Reader's Digest for this Week

If you guys realized,  re-did the page for Reading! Check It Out! So, here's the reader's digest for the week!

     Believe it or not, most writers love to read. In fact, that's how they start off as, readers with big dreams. Tons of writers have stories about why they came to be an author. Some writers say they just wanted to express themselves and that's how they did it. Writing. Take it from me. I've got a story. I've been writing stories for almost 6 years now! So since I was 5. Now of course, I was in kindergarten, and that's pretty young to start writing. Well, I didn't think so. You see in kindergarten, my teacher would have journal time for the first 45 minutes of school. We'd draw a picture and then write a story to it. Of course I missed a lot of spelling, punctuation, lack of pizzazz and stuff, but I was five for Pete's Sake! Also, when I got to fourth grade, so, about two years ago, we'd have to write a 3-5 paragraph story. And there were number grades. They went from 1-6. My best friend and I got the highest grades in the class! We always got fives and sixes. She got more sixes than I did, but, she said that mine were better than hers! Which made me feel so much better!

     So, now I'm eleven. I've written one chapter book. I might call it a novel but it's kinda short. It's an 83 paged book, (little pages, pocket sized). It 's called Spiritual. It's the first book in a series. I'm writing the second and am trying to make each book better each time. And better, to me, always means, longer. So, I'm on page 18 right now, (like, the size of a harry potter book pages) writing in really small writing this size and am on chapter 5. 

     Now, my friends have told me, don't bother with chapters, go back in and place those in later. But, I don't think so! I think the chapters actually help you stay in place with what you're working on. Now, I would say, go back in and name the chapters later, but not, put in chapters. I do it like Chapter 1, 2, 3 like that. The chapters help me stay focused on what I'm working on. Like in one chapter, something may happen, then the next something else. Chapters don't fit super-duper well into each other, maybe just a small compromise, like maybe it's the same day just not in the same location. Do it the way you want, normally, following other people's advice when you think something is easier, is harder and you don't get how to do it, so, stay in your own style. If you want to, step out of your comfort zone! That's great!

     Aren't chapters and page breaks the same thing? No, not really. A different chapter is when you want to finish something going on with a cliff-hanger usually and start out in the same situation just kind of differently. Like, if you've read Divergent by Veronica Roth, you've noticed how it'd end in a cliff-hanger and be like, we're in war with the Abengation or something. Then it has them talking about it, how they can stop the war and create peace between factions. Well, now that I think of it, they're kinda the same. Chapters are normally long. Usually page breaks happen when: you're trying to explain a flashback, want to start a new event but don't want to start a new chapter, etc. Now, page breaks mean all different meanings. Like the examples I said. Now, page breaks don't have to be certain symbols, it can just be a lot of space between each paragraph. Now, I normally do about seven of these puppies- • - and then start a new paragraph! See, it's not that hard! And remember, in some ways they are different, and the same.

     How do I add some pizzazz to my writing? Well, this can be a one word answer, and a hundred word answer. Well, here's the one word answer: READ!!!!!!!! And that's part of what will help. Also, try to add some suspension. Like for example, try this:

The air was cool. Foggy, but cool. My eyes were darting around watching. I can't look into it's eyes. I will surely die. This night shift with the crescent moon out, yikes, I'm going to be dead as soon as I look into it's red, red eyes full of hatred and rage. My hair on my neck is sticking up. It's right behind me. I feel its breath on my neck, I turn around and it meets me eye to eye, the beast. I scream. It swallows me whole.

 See, pizzazz! That's what you need in your writing! It's easy, you just add adjectives, make it eerie even when it's a happy moment.

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