer slid us the cards, keeping track of how many each person got. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Seven cards. I could taste victory on the tip of my tongue. Though the taste was very faint, it was there.
          I arranged the cards in my hand, careful not to show anyone. I was hoping I had the advantage. As my opponents -- or enemies, rather-- scanned the cards they held, I did the same. The person across the table laid down a few cards. I glared at him and laid down a pair of four of hearts.
         The game was nearing its end. It seemed like so much more than a game! The kid across from me asked in his nasty, menacing voice, "Got any twos?" I looked at him for a long time. Then a slow smile stretched across my face. "Go fish," I replied. He laid his head face down on the card table in defeat. That was it. I had won family game night.



Let me know how you like the story! It's not that hard! You can rate it, click one of the check boxes, or if you're really daring, you can comment! And if you are just plain crazy you can share this story with your friends and let them know about how much you love Words on a Page!
         

Lemon Crayon

 My dad requested I wrote a story about a guy names Lemon Crayon. So I did. And I just HAD to share it...

Lemon Crayon


My full name is Lemon Crayon Joe Bob Thompson…

My parents met 34 years ago. My mom was an aspiring artist. My dad was not.
He wanted to be a professional carpet cleaner. They were going to the same college.
I know what you’re thinking, a carpet cleaner in college? Well, yes. Anyways, my
mom was in art class drawing and what not and my dad needed a staple gun from the
art department when mom dropped her lemon colored crayon. Dad picked it up and
handed to her. Blah, blah, blah.
Two years later, I was born. My parents wanted a name that was unique. They
went through names such as: Yosemite, Chewbacca, Duck Man, Sardine etc. And then
my mom said to dad with a gleam in her eye, “Let’s name him Lemon Crayon!”
My dad loved the name and when I was born, mom told all the nurses that my
name was to be Lemon Crayon. They didn’t believe her. Who would? It was weird!
When I was in middle and high school and decided to have my friends come
over (they simply called me “L.C.” or “Thompson”) mom and dad would go on AND ON
about how wonderful my name was and scolded my friends for not calling me Lemon
Crayon.
Bullies would put me on their resume. Kids went as me for Halloween. Having a
weird name was known as “having a Lemon Crayon name”.It was not fun to be me.

When I was applying to go to college, I was usually turned down because no one
believes you when you say your name is Lemon Crayon. When I did get into college I
ended up in an art school. On the first day of class I was praised for changing my name
to an art medium. I said that I didn’t really care about art but my parents wanted me in
college and I just happened to be named after a crayon. I got kicked out of the school.

Finally a REAL college accepted me and I learned how to manage a business. I
joined a company that makes fancy granola. I remember my first meeting a.k.a. one of
the most humiliating days of my life.
“Okay guys!” My boss told us. “This is a huge meeting. If it goes well our granola
could be advertised by none other than Abigail Douglas!” She was a spokes person who
was highly sought after in the world of breakfast and snack food. “Don’t blow it! If you
do…Just don’t, okay?”
We all sat around the long conference table. I heard Ms. Douglas’ voice on the
other side of the line. I was in charge of marketing, so I was supposed to do the talking.
“Ms. Douglas, I’m the head of the marketing department for Yummy Granola,

have you read over the contract?”
“Yes Mr. - what’s your name?” She had to be kidding. If I said my real name then
the whole deal would be over and done for.
“Mr. Thompson.” I said
“I don’t call people Mr. It’s so old fashioned.” What?! Didn’t she know that my
name humiliated me?
“Lemon Crayon,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“Lemon Crayon,” I mumbled again.
“Speak up! Do you want to have me represent Yummy Granola or what?”
“LEMON CRAYON!!!” I screamed.
“Is this a joke?” She asked angrily.
“No! You can call me L.C….”
I heard a click on the line. She hung up. Everyone in the room looked at me. No
one said anything. And then my boss, Mr. Charles, said something so quietly I could
barely hear.
“I will give you a five second head start.”
I tried to figure out what he meant. I knew when he jumped out of his chair and
ran after me. I was glad Mr. Charles didn’t work out. I could out run him. But when I
reached a dead end he caught me. “Lemon Crayon, you ARE FIRED!!!”

