We All Have Pasts (or, The Importance of Backstory)

I've had something of an epiphany lately. It's not an entirely pleasant one to think about in real life, but it's something incredibly important to consider in creative writing. Everyone you've ever met has a past. Good pasts, bad pasts, pasts we're proud of, pasts we try hard to forget. There are things we do share and things we don't, but all of it contributes to who we are and how we act at any given moment. No two people have the same past. No two people will react the same given the same trial. And so will no two characters.

NaNoWriMo 2016 Survival Tip #4

T-minus eight days until the end of this year's NaNoWriMo! For some people, we're getting into the hardest part of this month. Maybe your outline has run out, or your stuck as to where to go next, or you realize that there's eight days left and you're only at 30% of your word count goal (like me...).

I know that one of my personal issues right now is keeping up my own interest in my story. I think that sometimes we have those projects that we know are sort of passion projects; the ones we are absolutely determined to see the end, no matter what. I've had two of those in the past, but my NaNo novel for this year isn't one of them. Sure, I'd like to see it finished, but it isn't one that inspires me as much as my passion projects did. However, whatever happens after this month, I still want to reach my word count goal in the next eight days (hey, it's still possible) and that leads me to my fourth NaNoWriMo Survival Tip, for all of you who are in the same boat as me at this stage in the game.

NaNoWriMo 2016 Survival Tip #3

To be honest, I had no idea what I was going to write this post on when I started it. I have a feeling that now, exactly halfway through NaNoWriMo 2016, many of you are feeling the same way. The third week in, writer's block is rearing its ugly head and keeping you from putting those much needed words down on paper, just as I stared at the blinking curser for about thirty minutes before beginning this post.

I've had my fair experience with writer's block, and I know just how frustrating it can be, especially when you have a very specific goal, such as 20 to 50 thousand words in a month. As it is with my own NaNo novel, I'm only at 27% of my goal, while I should be at 50% (I blame the six minute speech I have to give in History class tomorrow...). However, while writer's block might seem like something impossible to push past, there are ways to get writing again.

So here is my third NaNoWriMo tip for you.

NaNoWriMo 2016 Survival Tip #2

We're now into the second week of National Novel Writing Month--congrats! You're over the first hill. At this point, you've probably gotten a decent amount written of your novel, even if you have had to rethink certain aspects or even change your idea entirely. (I'm currently at 15% of my total goal... not exactly where I want to be, but I have time to play catch up!)

As it is now the second week, here is your second survival tip.

NaNoWriMo 2016 Survival Tip #1

For most people, November brings thoughts of Thanksgiving and fall leaves, approaching midterms, the first snow (and for my fellow Coloradoans, even more schizophrenic weather than we had in October). But for writers, November means NaNoWriMo.

What is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month, an exercise in brain dumping and word vomiting and silencing your inner editor for an entire 30 days with the intent of writing a rough draft of a novel in a month. (For more information and to participate, you can find the Young Writers Program here and the more challenging NaNoWriMo site here.)

I have participated in National Novel Writing Month for a few years now--my first time led to my now completed novel. So in an effort to help other young writers trying to get through NaNoWriMo, or who don't want the pressure of writing a novel in a month and simply want tips for getting through that rough draft, I will be posting a NaNoWriMo survival tip each week during this November.

Here is the first.

Halloween Story

In honor of Halloween yesterday, here is a short story by one of our members! Enjoy!

Only Stories in the End

by Tessa Lapointe

            I was eight years old when I first touched a tombstone. At that moment, I knew that I was… different. I was visiting my cousins in London for a week while my father conducted business in the city. After the long train ride, I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a warm bed and fall asleep, but my cousins had other plans for the night. I remember how the air was deathly still and so cold that not even my fur coat could stop me from freezing, and the darkness of the night pressed around me. My eldest cousin, Elizabeth, had brought along a single candle to light the way, but I wished we had carried an entire candelabra, nay a whole army of candelabras, to chase away the night.

Friday Funny Fiction #10

Take a look at Friday Funny Fiction #1 for the rules of this game!


The sun was way too bright for vampire spelunking.
The vampires quickly retreated into their caves. Larry, unfortunately, was too slow and vaporized into a cloud of gas.
"That was close," one of the vampires said. "He even vaporized Larry. We need to avoid Apollo."
Apollo listened from behind a corner, plotting their death.
After a few moments, Apollo stepped out of the corner, shocked to see Zeus staring at him. Apollo dropped his machine gun on his foot and began hopping around in pain. "Ow! Ow!"
Zeus raised one grey eyebrow.
"Dad. Father. Sir. What do you want?"
"I want you to stop throwing thunderbolts everywhere!"
"I can't, I'm trying out for Dragon Ball Z! Gotta learn how to destroy planets."
And the world ended. The End.


