tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802Sun, 08 Sep 2024 08:42:09 +0000I am a teenage writer and I have found that there are few blogs, websites or help guides specifically written for young writers so I have created one - by a teen writer, for teen writers. I hope that my scatty brain can help. Thanks for checking this out!http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Lydia)Blogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-8832187354144469657Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:44:00 +00002013-04-24T18:44:56.664+01:00I've always been a bit scared of posting my writing online - I mean, it's mine. What if someone else steals it? It's taken me a while to realise that even if someone does steal an idea or a chunk of text, they won't get far with it. If they're out thieving, they probably haven't got the ability to finish a story so nothing will happen if they come               http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2013/04/get-your-writing-out-there.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-4680417900307874803Sat, 09 Feb 2013 13:05:00 +00002013-02-09T13:05:57.591+00:00Ever since I started writing, I've been plagued by the thoughts that at the end, it'll need months of revision and hard work and the story will end up being totally different from what I wrote in the first place. Most of that is probably true but if you truly love the idea, it won't be so hard. I recently finished the first go at revising a book I wrote in the summer of 2011, which seems so longhttp://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2013/02/revising-your-book-its-not-so-scary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-89362171825981864Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:57:00 +00002013-02-09T13:06:09.839+00:00 You may want to get everything perfect the first time round but this won't happen. Don't worry about it like I did - it's easy to go back and change things once you've got the first draft down because then you've got the bulk of the story and you're just tweaking it, rather than coming up with the new words to move the story along. I spent years being too scared to write the stories I wanted http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2013/02/dont-hold-back-for-first-draft.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-7850735218787929603Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:58:00 +00002013-02-09T13:06:22.548+00:00You keep coming up with new ideas. Every time you sink your teeth into a good story, another idea comes along and sweeps you off your feet like a new romance, only for you to realise that after all, it wasn't that great. But you don't want to return to the old ideas because that wouldn't be loyal to your new ones, your ever changing creativity, right? WRONG! For a very long time, I hated going http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2013/01/dont-be-afraid-to-return-to-old-idea.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-3741498860628498536Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:36:00 +00002012-08-12T20:36:51.892+01:00Hi everyone! I realise I've been away for quite a while - that's the problem with procrastination and writer's block. Every time I sat down to write a post, I just couldn't think of anything that sounded worthy so I put it off until I thought of something but then, of course, I didn't even try to think of anything. My excuse is that my brain is frazzled from a 60,000 word success at the June Camphttp://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/08/cast-your-characters.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-4087707909108566905Sun, 24 Jun 2012 15:13:00 +00002012-06-24T16:13:35.893+01:00Don't Stop Believing! After the Glee overhaul of Don't Stop Believing, Journey's song became known nationwide, an iconic tune. And the words are relevant to pretty much everyone: Don't stop believin' / Hold on to this feeling. Journey were onto something there. Don't ever give up hope when it comes to writing. Everyone has their own voice and sometimes, you need to shout to be heard but rest http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/06/in-words-of-journey.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-363330085607741062Fri, 22 Jun 2012 19:24:00 +00002012-06-22T20:24:57.157+01:00So, at first I didn't really warm to the idea of Pinterest but I read an article earlier that has had me begging for the waiting period to be shorter! Many of you may well know about Pinterest but for those of you who don't, it's like a virtual corkboard where things don't fall off and it can be used for any area you're interested in. As soon as I was accepted into the site, I set about http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/06/pinterest-for-writers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-2137588838754854575Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:48:00 +00002012-06-20T19:49:29.517+01:00 A rose by any other name would smell as sweet ... right? Who cares if my character is called Kasey or Laila or Persephone? Well, as irrelevant as it is, names are an important part of your character. It's easier to imagine a scary looking bouncer called Keith than Sandy or a stripper called Candy rather than Wendy. Names do account for a lot but whatever they're called, your character will http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/06/rose-by-any-other-name-would-smell-as.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-683665603097938890Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:26:00 +00002012-06-20T19:26:33.275+01:00Having trouble with a story? Perhaps you've been mulling over and idea for a while or you just want to write but don't have any ideas. Just start writing. If you think about an idea for too long then you'll be afraid to write it down in case you ruin the perfection that you've created in your head and you'll never be satisfied, even though we know that everyone's first drafts are rubbish anyway. http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/06/just-start-writing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-8405166253903226234Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:16:00 +00002012-06-24T16:14:43.903+01:00Are you struggling to write? Finding you don't have much to say? It happens all the time, whether you're suffering from the renowned writers' block or perhaps just lacking a little. Try timing yourself. During the months of NaNoWriMo, wrimos (the participants) have an entire forum dedicated to word wars, sprints and timed challenges because this stuff works. If you set yourself a goal, you're http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/06/timed-writing-sprints.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-3885452468837733009Sat, 09 Jun 2012 00:56:00 +00002012-06-09T01:56:44.289+01:00You're bound to experience Writers' Block at some point, it's inevitable, but you don't have to be subservient to it. It doesn't bind you to the ground, unable to pick up a pen. It just means your creative outlets are somewhat lacking. Don't try too hard to write on your current project while you're feeling blocked because the outcome will be forced, crappy writing which just doesn't flow. Sit http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/06/feeling-blocked-write-letter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-8465295902774597300Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:49:00 +00002012-06-07T16:49:27.003+01:00I'm sure we all do this to some extent, don't we: you're writing a story or a book and suddenly you're bored with the idea, or you want to pursue a new one. That's perfectly normal and while many will say that it's best to stick with the original idea and see it through, I say don't. There's no point in writing something that you're not interested in writing because nobody will be interested in http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/06/dont-abandon-old-ideas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-4283059374006903857Mon, 28 May 2012 21:47:00 +00002012-05-28T22:49:59.998+01:00But your readers do not. It may be great for school essays when there's loads of description and huge long words into which you can read very deeply but your book will just confuse people if you use huge words. You have to separate your "school brain" and your "bestselling author brain" because they work entirely differently. If you really pare things down, you'll notice that they sound a lot http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/05/love-pretty-things-and-clever-words.