Our Aspiring Writers League (O.A.W.L)

[uhtan]

My new year's resolution is to finish two stand alone books and begin my seires,well over 2 or 3 years.

[seeker,]

Humm. I'd have to say my resolution is to finish atleast two 50,000 word books by the end of 20012.. Hopefullly a few more but I'm not going to push it. xP

But uh. I need critic on a poem I just wrote about A New Years eve bash from the point of view of someone witnessing and enduring a shooting.
I'm thinking about somehow turning it into a book where someone witnesses the shooting and becomes hunted by the killer before gaining allies and eventually putting the guy behind bars. xD
I dunno yet though.
Ideas?

[violacherry]

@brave I love the name

@raven sounds like a great idea!

i just had the awesomest idea for a book ever!!! exciting!

[{{ f i a s c o }}]

Well, I am drawing it longer slightly by making it slightly slow at the start. Well, not slow, exactly, rather mounting up to the starting punch-in-the-gut to the reader.

'The Seven Talents' is a strange concept of a book I came up while dreaming. It is based on the idea of genetic modification; after the second world war and after the discovery of the duble helix in genes, some german proffessor discovered how to crack it and therefore create hybrids that had abiliy to live, think, reproduce, etc.. but the first experiments that surged were horribly wrong, therefore, after a few trials, the proffessor let loose these errors into the wild, leaving them to die off so that they wouldn't prosper. Except they didn't. They mingled with humans, dispersing their dominant and recessive genes through human-kind.

The first Seven were based on seven - duh - different features, or talents (hence the name) from different species: The Hunters, from wolves, The Warriors, from gorillas/apes, The Intelligence/rats, The Fish, The Healers/plants, The Nightwatchers/panthers or other felines and the longlost line of Fliers, from white owls. Each talent is formed by a certain group of characteristics taken from each species that are advantageuos to certain goals and tests.

So now, government officials are searching through the tenage population of the world and trying to take back those with some trace of the genes left behind by those first experiments, their goal aiming to be to create the into a new arsenal of weapons for upcoming wars and such.

And our protagonist is obviously part of that small .01% of the population with a set of those genes.. So what happens after she is found, I haven't planned entirely yet.

I know it seems farfetched, but I've done my research and the idea isn't all that strange or hard to grasp if you have a bit of genetic kowledge. It is generally known that we all descend from a common ancestor, and, seeing that this is set in the future, I wouldn't see why I souldn't cobine some futuristic developments, along with the cracking of the genetic code genus, combining it to make possible the creation of humanistic hybrids.

And that idea about the teenage assasins = luff.

Any insights, please?

I absolutely love ideas like this. ^.^ And you're right, the idea isn't hard to grasp at all. Most teenagers should know at least a little about genetics, so they would understand what you're talking about. Sometimes in stories where they tie in scientific stuff, I end up feeling quite lost, but I don't think I would feel that way in your story. (:


And for the starting off fast/slow thing, it varies story to story for me. Usually I try to start off slow to drag the story out a bit, since length is always a worry of mine, but I also like to start out with something exciting (which often times I end up doing anyway) to make the story more interesting.

I am slightly preoccupied about the length, but I have decided to pace it slightly slower at the start because that way many observant readers might be able to notice slight changes in the style of observations lived by the character, and see why it is so important for the general plot.

And thankew <3 I feel appreciated :3

Yet I hope I won´t start rambling too much in the midst of all the explanations related to genetics in the book; I can become quite obsessive with the sciences, especially biology, therefore genes, and tend to get carried away when including details that might be a bit hard for someone to grasp.

Any critique is welcome, and I might post some of my writings today if I muster up the courage :3

[nomoreusername]

Humm. I'd have to say my resolution is to finish atleast two 50,000 word books by the end of 20012.

20012? You will have plenty of time, dont you worry!

[Nimble Awesomeness]

-pokes head in and shuffles feet-
I-I'm pretty okish good at romance. -somewhat ashamed- >.<

The first time I tried writing romance I really surprised myself. Obviously, it was a bit hard considering that it was cats, but then I got better. I find that RPing romance sucks though. Like, majorly. You can't.. Do anything. I don't mean anything bad, but you still can't do the real details, like "the shivers that went up her spine as he ran his hand along her neck and through her hair". You just don't do that stuff, people get weirded out. But I've never really been one to write romance much. Then again, I don't write much. At least, not as much as I should. I'm hoping to get a lot more done this year with writing, maybe finish a few stories.

