Any stories you're working on that you love? Summer plans? Or even (shiver) college plans?
I'm looking to apply to some summer writing programs because I really want to improve my writing skills and connect with other teen writers. Does anyone have any good programs/experiences so I can kind of get a feel for what to expect if a miracle happens and I get accepted?
I have a story I'm working on, but it's a work in progress.
Good luck with it!!
Well considering multiple of us took the ACT this morning, we're at least hoping to go to college..... In terms of writing, I am working on a story right now, but who knows where it's going *shrug* I've never written about a lot of the topics in it before, so it's a very new experience.
True lol, I guess my most recent writing project was the ACT essay 😂 It's always nice to delve into a new topic! It's what makes writing so fun
@Cate Pitterle absolutely.
I have everything lined up for a new novel project, I just have to jump in and start writing!
Ooh, that sounds fun! Noveling is the best. Have you ever done NaNoWriMo? That's my fav way to get motivation
Good luckkkkk novel writing is both the best and the scariest
@Cate Pitterle Yes, just this past year! I'm already counting the days until Camp NaNoWriMo in April...
I'm French, so I am not familiar with the ACT, is it like the SATs?
There are a few differences with the testing format and material, but otherwise they're the same-- colleges take both and look at them the same. The same amount of stress for each, too 😅 Do you guys take standardized tests in France?
@Cate Pitterle and why would one choose (for example) to pass the ACT rather than the SATs? & we do, we have the (French) Baccalaureate at the end of 12th grade (:
@MaiB We generally choose based on which we're most comfortable with/better at. (I chose the ACT because I liked the format better-- less focus on math and more on English and data interpretation.) Standardized tests are never fun, though-- good luck on your baccalaureate whenever you take it :)
Right now, I’m in my gap year (that awkward transitional period between high school and whatever comes next). Already, I’ve entered the workforce, and I’m saving up for community college, but I’m also going to keep writing on the side. I can’t picture myself doing anything else, except writing.
As for writing projects… as we speak, I am currently juggling three short stories. (Maybe not the best idea, but I’ve had plenty of experience multitasking in high school, so how hard can it be?) At the moment, the drafts are still in their early stages, but the characters are really sticking with me, and I like where they’re going. I’ve got a Mexican American girl who was raised bilingual (“my tongue switches between English and Spanish like a railroad switch”). I’ve got a West African boy with a twisted leg, who longs to rise to his feet. And I’ve got the daughter of a kamikaze pilot, who is searching for a friend in the wreckage of Nagasaki. These ideas will probably change by the time I’m finished with them, but change is a good thing. I love seeing how my stories evolve from one draft to another.
I am currently working on a novel. I am 20000 words in .Sadly, that’s the second and last idea I have for a story. And I don’t have any short story ideas either.
Hi, Manisha. 20,000 words is pretty good. I've gotten past 20,000 words before on a novel-length project, but only because I was co-writing with my brother. So technically I only wrote half that amount.
And I certainly know what it's like to struggle to come up with short stories when you're more used to the novel format. I have a "novelist brain," which means I'm inclined to envision novels instead of short stories, and I am constantly tempted to expand on my short stories. But I've gotten better at writing short stories -- perhaps even better than novel-writing, since I haven't gotten past the first draft of a novel yet but have already published a couple of short stories.
The trick for short stories is to think small. I've found it easiest to write short stories when I stick to only a couple of characters, keep the worldbuilding small, and keep the conflict small. Reading short stories from litmags often helps give me ideas for short stories. For me, writing short stories is very rewarding because I can see the story from idea to publication in a much shorter timespan than a novel. Maybe you might find it rewarding, too.