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-3784917984609222163Sun, 27 May 2012 22:11:00 +00002012-05-27T23:18:06.672+01:00 Okay, I know I haven't written any fiction in forever but I'm psyched for Camp NaNoWriMo! Last camp, I managed to complete two novels over the two months (well, one novel and two bits of two other half-arsed, unfinished books) then in November, for the first time, I catastrophically failed, with around 15,000 words after thirty days. Some of you may be wondering, what on earth is NaNoWriMo, http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/05/camp-nanowrimo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-6491583231728279681Sun, 27 May 2012 15:55:00 +00002012-05-27T16:55:17.461+01:00So, one of the reasons I haven't posted in a while is because of exams - I consoled myself with the thought that as long as I wasn't "wasting time writing" then I'd have more of a chance of actually getting some revision done. That was, hmm, three months ago? Yeah, I never got any revision done because the whole time, I was pining to write my story, to get the words down on the paper but I was http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/05/writing-stress-vs-exam-stress.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-2737610707293335555Sun, 27 May 2012 12:43:00 +00002012-05-29T21:11:56.797+01:00Planning - I hear your groans. For many, many people, planning is a thing of nightmares; having to intricately plot every movement within your book/piece of work and then pulling out your hair in despair when things change and you don't know how. I am one of these people: I hate planning because it never goes as planned. My characters are always taking over and controlling their own destinies. http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/05/creative-planning.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-1407557582278747782Sun, 27 May 2012 12:01:00 +00002012-05-27T13:01:33.029+01:00I love this picture because it reminds me of many of my favourite road trip books, a niche category that I love. The image evokes so many thoughts for me but mostly it just makes me desperate to write a road trip book. Even before I discovered how much I loved them, I had written one without realising for NaNoWriMo and as a result, it doesn't have the qualities that a road trip novel should havehttp://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/05/image-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-6963533735461178341Sun, 27 May 2012 11:30:00 +00002012-05-27T12:30:01.775+01:00Hands up who has heard of John Green? I hadn't until a couple of years ago when I friend suggested I read his book, "Paper Towns." I was sceptical - I never read teenage books because I tend to find they have a fantasy theme and are generally just mushy romance as well. How wrong could I have been. A few months ago, I saw a video on youtube about NaNoWriMo and noticed that it was John Green http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/05/john-green-genius.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-2357900574131893950Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:38:00 +00002012-02-19T02:38:21.731+00:00Recently, I stumbled upon this little delight: http://www.thestorymatic.com/ It's The Storymatic - a box of gold and copper writing prompt cards for character(s) and a situation. The element of randomness that this box employs is what we need a lot of the time. It can be hard to come up with a good idea and sometimes we need that push. Of course, it wouldn't be too much of a challenge to http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/02/storymatic-simple-but-brilliant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-8154199997956577273Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:59:00 +00002012-02-04T20:59:39.273+00:00I know, this sounds like a really obvious one but I never remember (haha) that my memories can provide a crucial filler for a lingering gap in a story, or perhaps just spark an idea. Everything we experience can be put towards our writing and for many people, it's second nature to hone in on the past. Most of us will find that, upon re-reading our work, we have subconsciously included things thathttp://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/02/use-your-memories.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-4468634086960444506Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:13:00 +00002012-02-04T20:13:09.351+00:00I just love this picture - the love that can be shared in later life, proof that things don't just fade away. Eternal love is something that everyone craves in a relationship and it's beautiful to see the occasional glimmer of hope.  It's such an inspirational photo; see what you can write about it. http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/02/photo-number-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-2189194212152222885Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:38:00 +00002012-01-27T20:38:18.573+00:00 In the words of Joseph Campbell (American writer, 1904-1987), "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." Sometimes it helps to just branch out and explore something you wouldn't normally try in your writing. For example, I have always written in third person with my main characters being British women in their thirties or forties but for Camp NaNoWriMo in July, 2011, I http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/01/try-something-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-9040276064062992573Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:07:00 +00002012-01-27T20:33:33.963+00:00Any young writer will know that it's hard to shake these fears about not being good enough or not having enough experience but I don't think this should be the case. If I had my way, there would be more budding young writers, eager to share and learn. My advice to you, which will sit well with any fellow pyromaniacs, is to write down every fear you have about writing, or your lack of it perhaps.http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/01/get-rid-of-your-fear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-1286626892268236776Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:42:00 +00002012-01-21T23:42:50.200+00:00 I love this photo because of the emotions it would evoke in the taker. Obviously, it is a photoshopped image but that doesn't detract from the power. Imagine if this was real, if you or your character was in this situation. What would you do? How would you react?Perhaps write a story or an article about this picture or the consequences of the pictures. -comment below- Lydiahttp://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/01/photo-to-write-about.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9221157696859920802.post-2850365941967919639Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +00002012-01-21T00:59:11.497+00:00As a teenager, I have grown up with all these technological advances, as will many of you, I assume. My house has never not had a computer while I've been around and my phone is attached but I am still fascinated by the paper versus technology debate. I generally find that it is the older writers who stick to paper and the younger, more technologically advanced who are advocates for the computer http://dustbunnies-a-writers-brain.blogspot.com/2012/01/paper-vs-technology.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lydia)3