The next day I met a girl at the unemployment office. Her name was Fish Pie. We
got along great and eventually got married and had two kids named Yoda and Scooby-
Doo. They got bullied all the time and we all lived miserably ever after.

THE END

Tell me what you think!

Here is a pointless story for you to enjoy!

I felt stressed. I didn't feel stressed very often, so when I did it hit me hard. It wasn't a huge deal, I realize that now, but things always seem worse in the moment. The basement was flooded, worse than usual. Mom and dad were gone all day and it was rained cats and dogs no -- llamas and alpacas! I forgot to do this thing with the gutters I'm supposed to do every time it rains hard like it was that night and before I knew it, water covered the basement floor. I was so glad mom decided against putting a carpet down there.

And then mom got home. I told her that Noah's ark was about to set sail in the basement. Of course I was exaggerating, mom just thought I was exaggerating more than I really was.
"No, seriously mom, there's a LOT of water down there, believe me!"
"Why didn't you do any thing?!"
"I'm not even a teenager," I replied, my 13th birthday was next month.
"What's your excuse going to be when you're 13?" She asked while filling a basket with towels.
"When I'm 13 I'll say 'but I'm not even in high-school yet' when I'm 14 and 15 'I don't even have my driver's license when I'm 16 and 17 'I'm not even an adult'."
"And when you're 18?"
"I won't have an excuse. At least not a good one."
Mom laughed and started mopping us the floor. After about two hours, not only did I feel really guilty, but the water was gone and everything was fine.

The End

Thank you for reading this pointless and random story that I wrote for no real reason except that I was bored.

My note book

I have a notebook. It's a plain, red, 70 page notebook that I got for about 50¢. I have filled up about half of the notebook already. Every time I need to write something down, I write it in that note book and put the date at the top. The notebook has everything from stories to to do lists. Try this for yourself. Use only one notebook for all the stuff you write down (except for homework) and write the date on every page. Once you fill your notebook, get another one and do the same thing. Put all of the note books you've filled on a shelf or in a bin so you can look back at them every so often. After you finish a note book write the date of the first entry and last entry on the cover with a marker. It would say something like this:

2010

August 3-November 29

You could make a new years tradition of going through all of the things you wrote in the past year. Encourage friends and family to do the same. You don't have to write in it everyday. Just when you remember. You don't even have to write a complete short story. One of the pages in my notebook says nothing but "Time and Space" at the top. I have stories in there with no beginning or end. Write whatever you want! I also have pages where I simply wrote about a character. If an idea is nagging at your mind, write it down! Your note book will be full in no time.

Two paragraphs.... close enough...

Writing a Story: Research

There are some fictional books where you just can't get around it. In order to make you book good you have to do some research. There are different approaches to research. My approach seems to be: get a bunch of library books on the subject, read my favorite one and return them all before I have to pay a fine. Other people just look it up on the Internet. They do it the easy way, and there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes researching a topic in your story is a good way to get away from the story, but not too far away.

How much do you actually need to research something? It depends. Say you're writing about a medieval princess. You would probably need to know the basic build of a castle, jobs of a royal family, duties of a lady-in-waiting, the clothing worn in that era ect. Chances are if you're writing a book about something you have at least a little bit of knowledge about what you are writing.

There was that movie that just came out. Legend of the Guardians or what ever it was? The one about the owls? Anyways, when I was watching the movie I noticed how detailed everything was (probably because I was wearing 3D glasses) and I wondered how long it would have taken, not just to create the art work, but to learn about owls. Everything was very precise. Someone must have spent hours and hours in a library reading about owls and how they fly and eat and everything else. I suppose they had to find an expert as well. The movie was based on a book, which makes it even more incredible, in my opinion.

That's all I have to say! Sorry this came out so late, I've been so busy and everything has been beyond hectic! I'm hoping to post more often in the days to come. Thank you for reading!