On April 4, 1914, a famous entrepreneur is found dead in a locked room. Beside him are a grandfather clock and a bitter panther.
The panther is covered in sparkling dust and wears a blood-red crown. The panther personally thought he was fabulous. Nothing beats the remains of your enemies for a stylish crown.
So the panther made a King's cloak out of the skins of his enemies' carcasses and paraded around in it with the crown.
Until a hunter came and slayed the panther and made a coat out of his skin.
The panther's cousins all leaped out of the trees at once, pouncing on the hunter, but they were not smart enough to realize that there was a wall of thick glass separating them.
The hunter looked at his sister, Kelly, and said, "They don't understand they're in a zoo, do they?"
She sighed. "I don't think so."
The End

Four Things I Learned About Writing After a Week With a Four Year Old

I spent the last week on vacation in Tennessee visiting family. While fun, it was exhausting (and after having spent way too much time in airports, I am convinced that the airline we used--which shall remain anonymous--hates us). But I was able to learn something interesting from my four year old cousin. She is incredibly adorable and never runs out of energy. Or, at least, she doesn't let you know when she's running out of energy. When she starts to get tired, the stories that she tells get more and more elaborate and creative. Even when she is wide awake, she is constantly playing with toys and dolls, and she uses them to act out her stories. After a week of this, I was able to take away some interesting themes that can very easily be applied to fiction writing.

Here are four things I learned from a four year old.

"Take a Look Outside the Box" by Victoria Hecker

Here is a poem by member Victoria Hecker. Enjoy!

Take a Look Outside the Box (A Dull Blue Light)

 

 

A dull blue light

Consumes our eyes

Blocking our minds

Burning our vision

A life leaves in it

Lives lead in it

Crossing wills

Crossing ways

Only one fate is held

And flicker, flicker

In the dark

Friday Funny Fiction #9

Check out Friday Funny Fiction #1 to learn how to play this game!


And in the end there was death. That's all I remember.
The end. That's all, everything that came before disapeared as suddenly as the end had come. Only the death remained in my memory.
This was the fate of a Time Lord... to see every little thing you love destroyed and decimated... leaving alone once more.
I climbed into my TARDIS and adjusted my deerstalker hat before shedding my long coat and scarf. Poor Watson. He hadn't seen those Weeping Angels coming.
But I couldn't focus on him. The world needs saving. And I'm the only one who specializes in that.
I set out to begin my plans.
Roadtrip, anyone?

Short Story: "The Stone Garden"

Here is a short story written by one of our members! Enjoy!

The Stone Garden

by Tessa Lapointe

            Gwayne.

            The word sounded in the young man’s head as he slept: Gwayne. The boy’s name. It had been happening for weeks now. This night, though, he dreamed of a girl his age standing in a garden of stone. The flowers were delicately carven and inlayed with harsh jewels, and the trees were formed of marble with golden leaves. Chains were bound about her legs and wrists, keeping her from moving. Her eyes were as grey as the rocks, and even sadder and colder.

Guest Talk: Literary Agent Sandra Bond

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure to meet with Sandra Bond of Bond Literary Agency. She gave us some wonderful information about the publishing industry, and what we as young writers should be doing and working towards. Here are some of the highlights of her talk (some answers have been edited and/or condensed for reading ease):

Short Story: "The Lord's Game"

Here is a short story written by one of our members. Enjoy!

The Lord’s Game

By Tessa Lapointe

The drums sounded to the beat of Nicholas’s footsteps. He had dressed in his finest clothes for the occasion: a deep blue velvet coat over a snow white shirt, and black breeches made from deer skin. His boots shone in the harsh sunlight, though they were splattered with mud from the road he had marched along. Before leaving, Nicholas had made sure his hair was perfectly combed and his face clean shaven. He was determined to look his best, even now.

            Nicholas bowed his head respectfully to the women in the crowd as he passed them, flashing a smile practiced many times in the mirror. It had always been a façade, but now the mask of confidence was even more important to keep up. No one could know just how scared he really was.

Friday Funny Fiction #8 "May the Fourth be With You!"

Look at Friday Funny Fiction #1 for instructions on how to play this game. Enjoy!

"May the Fourth be with you!" my brother shouted.
"Today is May the Sixth, dummy," I sighed.
"Aww, and I was so looking forwards to binge watching Star Trek," he said.
"You mean Star Wars you idiotic heathen! Who in the world mixes up Star Trek and Star Wars! I disown you, you are no longer my son. Leave!"
"But father--" I said.
"I am NOT your father!" Father said. "Not even like Vader was to Skywalker!"
"Don't be like that, Father. I know you love me, just like Anakin's nonexistant father!"
"I love you like ISIS loves the world!" his father said.
"You want to take him over? That's not very appropriate for a dad."
Regardless, the father tried to Jedi-mind-trick take over his son anyways.
"Father, I think you need a psych eval. That only works in movies."

