Writer's... Block. Fix=Fantasy Prompt!

Something terrible has happened.
     Yes, I have writers block.
     Gasp! Horrible, isn't it? It's seriously annoying. It's like I can't motivate myself to write when I want/need to! I've just realized that it's been going on for a while. Gah. So dumb. Well, let's do a prompt on my favorite genre: fantasy! I'll try this one with you. Maybe it will help. Hopefully.
     Alright, prompt is this.
     Use this idea and any object in the picture: You sit up surrounded by running, screaming warriors, covered in dirt, dust and something else and holding something sharp. You can't remember how you got there. All you know is, you're in trouble.

    Put any spin on it you want, change the weapons however you want -- I have no idea if they're from a game or whatever, I just found them on Google, don't belong to me, obviously -- make those weapons have any powers you desire and make your story.
     Stumped? Don't be. Your character has amnesia, wakes up on a battle ground with a weapon and has to defend themselves. They're probably amateur at it, or maybe they remember their skills or their hands and body do. They could have flashbacks as they fight, making them clumsier, or they could go through the whole battle having no idea what they're fighting for and find out later, maybe almost kill a friend or two by accident -- thus making a point for the rest of the story. Who doesn't love a good amnesia story? Heck, at this point, you don't even know they're past! You come up with it as you go!
     Yep, I definitely like this one.
     Get writing and good luck!
-Anevay

Fountain pens

Gasp, you're right, there are pictures of fountain pens! Very perceptive. I was just paroozing Google and stumbled on fountain pens. I love fountain pens -- they write so beautiful it makes me jealous.
     I know what you're thinking: Anevay, you and your stupid vague prompts... but trust me, this one has ideas hidden in there, just like all my others.
    For example: who's pen is it? What is used to write? Something sinister, graceful, beautiful, hurtful, kind, thoughtful? Does it do anything special? Is the ink different? What's inside the pen? Does this pen have a particular history? How old is it? Where did it come from or WHO did it come from? (And there are plenty of fountain pens in the world -- just look on Google).
     There are endless possibilities in any picture. You just have to know where to look.
-Anevay

Analyzing another Writer's work

Alright, this is mostly because I'm obsessed, but hey, why not? As a writer, you should always examine other writers work too, correct? To better improve yourself and see what they do? Ah, that's just my excuse.
     In order from most favorite to least favorite (currently), here are my favorite series ever (and this was really hard to compose):

-Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
-The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
-Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
-The Beyonders by Brandon Mull

-Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
-Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan
-Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
-The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
-The 39 Clues (by multiple authors, started by Rick Riordan)
-The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
-Sammy Keyes by Wendelyn Vandraanan
    And I'm sure there are TONS of others, but these are my ABSOLUTE favorites of every series I've ever read. Currently, my biggest obsession is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, but we'll start with John Flanagan, since he's right at the top of my favorite author's list along with J.K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Mull and Rick Riordan.

So, here are my words of praise for John: an incredible writer! Gives just enough detail without overdoing it. He has incredible character development, battle scene descriptions, and drama balanced with the cheese and intensity. He grabs you with both plot and characters, which I find extremely important. You've got to have a balance, and John definitely has it. He's realistic and dramatic without going overboard.

    And, since I admire her greatly, we'll talk next about J.K. Rowling; author of the Harry Potter series. Rowling has created a incredible world that all readers can enjoy. She eases you in to the story by easing Harry into it with you. Perhaps the most incredible thing about Rowling's writing are her connections. It's amazing! Everything in the books happens for a reason--there isn't one important detail, in all the times that I've read them, that hasn't come back in and connected perfectly into the story line. Each person dies for a specific reason, and each object/detail/plot expectations is brought it in at the right moments and in the right way. Nothing is wrong or rushed. She executes her plot beautifully, and I admire and envy her for it.

     Next on my list is Brandon Sanderson! Oh, Stormfather, you have no idea how much I'm obsessed with his writing. While his books are generally very long, he does character development incredibly. Each character has a background that you can see in their personality, that differs and makes them unique, and that he tells beautifully. His connects are flawless, too, as far as I can tell (I'm on my second way through The Way of Kings). His landscape descriptions bring the place into mind, which is important in a fantasy world where you create everything. Another prominent thing I've noticed about his writing is that he's very realistic: he doesn't over-dramatize things like a lot of writers do--storms, I do it too. It's an excellent acquired skill that has brought his books to life. He tells his world like it's real, and makes you believe it is too.