Charlotte's Arrival

Hello! My pen name is Charlotte M. Clementine.
I am a new Words on a Page author. My experience in writing is not incredible. I enjoy writing school assignments and so forth, so my invitation to Words on a Page sounded like an awesome opportunity. This is my chance to learn about blogging and further my knowledge in creative writing. I am so excited to provide stories and writing advise for all of you wonderful readers!

-Charlotte M. Clementine

P.S. I LOVE COOKIES!!!

We all know one of those people. They're the strange ones. Chances are you know someone like this. You may very well me strange yourself! Those people are odd, weird, crazy and possibly insane. You may not be friends with someone like that. Why? Because they're just not normal! But the odd ones seem to be the most entertaining. You may jump up and down for joy when your particularly peculiar friend calls, because you know he's going to tell some crazy story about ordering from McDonalds. Or maybe he'll just tell a normal story and make it sound like the funniest thing ever.

The weird ones don't say "cool" or "awesome" or "wow". They come up with different expressions that know one else would think to say.

The weird ones are a good kind of weird. They are people who can inspire, make you laugh and keep you on your toes. They are the ones who become characters in books, the subject of elementry school speeches and are some of the most amazing people on the face of the planet. They are the ones who you can learn from, they know how to put art into life and life into art.

Next time some one says you are crazy, you can look them in the eye with your head held high and say: "Thank you". Thank you awesome friends, with your quirks and oddities. That is what makes you special, and that is what makes you awesome. Stand proud and declare your strangeness... or not... that's up to you.
Because you know when to be weird and when not to be which sets you apart from the rest even more.

The End

Please tell us your thoughts on this fun little thing I wrote (you can tell that I have too much free time).  I would love to know your thoughts! You can tell us about how we perfectly described you or a friend. Or maybe share this with your friend to let her know how AMAZINGLY EPIC he or she is. In short: comment!

-Vladimir

Writing a story: when to revise

 You've written about a chapter of your book. You decide to go back to make some corrections. You keep doing this every few pages. Uh-oh, if you have to make all of these corrections your story just isn't good enough, so you quit. Sound familiar? I think I might have some ideas to help.

These suggestions are just for people who have tried everything and this is their last resort to finally getting past chapter one. It worked for me and hopefully it will work for you. Every writer is different, so these may not be any help. But they're here if you need them.

• The Plot: Forget about the plot! If you are expecting to write about a big exciting thing that's going to happen on page 137, chances are the people who bought your book are expecting to read about it. Frankly, planning out the entire plot of the story just makes it too predictable. "Go with the flow" is a good  way to put it. Let the characters and events lead you through the story, instead of you leading them. 
• Deceiving Yourself: You may think something like: "I think I may have this character's name  wrong, I should go back and check." DON'T!!! Your just thinking that because you want to read what you've written and see how good it is. If you really care that much if the random girl's name is Jan or Jane, you can make a little side note. Or if the writing program you use doesn't have that, use a piece of notebook paper and make notes as worries come to mind. 
• When to Revise: Revise when you're all done! Don't freak yourself about if the story is any good, or if your characters are described well or whatever. I think you can wait. If you MUST have it revised right away, have a friend do it for you. 

Writing a Story: the story

I find that the best way for me to write is to write it all out, don't look back and don't look ahead. Remember everything you learned in school about always making an outline for your work? Don't do it if you're writing a fictional story. BAD IDEA.... usually. It works for some people to make a vague outline and know what's going to happen. That works for some. And that's okay. Write a few short stories first. Try a different style of planning for each one.

There are some things to think about before writing a story such as:

• 1st person, 3rd person (or even, 2nd person)
• When does this take place?
• Where does this take place?
• What kind of writing do I want to use?

Now I'll explain each one.

1st person, 3rd person (or even, 2nd person) The point of view you use to write is very important! You probably know from school which one is which. Make sure you don't randomly go between persons. Wait until the next chapter or section if you are going to switch.

When does my story take place? 
The sixties? Medieval times? The future? The present? Outside of time? You decide! A clever way to make it so nothing has to be historically correct is to put it outside of history. Don't mention any famous people or historical events, that way no one really knows when they are, or even if  in a real place.