Book Review: "Who Could That be at This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket

Book: All the Wrong Questions #1: Who Could That be at This Hour?
Author: Lemony Snicket


A mysterious town no longer by the sea. People far more mysterious, with secrets and secret motives. A stolen statue of a mythological creature that was not really stolen. A clueless chaperone with a truly astounding amount of hair. This is the life that almost-thirteen-year-old Lemony Snicket is dropped into during his apprenticeship in the town of Stain’d-by-the-Sea.

The first book in the fictional autobiographic series “All the Wrong Questions” by Lemony Snicket, and prequel to his books, “A Series of Unfortunate Events”, Who Could That be at This Hour? chronicles the first of four wrong questions asked about a perplexing mystery and the perplexing people involved. The fast paced plot, complete with the humorous yet thought-provoking narration fans of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” will expect, will have you itching to read more. The characters are surprisingly sincere considering some of their over-the-top quirks, but the seeds of suspicion that are sown will make you wonder—along with the protagonist—who exactly can be trusted. One of the best books I have ever read, any mystery fans will find themselves unable to put it down.


Rating: 5/5
Recommended for: Ages 10+
Reviewed by: Tessa Lapointe

Friday Funny Fiction #7

Though these riddles aren't necessarily humorous, I hope you have fun trying to figure them out! Thanks to Hattie Stuart for riddles 2 and 4!

Riddle #1

My name is Breaker of Stones, Filler of Holes. I am in eyes, in sadness, in joy, in pain. I live high above, and far below. I am the giver of life to all. Who am I?

Writing Prompt

Write a story using with the title of "The Lord's Game" and using these words in any order and at any place in the story: Paced, Ghost, Treasonous, Brevity, Verbose, Comport.

Book Review: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Book: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer
Author: Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase was an ordinary teenager—if you can consider normal as being a homeless orphan whose mother was murdered by supernatural wolves. Then, of course, things got worse. And weirder. Because Magnus Chase died.
The end? Not so much.
After he dies, Magnus is taken to Valhalla, the afterlife for Norse warriors. There he learns that he is the demigod son of Frey, a Norse god, and that his two best friends Blitzen and Hearthstone are a dwarf and an elf. Oh, and the world is about to end because a wolf is going to bring on Ragnarok. Now Magnus has to face some of his deepest fears, travel across realms, and somehow befriend a talking sword named Jack in order to prevent Armageddon and save the world from Fenris wolf’s wrath.
Written in irreverent first person with equal doses of humor and drama, The Sword of Summer is captivating from the first chapter and holds interest and emotion to the very last word.

Rating: 5/5
Recommended for: Ages 10+
Reviewed by: Tessa Lapointe

Friday Funny Fiction #6 (Despite the fact that today is Wednesday...)

For information on how this game is played, check Friday Funny Fiction #1

This is the story of how I died.
It was a perfectly normal day when all of a sudden it started raining up!
Ferdinand was thus optimistically depressed.
His life was full of dramatic mood swings: happy and optimistic to sad and depressed.
"Superlative" was the only word for it. Which was why, when he was given the choice, he just laughed.
He laughed for hours on end like a maniac.
Then forgot why he was laughing.
He laughed so hard he exploded.
His guts and intestines flew everywhere, covering us from head to toe.
However, the murderer exploded into confetti and hubris so there was a happy ending despite the brutal murder.


There once was a frog called Hugo.
Hugo loved playing in the lily pond, eating flies, and plotting world domination.
His most recent scheme was about to be put into action, and his froggy mind was worrying about all the things that could go wrong.
Would he be able to pull it off? Would he fail just because he was a frog? What would happen?
No! He would defeat the hobgoblin, and bring peace to the valley!
And so he did.

Murder at Hearst Castle: An Introduction to Basic Mystery Writing (Part Four)

Here it is, the final conclusion! We recommend you go through the first three parts before moving on to this section of the lesson.

Murder at Hearst Castle: An Introduction to Basic Mystery Writing (Part Three)

It is highly recommended that you read Parts One and Two before moving on to this section.

Friday Funny Fiction #5

Here is a parody poem written by one of our members, based on the poem "This is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams. Enjoy, but don't get any ideas!

 

Evil Overlord

by Hattie Stuart

I have pressed

the big red button

on the machine

which said ‘Evil Overlord’s Superweapon’

And which

you were probably

saving

for world domination

Forgive me

I couldn’t help myself

I want

to rule the world too



Murder at Hearst Castle: An Introduction to Basic Mystery Writing (Part Two)

Please read Part One before moving on to this section of the lesson.

