Finals

Hey, just wanted to let everybody know that I AM still alive! With finals and everything coming up, it’s been really hard for me to get time to blog. I’ll update whenever I can though; keep checking! Thanks!

-Andrea

Tips for Successful Writing

This is something for all you writers out there. Over my oh-so-many years of writing, I’ve collected quite a few tips from other writers and from reading blogs, books, and articles on writing, and I put them all together in a document on my computer. If you’ve ever tried to write anything (from short stories to full-fledged novels to essays for school), you’ve probably noticed that certain environments, sounds, or visuals help you think and focus better. It’s different for everyone, but I made a list of some of the general suggestions that I have for writers when you’re trying to get in some seriously good writing time. Some of them might work, others not so much, but I advise you to give them a try. You never know; life can surprise you.

1. Play music. If you’re writing a story, try finding some music that fits with the story. (If your story was a movie, what music would be in the background?) If you’re writing an essay, sometimes just some simple classical or instrumental music can help you focus less on distractions around you and zero in on writing.

2. Look at pictures. Sometimes all you need when you’re struggling is to look at some visuals of what your story’s scene might look like, or even something general like what the overall message of your story might look like summed up in one big picture. (You know, “A picture’s worth a thousand words”?)

3. Observe. One of my favorite ways to get inspiration is to just look around me. Whether it’s people, cities, or even trees (whatever works), sometimes just being able to see it in person is all it takes for it to come alive in your mind. A lot of times I also snap some pictures. Doing that helps me remember what something looked like, when I actually get time to sit down at my computer and write; and it helps me remember certain details that I may not have retained in my mind. But the overall impression I got when I saw it in 3-D is still there.

4. Smell. That may sound weird to you, but it really does work! If you’re trying to describe a pine tree, then smelling a pine-scented candle or even an actual pine tree can help you not only describe the scent (if you want) but also other details about it. It helps to put you in “the mood.” If a scene in your story takes place in a kitchen, smelling food-scented candles or (again) actual food can help you come up with a more accurate and realistic description and atmosphere for your story. Your senses are wonderful gifts — use them!

5. Make notes when reading other writings. When you’re reading someone else’s essay, a poem, or even a book, a lot of times you’ll come across something that you really like — whether it’s a well-known saying, a kind of sentence structure, or a new word that you like. Of course, you can’t plagiarize (copy someone else’s ideas or words), but if it’s one of my three examples up there or something similar to them, it’s pretty much “up for grabs.” Anytime you find something that you really like (or even kind of like), make a note of it — and don’t forget to write down where you found it in case you need to take another look at it later!

6. In the case of story-writing, have some friends read your story and see what impressions they get of your characters, scenes, and plot. This works especially well with characters. You, as the writer, have a picture in your head of what you want your characters to look and act like. Sometimes when you’re writing, though, you don’t give readers as clear or accurate an impression about the characters. So by having some friends read your story, they can tell you what they think your characters (or scenes or plot) are like. If they get a different impression from what you wanted, then chances are lots of other readers will get similar impressions; so you can fix it and make it just how you want.

7. Also in the case of story-writing, act it out. I will warn you: this only works for certain people. If you’re not into acting, then this probably won’t do you much good. But for those of you who like to act, give it a shot. Put yourself in one of your characters’ shoes and try to think like them. (If there are people within hearing distance of you, whispering works just as well as talking out loud. ) A lot of times when you’re writing, you’re “putting yourself in your characters’ shoes” whether you’re meaning to or not; but sometimes it helps to stand up, look away from the computer screen or notebook, and pretend you’re where your characters are. Think like your character would: what would they say? What would they do?

8. PRACTICE! I bet you knew that one was coming! But it really is true — even writing in your diary is writing. Try to write something — anything — daily. You don’t have to consistently do short stories; write a poem one day, just to be different. Or, if it makes you happy, keep on writing short stories! Just try to get some kind of writing in every day — and have fun with it!

These are just eight suggestions out of MILLIONS, but give them a try. I’ll give my testimony: they’ve worked for me! I’ve tried all of these at some time or another, and it all depends on my mood and what I’m trying to describe; sometimes they work well, sometimes not so much. Don’t get frustrated if you do one of these and an idea doesn’t magically pop into your head. (I’m not Harry Potter, for crying out loud.) Sometimes you have a bad day and just can’t think well. In that case, you probably have Writer’s Block. HANG ON A SECOND, let me give you a quick commercial: I’ll be doing a blog on Writer’s Block and some tips on getting past it; so stay tuned for that! Okay, back to Harry Potter. Ideas sometimes do just “come to you” like that; but usually you have to put some work behind creating a really good story (this is real life, you know). But writing can be a lot of fun and a great hobby. (Plus, I bet your mom and dad are a lot more eager to buy you some notebooks and pencils than a Wii or an Xbox 360.)

