Getting into the Times? Not as Hard as You May Think! by covergirl_tanemura |  |
A few days ago I was posed with a question. It was a simple question, one
I could abruptly answer without any regrets. The question was, “How do people
get into The Neopian Times so much? I can write just as good as they can! I
could probably write even better if I put a lot of effort into it!” I know,
easy. I mean, the writers that get accepted week after week work hard for their
20x Champion title. I wont tell you what my answer was to her simple question,
but I can tell you the answers to many other questions I’ve been asked about
The Neopian Times. All from users of the highest status, to the lowest.
Question One: How come I got rejected? I thought my story was great!
Answer One: Rejection, to be blunt, stinks. Sadly, it’s a hard part of
life and a horrible lesson you need to learn. The Neopian Times can reject you,
but with a few guidelines you can have a better chance of getting accepted!
First, make sure to have your grammar/paragraphing/punctuation to the perk
of perfection. That means, adding commas/periods when their needed, and putting
quotation marks around things characters say. To tell you the truth, I loathe
anything that deals with grammar, punctuation, etc. If you’re like me and stink
at editing then I’d advise you to ask a friend/family member to help you out.
For example, if you don’t know if an ‘and’ should start at the beginning of
your sentence, ask your English teacher for an answer. Another way to pick out
all your mistakes is to leave your story alone for a day (make sure to save!).
Come back a couple days later with ‘fresh eyes’ and search for mistakes.
Secondly, DO NOT USE CHATPSPEAK UNLESS YOUR PORTRAYING A CHARACTER THAT USES
CHATSPEAK! You can use chatspeak all you want on the Neoboards, however it’s
incredibly hard to understand for people who prefer the English language over
‘u/r/l33t’ etc. Lets look at these two pieces of writings, you can tell me which
one you’d take more serious or can understand better.
Chatspeak Version: cindy wuz always da best in da class. The smartest,
the prettiest. “i dont like u!” she used to always say to her peers, “stop buggin’
me, u mean peeps!” she stoped off quickly from the snickering group. Tears welted
up in hur eyes, “i wish i wusent purfect.” she sobbed out, the NeoPets down the
hall stared at her. “Wut a freak.” They hissed out, be 4 scurrying off again.
Normal English Version: Cindy was always the best in her class. The smartest,
the prettiest. “I don’t like you!” she used to always say to her peers, “Stop
bugging me! You're so cruel!” She stomped off quickly from the snickering group.
Tears welted up in her eyes. “I wish I wasn’t perfect!” she sobbed out.
The Neopets around the hall gave her a stare. “What a freak!” they hissed, before
scurrying off again.
Thirdly, make sure you’ve got around 1,000 words. I’m not saying anything
below 1,000 wouldn’t make it in the Times, but the chances of getting accepted
are more in favor for stories/articles at 1,000 words or above 1,000 words.
Fourthly, make sure not to go beyond the rules of writing a Neopian Times
story. That means no romance, no blood/gore, and no major-technology. I’m sure
a remote control could slide by, seeing as there is an entertainment center
on NeoPets, but anything hugely technology wise probably isn’t the best thing
to do. However, don’t mistake huge-technology with the Lab Ray. The lab ray
is advanced but not enough to get your story rejected.
Question Two: I’ve got this great story that I really want to send
in, but I don’t know the email address I need to send stories/articles/comics
to!
Answer Two: At the bottom of the ‘main page’ of The Neopian Times should
be a statement which tells you what email address you send stories/articles/comics
to. If you’re to lazy to go all the way down the page, then I’ll just tell you.
Send everything Neopian Times related to neopiantimes@neopets.com.
Question Three: Okay, I’m a pretty decent writer and I think I could
get accepted into The Neopian Times. However, it seems like all the ideas I
think of have already been used!
Answer Three: Ideas are everywhere! Please do not say that there are no
possible ideas you can use for The Neopian Times. Do you enjoy Faerie tales?
Then maybe you can write NeoPets versions of them. Or, you can transcribe one
of the original books floating around in Neopian shops. Another way to get ideas
is go to the Neopedia. Wait, let me put that in bold. ANOTHER WAY TO GET
IDEAS IS TO GO TO THE NEOPEDIA!!!! I took a simple look at Jhudora's information-article
in the Neopedia and got 6 possible stories ideas. One of those stories being
‘A Very Faerie Switch’.
Question Four: I really want to have romance in my stories, is that
okay?
Answer Four: Ew! Romance! Please give me a moment to gag. Okay, okay.
I’ll stop. Romance, as I’m aware of, is not the best spin to put on your stories.
Friends are fine, but anything beyond that? Well, lets just say no. Romance
is something you should put into a bucket and throw into the Mystery Island
volcano.
Question Five: I really want to have my pets driving cars in my series!
Please tell me that cars are allowed!
Answer Five: I assure you, none of this is allowed. Pets driving cars?
It’s simply preposterous! There’s no such thing as cars, silly! I mean, Nigel
the Chia drives a ‘car’ but it’s only a plastic cut-out. Nigel just wants to
be on the front of everything, but he’s not. Neopets usually walk by hand or
foot, depending on the pet you own. Or of course, other pets fly. Those are
the ones that go by wing and can soar through the sky. So, the short and sweet
version of this answer is no. There are no cars, or other major-technology fronts
allowed in stories.
Question Six: I really like this one story/article/comic that another
author wrote/drew! Can I please do a sequel to it for them?
Answer Six: If you’ve got permission to do so from the author then go
right ahead! However, if you don’t then it’d be a waste of time for you to write
it. If an author doesn’t want people flipping their story into another person
tale then it’s their choice, I mean they put dedication into it! Of course,
if you’ve got permission make sure to add a note in your email saying that you
DID in fact get permission. If you don’t, there is a slim chance you’ll get
accepted. Permission or no permission.
I wish you the greatest luck on your journey to becoming a Neopian Times 20x
champion, or even a 1x champion. Both are huge accomplishments, and most-likely
the most creative trophy to get (along with story telling, art gallery, etc).
Either way, everybody is a great writer. No matter what they think. I mean,
people ARE their own worst critic-- right?
Authors Note: I want to acknowledge the fact that I couldn’t have written this
without the people out their asking the questions. A big thanks to them, their
the main thing I wrote this article for. Hopefully, this helps out all those
lost souls trying to get accepted by have no clue how to. :) ALSO! If my lousy
attempt at chatspeak has blinded you, I take no credit for it.
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