Murder at Hearst Castle: An Introduction to Basic Mystery Writing (Part 1)

Murder at Hearst Castle: An Introduction to Basic Mystery Writing

Created by: Tessa, Conner, and Sophia

Are you interested in writing mystery stories, but aren’t sure how to make it believable, interesting, and difficult (but not too difficult) to solve? Through the process of solving a mystery yourself, you will obtain a greater understanding of how to create your own! We will discuss certain things such as the development of investigators and suspects, alibis and motives, and evidence and red herrings, and then you will have a chance to write your own ending to the mystery.
This lesson originally created for a writing workshop for fifth to eighth graders.

Disclaimer: This lesson includes a murder mystery. Nothing is graphic and there are no images, but if this will make you uncomfortable, it is probably not the lesson for you.

Friday Funny Fiction #4

See Friday Funny Fiction #1 for how this game is played.

I was in a garden and fairies were surrounding me.
They spun around me, faster and faster. Then I was suddenly small and dainty. I was one of them.
I had become one of SANTA'S ELVES!!!
I now had unlimited access to Santa's Workshop and all the toys within.
I like the fairies better than Santa's Workshop though.
So I decided to try and collaborate with them. Santa didn't like that.
Santa didn't want the elves to collaborate with the human children. So he put everyone on the naughty list.

Friday Funny Fiction #3: Pickles' Progress

Here is a short story written by one of our members. Enjoy!

Pickles' Progress
by A. N. Ominous

            Pickles the dragon lives in the realm of the Magical Dragons, located on the fifth star to the left of Alpha Centauri as viewed from Earth.  Though few men of Earth know of him, all men owe their continued existence to the brave deeds of this little dragon.  To look at him, no person with half a brain would think Pickles is up to snuff for being a hero. Pickles has a noodle-like body which is taller than other dragons but also thinner. He has dark green scales that aren’t even fireproof and a

Lesson #2: Character Archetypes II, Come to the Dark Side

This lesson is adapted from 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt.

So in the last lesson we discussed character archetypes for protagonists of stories, but at the request of a fellow Silver Pen member, we will now talk a bit about the dark side of these archetypes. Each character, as before, will be based off of a Greek (or Egyptian) god or goddess, except this time the archetypes will be for antagonistic characters.
As a note, it is recommended that you review the original archetypes before reading this lesson.

Let's begin!

An Interesting Writing Prompt

A person is walking around with his friends, when suddenly, everything goes white and then black and he passes out. He wakes up in a _____ place, and as he walks around, he finds out that his other friends are spread throughout this new world. Write what happens next.

Proposed by Victoria Hecker

Friday Funny Fiction #2

View the first Friday Funny Fiction post to learn how this game is played.
This time I have two short stories for you! Enjoy!


Once again, just like every week, there was a gun held to my head.
And once again, I slid a knife out of the braid in my hair and made my escape.
"Finally!" I whispered excitedly. "I can finally get my revenge!"
I had waited for years for this moment, and now my sister's killer was in reach.
I walked into the room with the five suspects-- "One of you poisoned my sister's pink lemonade, and I can prove it!"

Lesson #1: Character Archetypes, Part Two

This lesson is adapted from 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt.

Continuing on with archetypes, and this time the men get their spotlight.


Apollo: The Businessman
"The Businessman is a man on the go who constantly thinks about his work. His strong logical mind makes him great at being a team player and a trustworthy employee but doesn't help him to be a great husband or father. He doesn't know how to let loose and play with the kids, so he often takes work home to avoid family life.

Lesson #1: Character Archetypes, Part One

This lesson is adapted from the book 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt.


So, what exactly are archetypes? Archetypes, according to Victoria Lynn Schmidt, are "the blueprints for building well-defined characters, be they heroes, villains, or supporting characters." They force you to look deeper at your characters, and decide how they respond to conflict within the story. Archetypes can also help to avoid multiple characters just like the author.

Friday Funny Fiction #1

This is an example of a game we play every now and then. Every person has a blank piece of paper. They write down the first line of either a story or a poem, and then pass it to the next person. They then write the next line, then fold down the first line and pass it on again. The idea behind this is that everyone only sees the last line written and have to continue the story off of that.
Here are two poems we once did.

The world spun wildly beneath her feet
As she danced to melody sweet.
But her days were not so sweet as the tune,
The tune that haunted the night, swift and soon,

Silver Pen Home Base (Apart from Rm 217)

Hello Silver Pen members, as well as anyone who has found our page and is interested in our writing. We are a group of writing enthusiasts who, despite only meeting once a week, have managed to begin something incredible: we have created our own world. This land, formed from our imaginations, has now turned to something more. We are writing a compilation of short stories, with each of our stories leading to a grand finale story, written by all of us together.
This story, though, is simply a culmination of a simple truth all of us believe: there is not enough imagination in this world. Now we have television and video games to imagine for us. But our world of Valataur is essentially a world formed out of the imaginations of the dreamers of Earth. We want to share this belief with the rest of the world through our book.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask us!
~The Society of the Silver Pen