[Crabbiey]

Username:
Crabbiey
What will we call you:
Crabbiey
What are your goals as an author?
-Get my book finished, still on the first draft! Really want it finished in first draft by the end of the year.
-Find a literary agent.
-Get published.
-Get my extensive list of book ideas written.
Can you give us a sample of your writing?
This is a short I had an urge to write:

My eyes widened as I skidded to a halt, my claws scrabbling for grip and tail flaying out behind me in a side-to-side whiplash action as I brought my head up to let out a screech of despair only to have it suffocated by the titanic roar of the megalosaurus as she leered at me with my brother in her jaws. It had happened so quickly I hadn’t been able to even push him aside and take the blow myself. We’d just been running from her when that monster had sprung from the side like a charging pachycephalosaurus and snapped him up in her saliva-drenched maw. He’d barely squawked when his spine was severed along with the light in his eyes.
I had no chance to even cry his name when she rounded on me, her eyes feral and full of bloodlust and hunger, that feature I myself am all too familiar with. It is, after all, what comes from living in a pack. Dropping my kin like he was nothing more than a slab of flesh, in a sense he was, to lie in a broken heap atop his blood that has been dripping upon the floor, accumulating into a morbid puddle, from the gashes that adorned his neck, virtually torn from his body at the stump and clinging by a single thread of muscle and skin. She let out another of her ear-shattering vocal blows before her hind paws came down, the dirt flying as she took flight – and came after me.
Turning tail, I didn’t waste a second and immediately began my snake-like weaving as my body bent and fell close to the floor so as to better the resistance posed by the air, in an attempt to sway her, or at least cause her canines to evade my soft body all together. The ground shook with her footsteps and the air reverberated with her roar, she didn’t have to exactly push herself to the limit to keep up with me. Her hot breath of decay burnt my back, but not as much as my throat screamed from the rasping air running up and down my throat like a rock that refused to budge out of my esophagus and into my mouth. I’d remember that all too well, snatching up a lizard and some stones by mistake.
My powerful and feather-lined legs were pumping away as my heart pounded and I felt for sure that it would burst from my chest as I dived deeper into the woods. Soon the trees would grow far too dense for my pursuer’s liking as of now I was churning up the forest floor for my life. The soft earth littered with pine needles that add a slight boost to my step was flung in all directions.
SNAP! I jumped, my breath catching in my throat and it several long seconds before I could swallow it, my eyes catching sight of the nerve-wracking observation inches from my body. That jaw of browns and leaf mush was inches from my own, if I’d decided to lean in that direction...
Best not to even let that thought meander forward, soon the snaps were reaching to my lefts and rights and I knew that any second I would make a mistake and be lunch. Curving round in such a sudden and violent maneuver I momentarily was caught by the hope that she’d lost her balance and toppled. Once down, those cumbersome eating machines could never stand again.
My threat had other ideas and my feelings of elation were quickly dashed like the soil beneath my paws – the water saturating the forest floor was compressed and thrown up to kiss my hind paws, no comfort was reached from the cool caress as my feet were glowing with the sensation of hot blood pummelling through them – as yet more roars met my ears. Only this time words of a blood-curdling nature rippled them and succeeded in causing me to power on faster.
“Why bother running little raptor, you’ll tire soon enough. Why not just lie down?”
Ha! No way was I about to do that! Besides, if anyone was going to lie down it was this mountain of muscle towering behind who had commenced her jaw-lunging at me once again. Whilst she was threatening in appearance I knew time would take its toll, she just wasn’t designed for long-distance sprees and I was. My bones were lighter and I almost certainly had no requirement to lay out in the sun like the snakes and lizards – this carnivore on my tail however had to. Eat and sleep, that’s all they ever seemed to do. Don’t ask me why, but for some reason we can hunt at night but most of the dinosaurs can’t even open an eye. It’s almost as if it’s too cold for them.
Darting aggravatingly again to the left I narrowly dodged a plunge at my thigh, so close I could feel her rough skin grate my own. Just where was I going? She was driving me out into the open! I could do nothing but carry on, my legs so full of muscle and supported by extraordinarily light bones weren’t even singing songs of pain.
Neither did I make the fatal mistake of taking that tempting peak over my shoulder, instead I focused on swooping under a fallen log which was blasted into two jagged sections and splinters seconds later by two massive legs.
Sometimes it really sucks to be both hunter and hunted.
I was gasping and was unable to control the bitter taste rising at the back of my throat, though I couldn’t guarantee that it was bile. Adrenaline was blasting through my body, numbing any pain I felt and blurring my vision to pinpoint it to the area directly ahead of me. The scent of pine, fern and damp earth sought their way into my nostrils, for some reason they were more concentrated than usual, my senses had definitely stepped up a notch or two.
Suddenly I heard water rushing by and I hoped to the moon that it was not just the blood gushing past my ears. Quickly I alternated direction, leaning to avoid what turned out to be a very lethal decision as my chaser had been aiming for that side, and sped off towards the source. A snarl of outrage followed in my wake as she turned and gave chase once again. Normally these gigantic therapods gave up charging after individual small things such as me simply because we’re way more trouble than we’re worth. Only an idiot, a starving or a parental dinosaur would be in earnest to ensure me of my grave. Because she was female it was breeding season I could only guess that she was both ravenous and having to provide for her offspring to keep this up.
Worming past stumps and rocks that were all too eager to reward me with a stumble or even worse, a broken ankle, not that I would have a chance to dwell on that – I’d be torn apart.
To me it took an age, even my senses went into slow motion, before I reached the source of the racing water. I daren’t hesitate for a second even when I saw frothing, swirling waters before me. The darkened rocks peaked through the torrent, glistening with the water that coated and slapped them.
“OH NO YOU DON’T!” came the angered voice behind me when she observed what I was about to do.
“Kiss my tail, rancid-breath!” I taunted as I continued on my suicidal launch and flung myself into the untamed river.
For a moment I hung in the air, I felt a brush of jaw as she took a desperate attempt at me only to fall short. In that time I wondered just what on Earth I was thinking – this was insane, I’d be dashed to pieces on the slimey rocks or drowned by the thundering water! For a moment I thought, and hoped, I’d reach the far bank. If I could I’d be safe, if there’s one thing I can advise it’s that these King of Predators cannot, or do not like, cross fast-flowing bodies of water.
It was far too wide, I wouldn’t make it.
I slammed into the turbulent, white mess and instantly I was pushed under with the force of my impact, the air being blown out of my lungs and the roars from bank were drowned by the new ones around me. The precious oxygen blasted from my mouth and delighting the already hyper waters at this new orifice to explore and victim, it fingers fed into my mouth like one snake swallowing another as they sought out my very soul. Rather than the soothing caress accompanied by a gulp of water it had been kicked out by the scalding that streamed through my throat. How could cold water that felt like ice-coated talons clawing my body be made of lava as well?
My body was torn along, as if vines had ensnared me and were yanking me back. All the time growing tighter and tighter. For a scary moment I was struck that I could be stuck underwater and dragged along by an unseen current, my death would be by drowning and not end on tooth.
No sooner had I been forced under than I broke the surface, my snout soaring upwards as water poured out of my mouth in a desperate cough to fill my lungs with air. Right now I was incapable of breathing.