Where does my story take place?
A magical kingdom, a science lab, a small town in the middle of Kentucky? Anywhere! But you have to make it fit the story.  

What kind of writing do I want to use? What kind of feeling do you want conveyed through your writing? Do some research on old English literature, the style is very interesting and I find myself using some techniques derived from it.

If you have anything to add, ask me, tell me about, or a story to submit, just comment! And don't forget to visit the reader writings page! I can't wait to hear from you!

-Vladimir Malcolm

No writing assignment today

Sorry I haven't done a Words on a Page writing assignment lately. I came down with an awful cold and haven't had the time or energy to write one. I am going to tell you a bit about the story I'm working on.

I'm currently in the middle of chapter four. The story does not yet have a title, and I haven't revised any of it yet. It's set in a nonexistent medieval kingdom. I'm writing this untitled story sort of like the writer (Princess Ina) is remembering her past. The story will end when she is around twenty seven and it begins when she is seven years old. And since you are a writer not a mathematician, that means the story spans the time of about twenty years.

I love the style I'm using, I would love to write more stories like this one, but I should probably wait to get the first one done before I start more! 

I will try to get the next writing assignment up as soon as I feel healthy! Or next Friday, whichever comes first.... or last... I'm not making sense any more! Also, I will keep you updated on my progress with the untitled story about a princess.

Don't forget to comment! When you comment it makes us feel special! Or if you're too lazy to comment you can rate the post or click on the little check boxes.... please.

-Vladimir

Writing a story: Beginning

We've done quite a few "Words on a Page Writing Assignments" so far, and I think it's time I give some step-by-step tips about writing a story. The best place to begin is the beginning, so let's get started!

Don't focus too much on writing a beginning, or any part of the story for that matter. If that's just the way you write, that's okay, but if you usually have trouble writing a story I advise adhering to this rule. Just write it down and go back later if you must.

Keep it short and simple! How many books have you read where the beginning is slow and boring? Things that don't really need to be explained or set up are in the beginning. A short, simple, action-packed sentence is great for starting. Of course, you'll eventually have to revise it. If you just get it on paper, the ideas will most likely flow better than if you were examining every sentence as you went.

First impressions are important! When a story doesn't pick up by about the tenth page. I don't really bother to read the end. Have something at least a little exciting!  The story I'm currently working on is filled with exciting and interesting things. Of course when you're writing about an orphaned princess who's village was destroyed and ends up living in the village of people who destroyed the village, it's gonna be cool. (More on the story later).

Stay on topic. If your story is all over the place, no one is going to get it because it won't make sense. Keep it fairly consistent, but not to much. Exciting, but not crazy.


Introduce your character in a unique way. Don't start off a first person story by saying "Hi, I'm Joe." Or anything too similar. Booorrrinnng. Sure, it's good in some situations, but that beginning is so slow and over used. Introduce it with the beginning of the told story, we'll get the idea, if not, go back and add a better introduction later.

When can I describe my character? When he or she looks in a mirror, or when some on comments on their looks or when it just fits. You'll figure it out. If not: reread the story, think about it and nothing else or ask us.

My beginning sounds sort of cheesy, what do I do? Rewrite it over and over until you're satisfied. or maybe the cheesy beginning fits. Ask some friends who have read the beginning and ask how you can make it better.

If you think of any thing more to add (or just want to say something) comment below!

Writing about you.... or not.

Dairy:
Adjective

 of, for, or pertaining to milk, cream, butter, cheese, etc.: dairy products; the dairy case at a supermarket.

 

Diary:

noun

a daily record, usually private, esp. of the writer's own experiences, observations, feelings, attitudes, etc.

  

That definition of diary is a wonderful explanation of today's "Words on a Page writing assignment". You may already have a diary, if you don't keep reading and if you do, keep reading. Something I have never been able to do is keep a diary, or log, or journal, or what ever you want to call it. It just doesn't work. I forget about it, or decide I'm just not that exciting. 

Ever since I was five I tried to keep a diary. Ever since I was five, I failed. Until not too long ago. Here's what I did and what you're going to do: get a blank 70 page notebook. As often as possible, write in it. At the top, write the date. When I'm writing about myself I change my name and exaggerate a little. That way, there's no risk of you quitting journal writing because you find yourself boring. 