-Andrea

Master Rascal

Now that you’ve read the title, you probably have a million different ideas on what in the world this blog could possibly be about. Well wonder no longer, because I’m going to tell you: my hamster. His name is Hollywood, but he’s nicknamed Master Rascal, for more than one reason. After I tell you a bit about the evolution of his name, I’ll tell you a bit about him and then hamsters in general.

When I first got him (on my birthday), I had no idea what to name him. (I’d been begging my mom for another hamster after the first one, but I didn’t think she’d cave any time soon.) The first name that popped into my head was “Hollywood”, and since I thought that was cute, I decided to name him that. Shortly after getting Hollywood, my family and I watched the movie Bob the Butler. I won’t give you a whole summary of the movie, but the main character (Bob) had a hamster named Rascal, whom he called “Master Rascal” (you’ll have to watch the movie to understand). All kidding aside, Hollywood looks exactly like that hamster. It’s unnerving. So then everybody in my family started calling him that, and I just jumped on the bandwagon. Thus, his name is Hollywood…a.k.a. Master Rascal.

Master Rascal has proved to be rather smart (for a hamster). I was young when I had my first hamster, but I don’t remember him being anything like Hollywood is. While my other hamster seemed content to run in his wheel, eat his food, and sleep, Master Rascal (emphasis on Rascal) has figured out a plethora of escape routes from his cage. Actually prying his cage’s door open being one of the many ways, Hollywood has practically given me a heart attack on several occasions (did I mention we have a dog?). When I first bought his new cage, I thought it was so cute — but now the little pieces of packing tape everywhere kind of take away from the cute factor.

Hamsters are fuzzy little nocturnal rodents, and they’re probably the most domestic and popular pet rodent. Some people think of them as good for young kids, as kind of a “life experience”; but the truth is that it takes responsibility and maturity to take care of a hamster well. They’re a living creature, and they rely solely on you for their food, their water, and a clean environment in which to live. You should give them fresh food daily, and I recommend changing their water at least every few days. As far as cleaning their cages, it all depends on the cage and the hamster, but usually once a week is a good routine to establish. While they’re a lot of work, having a hamster also has a lot of benefits. I actually do think that they’re a good “life experience” (when you’re ready to handle a pet), and watching them can be quite entertaining. That’s the difference between stuffed animals and real ones: stuffed animals “do” exactly what you want them to do, whenever you want it; but real animals can choose whether to cooperate or not, and they can actually surprise you. Whether you’re tired, happy, angry, or upset, sometimes all you need is a fuzzy friend — who doesn’t talk or roll his eyes or judge you — to make you smile.

-Andrea

Maximum Ride series

Right now, I’m in the middle of reading the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It’s very different from many of the other books I’ve read, on many different points – primarily the topic, the writing style, and the characters. The story is about six kids — ranging from six to fourteen years of age — who are genetically altered; that is, they have avian (bird) DNA grafted on their own human DNA. So basically, they’re part bird. The series is centered around the main character, Maximum Ride (called Max), who is supposed to save the world. She and her “family” of other experiments — Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel — are always on the run from “Erasers” (human-lupine combinations [part wolf]), who are pretty much the bad guys in the series. They want to catch the kids and take them back to the School, which is where the scientists (or “whitecoats”, the other bad guys) experiment on people — or more specifically, kids.

The writing style of Maximum Ride is much like reading a journal, which — from the prologue of book 1 — is what the author intended for it to be. The books are written in first person point-of-view, from Max’s perspective. The dialogue and even narration have a humorous and witty style, throwing in common “teen slang” phrases and words, and the characters tease each other, mimicking real life friends’ and siblings’ dialogue. The biggest reason that TV is so popular (other than the fact that it’s one of the easiest ways to be entertained — click “power”, done) is because it’s usually easy to relate to the characters, even more so than in books and other formats of story-telling. Directors, producers, screen writers — they all work on making the characters seem like real people, through the dialogue, movements, facial expressions, everything. However, books like the Maximum Ride series prove that the modern voice of teenagers and pre-teens (and pretty much any other age group) really can be captured in words. Writing sure is cool, isn’t it?

-Andrea

First post!

Hey, it’s Andrea! This is my first blog post; more will be coming soon. Stay tuned, and thanks for visiting!

-Andrea