Getting Accepted Into The Neopian Times

Now, on to what I really meant to talk about. I think that most people just need some pointers, so that is what this article is about. I am writing a paragraph for each section in the Neopian Times and some tips on how to get accepted. Keep in mind that these may not help you the least little bit, but then again they help you to get every single one of your pieces published! Wouldn’t that be nice?

Articles

I think that articles are the most fun to write. You can go CRAZY with them! Examples of writing an article can go from a game guide, to talking about Lord Kass’s fluffy pink Kadoatie. Oops, I wasn’t supposed to tell you that…Anyways, hopefully these tips will help you a bit!

1.) READ THE NEOPIAN TIMES! Read the articles, short stories, comics, everything! Maybe even read a few issues back to see what has been done. That way you won’t write about the same thing that someone else did, and you may get some ideas along the way.

2.) Don’t write about something that has been written to death. This article probably won’t get accepted, because it probably has been written to death in the past ^.^. In other words, be original, random, maybe even a bit weird.

3.) If you are writing a game guide, make sure that you know a lot about the game. Remember, your articles have to be no less than 1000 words long. SO you wouldn’t want to start writing, then not be able to get more than 621 words in. Also, make sure that your information is correct and helpful. If you are rewriting the instructions for the game, and that is the basic theme for your article, then you probably won’t get accepted.

4.) This is to all of you random people, like me! Write something random! Like I said, write about Lord Kass’s fluffy Kadoatie! She’s so cute, and deserves to be written about!

5.) Don’t have your article(s) be one big run on sentence… Don’t write rants either. I was going to write an article about the Message Boards, and it turned into one big rant, which was rather annoying I think.

Short Stories

I have read some pretty awesome short stories in my Neopets time, and they are all written by Neopians like you. Which means that you are capable of writing something great too! The tips for the Short Stories are as follows.

1.) Once again READ! Make sure that you aren’t writing the same story that someone did last week, because you won’t get published.

2.) Be original. One thing that I would like to read, maybe even write, would be something funny, maybe with a little sadness here and there. But make it your own. You could write about your Kougra’s magic socks if you wanted to *hint hint*…

3.) Make sure you know what you are doing. If you start writing about your Chia’s favorite flexible pencil, don’t get side-tracked and start writing about your Kougra’s magic socks…

4.) Check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. If someone is talking make sure that you have quotation marks and such. Also keep in mind that your stories have to be 1000 words or more, but no more than 4000 words.

5.) It MUST be about Neopets, it says so in the Rules as well. If it isn’t about Neopets, then it won’t be accepted.

Comics

Yay for comics! I love reading the comics ^.^. With these there is really no limit to how big you can go. I like reading the really funny ones, and I know a lot of people who love those too. Here are some tips you might need for writing yours!

1.) This is the third time saying this…READ! Don’t do the same type of thing that someone else already did.

2.) BE FUNNY! I know that people love reading funny, maybe even cute at times, comics. I know you all have a bit of funniness in you!

3.) Check your .GIF and/or .JPG files. Make sure that they are working properly. That would really stink if you did all of that work, only to turn it in a see a big red X.

4.) Make sure that your text is readable. Pictures are worth a thousand words, but hey, being able to read your writing makes it even better.

5.) Your picture’s file size can only be 200KB. Your maximum width at 470 pixels, and you can only submit .GIF or .JPG files. You PSP 8 users who like to use .PNG files, that WILL NOT work!

New Series

This category of writing is for you people that write big huge long stories. You have parts to your story, and one part gets published each week until your story if done. Here are the tips.

1.) Alright, this is the last time that I will say READ! Don’t do something that someone else has already done.

2.) Make sure that you can write for a long time. Make sure that the story is going to be long so that you can submit more parts. That makes it more interesting!

3.) I think that people should end different parts of their stories with, something interesting, something that will keep your reader’s eyes glued to the computer screen until the next part comes out. End with something that will keep them guessing and in pain because they want to know so badly!

4.) Don’t repeat things. You might not know what I am talking about, then again you might, but I can’t explain it. Don’t get into so much detail that you have three whole paragraphs describing a tree…

5.) Stay on track. Don’t think about something that doesn’t make sense, and incorporate it into your story. For example, don’t write about how evil Lord Kass is, then have the rest of your story be about his fluffy pink Kadoatie.

Continued Series

There really isn’t much to talk about here. It’s just some tips for continuing your story.

1.) Re-read what you have already written in past parts of your story. Knowing me, I would probably do something stupid like rewriting a whole part, because I had forgotten if I had done it already or not.

2.) Make sense. Enough said.

3.) Spelling and grammar is a must. If you story is one big mush of spelling errors, I really don’t think that the Editor will take the time to correct the whole thing. She’s a busy person ya’ know!

4.) *Continue* your story. Keep it moving. Don’t get stuck somewhere, and then not be able to write anymore, to where you just end up sleeping in a tent in the middle of nowhere at the end.

5.) Conclude your last part with something that makes sense as well. A happy ending would be cool.

Overall Tips

These are just some things that I didn’t feel like repeating in every category, or I think should be mentioned again.

1.) Don’t have too much death. If your story, article, comic, or whatever, focuses on a lot of death, it probably won’t get published.

2.) Read The Neopian Times.

3.) Spelling and grammar is a must.

4.) Check your images.

5.) Be original. That is a huge thing when it comes to writing. Everyone has their own style.

I hope that this article has helped someone, or at least entertained you. If you read this article, followed my tips, and got accepted, please tell me! I love to hear that your piece was a success! Good luck to everyone in Neopia, and thank you for taking the time to read my article!