Another thing I do is write just random things. It's like I'm writing page 97 of a book. No beginning, middle or end. Just writing to write. It doesn't have to make sense or sound good. It doesn't have to fill up a page. Just make sure everything you write had the date on it. You'll be glad in the future when you look through your old notebooks. 

If you have a story in your journal you're especially proud of, submit it here for the world to see!

 

 

  

 

Do You See What I See?

"Write, write, write!" Chances are, if you get a book on writing you're probably going to read those words. And you know what, practice makes perfect. No, I'm not going to ask you to sit around at you local mall and write down everything you see. If you do that, you'll just get weird stares. Instead, I'm going to ask you to pay attention when you go to wal-mart, or the mall, or wherever! Just don't stare, that's rude. Just make a mental note of people who walk by, or the person who checks out your groceries. Keep a notebook in your car to write it down. After a few different trips to the grocery store, look over the people you wrote down. Choose your favorite and write a short story with him (or her) as the main character.

Music to my ears

Music is strange. Everyone seems to have a different opinion when it comes to music. Music is important for singers, dancers, and today, writers. For today's assignment you will be writing a story about a song. Not about the history or meaning, but the song.
Let me explain: the first thing to do is choose a song, preferably not a rap song, but if you really want to, go ahead. You can go with a funny song or an old song, whatever you like! Now, get out a pencil and paper (or a new word document) and play the song you chose once or twice.
How does the song make you feel? I know a few that make me cry, and some that make me want to wear pigtails and skip over to my granny's house. Write about how you feel.
Pay attention to the lyrics, what is the artist saying? What message is he trying to convey. Write about it. Listen to the instruments in the song and the voice of the singer. Are they strong or weak. Do they blend or stand out. Write about it! Now take all of that stuff you wrote about and think about it.
Play the song again, think of a story to fit your song.
Say you chose a song by Enya. Her voice is smooth, soft and angelic. Her lyrics are sometimes in Gaelic, so you may not understand them, but what if that language was also used by... fairies? Or maybe your story should be set in Ireland?
Maybe you chose one of her English songs. What is it about? Take the song "My! My! Time Flies!" She's talking about how things change through the years. Take that and build it into a story. The possibilities are endless!
Wait a little while and read it again while listening to the song. Do you still like it?

Coming soon

Freya and I joke around a lot, that's kind of our thing. Inside jokes are most common between us "There's a pachyderm on my trachea" etc.. I talked to Freya and there's going to be an on going series of short stories. I'm not sure what we're going to call them but I do know who the characters are going to be (it was part of the joke) Chuck, Dave, Phil, Norton, Doris, Jane, Mary Lou, Buck, Bill and Agnes. It's basically about a large family who lives in a tree house. It should be coming out in about a week. I don't know how often after that. So keep your eyes peeled for this!

Characters: Imperfection

I am hoping that Freya will write a post on finishing a story soon. I can never sick with stories, so I'm hoping her post will help. In the mean time, I will write yet another  post on characters. Today is imperfection.

Ask any person, and chances are, they will say that no one is perfect. If they say that, they are correct. Jesus was the only person who ever lived that was 100% perfect. It's true that some people were close, but close is not 100%. So naturally, you can't have a perfect character... with a few exceptions. If your character is perfect, or close to it, at least call attention to it in the story, otherwise people are going to think your characters are weak and unrealistic. If your characters do have flaws, don't let them say sorry every time. Unless you're writing a bigography on a Saint. No one can identify with characters who don't hurt, or get angry and mean it. They can to be mean sometimes, or rude, or even hateful. It is okay to do that to your character, even when he's the hero.

Weaknesses are another thing. Even superman had  a weakness. So did Mr. Incredible, he had a soft spot for junk food and his family. The weakness doesn't always have to be negative as you can see with the latter example.

So make your characters real. Make them human. Give them bad habits. Give them a short temper. It's okay, you can do it.


Fill all the lines of a notebook page with flaws you can give characters. Keep it for future reference.

I