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Untitled Document
PET CENTRAL - Through my time on Neopets, I have received a number of various
trophies, one being the storytelling trophy. Take a look at my user look up
and your eyes will come across as to just how many I have won since my six months
here. The purpose of me writing this is not to gain publicity and it is definitely
not to make you less fortunate people jealous. I am writing a simple guide so
that one day you may be able to succeed in the Storytelling Contest. Firstly
though, I will be giving you a brief detail on my life before winning these
magnificent trophies.
I started playing Neopets on a warm sunny afternoon on the day of 18th June
2002. I chose my Neopets and had a browse through the wonderful world of Neopia.
It wasn't long before I stumbled upon the Storytelling Contest. I quickly entered
the page and read what had started of the story. Two paragraphs had already
been entered, so being the imaginative type I was, entered this really weird
story with lots of twists and turns. I submitted it and then waited.
The waiting seemed to take an eternity, but eventually the concluding paragraph
had been entered. My face dropped as I realised that, through all my hoping
and believing, it wasn't mine. So, I entered the next paragraph. I was sure
this time that I'd win, and through my optimistic outlook only came disappointment
and upset.
I continued to submit paragraphs but I wasn't getting anywhere fast. I had
almost given up completely when I had this sudden urge to write the next paragraph.
As I submitted it, I read it over and over again and was sure that this was
the one. How right I was too. As I scrolled down the page, I realised that I'd
finally won. After that, I continued to win the Storytelling Contest.
If you would like to have a chance at winning the Storytelling Contest, or
whether you would like to show your hidden talent then why don't you follow
my guide which I will now, after a quick preview of me and my rise to becoming
a holder of so many storytelling trophies, put together.
Firstly, and this a rule I expect all of you to do already, you should always
read the previous paragraph. That way you will have a clear idea of how the
story plot is advancing. If you are late at writing your section of the story,
always read every previous paragraph. If you fail to do this you may end up
writing a paragraph that does not correspond to the story, thus leading to a
complete waste of time.
Secondly, always think thoroughly about what you are about to write. If the
story has yet to maintain a storyline, then make your paragraph eye catching
and original and don't be afraid to add a new plot to the story. As long as
the plot follows on from the previous paragraph and doesn't trail off from it
then there's no reason why you shouldn't add it. The story has to advance from
somewhere after all.
Always make sure that you spell EVERY word correctly. Check that you haven't
misspelled long words like 'definitely'. I misspell that word quite often so
that is something I always double check. Also, try to punctuate properly. Remember
that full stops always go at the end of sentences in case you had forgotten,
and comers like the one I just used are used when pausing between a sentence.
If you don't use them then you will end up with something like this: The cat
walked down the path and saw a bird and he chased it and the bird flew off and
then the cat walked off again. Doesn't quite sound right does it? Okay, then
maybe that wasn't the best sentence to use. I got my point across though didn't
I? Another point is to make sure that abbreviated words always have the apostrophes
in the right places. Here's a little test. Which one is the right word? Hav'ent
or haven't?
If possible, try to write more than one paragraph each consisting of different
plots. This can help broaden your chances of becoming chosen. Remember though
not to take your plots too far. It is very unlikely to win if your paragraph
contains graphic death or love. Try to keep to a simple plot but always make
it interesting.
You should always finish your paragraph with a twist or a line that can be
easily formed into another plot of the story. Sometimes, the story does not
need a plot. Example, if the story is coming to an end. Also make sure that
your paragraph can easily be started into another. You don't want to make it
to hard to follow for the other person's paragraph.
If writing the ending paragraph, make sure that every plot in the story comes
to a normal end and always explain in the story how the plot came back to normality.
Possibly one of the worst ways to end a story is to leave a plot unsolved. Unless
it is a continued story, which in the Storytelling Contest, does not continue,
then by all means you can leave a plot unsolved. Don't do this in the Storytelling
Contest though, or there is a high risk that the paragraph you worked so hard
on will not get published.
Well, that is my trusty guide to winning the Storytelling Contest. I hope
to who ever reads this listens to my words wisely and hopefully one day if you
haven't done so already, you will get your paragraph entered. Happy writing
and I wish you all the best of luck.
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