Are you currently working on any books?
Yes, my first ever book. It's name is Different Blood
Why do you want to join?
Just to chat with other writers and such!
Do you have published books yet?
No
Do you wish to find a "writing partner"?
No
What Role(s):
What's your favorite Genre?
Supernatural Fantasy, but basically any as long as it isn't Romance.
What kind of books do you write?
Well, I can't say much at the moment as I'm only writing my first book but it's a Historical Supernatural Horror.

[uhtan]

THe only type of romance I am good at is cat romance, if anyone wants a link to my first one (it was a fanfiction) you can have it...........

[*~.Imagination.~*]

4 siblings? I have 7... -_-
I'm also the middle child, so, either I'm watching the shrimps or being bossed around by the older ones XD

But yeah, sometimes I look at books and am like... "GRR! Why are you so good!"
And other times I'm like- "Really?! I could have written that better!!!"

XD So just focus on the latter

Hahaha xD I will admit I do sometimes do that. ^
7 certainly is a lot of siblings ^.^
Did I say four? I need to edit that, I meant 3, though four if you count me, and I do distract myself a lot of the time..
I actually have 6 siblings, but 3 of them don't live with us, so at least I don't have that many in the house.

And since it is New Years, I might as well say that my resolution is to finish a book. (:

Also, I think our mascot should be a deity or a collection of characters. I think a deity would be really cool, but I also love the idea of a bunch of different characters, as long as they are fairly well-known.

Well, in that case, currently I have 7 siblings in the house, but 2 of them will go off to college after winterbreak, and the other will probably hole himself in his room... however, I do tend to distr- Ooh! Shiny!

I think a collection of book characters would be epic! But- please... No Twilight!!
We could use Hermoine from Harry Potter, and Dustfinger from Inkheart (Aye!), and Skuduggery pleasant! Add a few more, photoshop them into one picture, and we've got our 'mascot' thing XD

On to romance- I can't do straight up romance. If I try... I tend to do horrifically. However, even after saying that, I can honestly say that I have a rather obnoxious tendency to allow romance to slip into my writing, even if I didn't plan for much. None of its straight up romance, but just hints (Sometimes a little too obvious) yet my MC is completely oblivious... -_-
Seriously, my characters disobey me.

Original Plan- Ok, have Sky befriend her, and like her, etc. Thats who she'll end up with. The other guy will be kind of small and meek. We'll call him Rilen. He shall show her the truth about the war.

What Happened- A totally new character jumps in name Tiel. HE befriends her first, saves her from this dude, blah blag. THAN she meets Sky, who is way more obvious about his feelings than he should have been. And, after putting Tiel, Sky, and my MC in a room together.... Sky gets REALLY obvious, hints that Tiel should leave, but my MC misinterpreted his 'We don't need you here' to a 'You should stay because there is so much extra!' XD And then its starts to be more obvious that Tiel's 'brotherly love' is more of just plain love (Not as obvious as Sky, but still) I mean, I DESPISE love traingles! Yet I have one!
A Love hexagon if you want to get technical, since, though neither of them like eachother, Rilen and her share a few 'intimate' moments. Throw in the girl who is Rilen's spy partner who likes him and we have a hexagon! DX
Then, The meek guy became a clever and mysteriously secretive dude with a bit of a temper after his freind was murdered..... kind of on purpose, kind of accidently by Tiel.

I'm seriously looking at my work like @.@ Huh?

[Chef Kitty]

So, what's been going on?
I wasn't on for like, one evening. This is ridiculous.