Ah, here we are with Brandon Mull! I'm in love with his writing,too. He is so talented. He too has an amazing world of fantasy that captures you. His writing has a great flow to it. Nothing feels out of place. And look, he also has awesome character development. I'm always finding myself in love with the characters he creates. He can make characters you love and characters you hate, along with an amazing story line and creative, one of a king fantasy world. Not only that, but he has a beautiful grasp on reality. He writes realistically with emotions, differing his characters and making them stand out. I also love his writing style!

Last but not least, I'll touch on Rick Riordan. I love the way he has taken the loved series Percy Jackson, with it's Greek mythology based story line. He has the basics of the gods and the mythology, but he brings in his own details and gives the gods personalities. He makes Percy likeable, and has each character stand out. He, like J.K. Rowling, eases you into another world as he eases Percy in with you, making it feel better to read. And in the end, holy Zeus, you love Percy! You even love some of the bad guys. I also love the idea he has with his main series: Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Kane Chronicles--they're all based on a certain type of mythology. Greek and then Egyptian, two that are completely different, and yet he also has them connect. I love it. He's a great writer.

     So, if you'll notice from the descriptions above, they all involve character development and descriptions, flowing writing, balance, realistic, likeable, intense. There are many aspects to writing, and those authors mentioned above, I feel, have mastered many of those techniques. Many of which I someday hope to master as well and join them on that list.
     Examining and analyzing another writers work always helps, even if you don't think they're very good. Sometimes that helps you realize what you're doing good. And so, I salute those writer's above and say huzzah to them and their work.

Aw, and there's me! YES, YES, YES!

-Anevay

Trees, trees, and more trees...

Yes, there are a lot of pictures of trees. I bet you know what today's prompt is about, don't you?
     I know what you're thinking: WHY a TREE?
     Yeah, well, what happened around that tree? What memories were made there? Did someone get hurt there? Is there a specific person remembered by that tree? What's IN the tree? What is it made of? What does it look like? Who was the first one to find that tree? WHERE is the tree? What's around the tree? What secrets does it have, if any? Why, exactly, are you writing about that specific tree?
     There are so many possibilities with this prompt. I was amazed at how many possibilities there are. The characters that tree helped shape, the memories it made, the people and things it's seen, the years... there are endless possibilities! That's why I posted several pictures, just to give you some ideas.
     That's about all I've got today. Now, it's time to separate the fanfiction portion of my writing brain from the MY writing brain... now I've got a block. Lovely. Well, here we go again...
     Good luck!
-Anevay

Dialogue

Dialogue, dialogue... some struggle with it, some excel with it. So this week, see what you can do with dialogue. Try writing a story that has nothing but dialogue to explain the situation. It's good practice to get you thinking of what people would say. Make it realistic and fun, or whatever you would like.
     So how about a quick lesson on dialogue? When some one is speaking put "quotations" or 'single apostraphies' on either side of what they are saying (depending on your country, region, blah, blah, etc). Include an exclamation mark (!), a question mark (?), or period (.) inside of them, not outside--I would think this was obvious for writers. If you're a writer, you're most likely a reader and therefore should study the books you read and the way they write.
     Anyway, that's all I've got today. So have some fun with dialogue, don't be a hypocrite, and read!
Here's a powerpoint I used to teach a Creative Writing class of 7th and 8th graders. Good fun.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Qc3J6gXjwu6bHRqqQ_WoTZSQUIvMtQX132xVIw3taoA/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000

-Anevay

Fanfiction

New topic: Fanfiction.
     Fanfiction is great. It gives you a chance to take other people's characters and play around with them. What that does is helps you stick to a character's personality--it tests your ability to stay in character and not be OOC (out of character), which is a big part of writing.
     If you can take someone else's character and use them like your own, that helps you keep your own characters doing what they would really do.
     So, Fanfiction does three things: 1) give you ready-made characters to play with, 2) tests your ability to stay in character and 3) teaches you to realize that you've got to make things realistic. Some things just wouldn't happen to certain characters because of the way they are.
    Well, that's about it. Have fun with it!
-Anevay

A Book of Dreams

(Under dreams on Google :)

What would you put in a book of dreams? Fantasies, love, desires, hope, family, friends, humor, stories--the possibilities are endless. What would your character, would would you, put in a book of dreams?
What stories would be inside? What people? What experiences, what laughter, what desires and hopes would be written there?
Princes, Kings, real life, fairy tails, perfection, a better world, a better anything, really.
How would you describe a book of dreams? How would you write it? A book of dreams defines your characters hopes and hates--dreams, thoughts--define everything about a character.
What would be in theirs? What would be in yours?