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Greetings, guest, my name is MakiKai the Chomby. You may have read about a few of my adventures with my friends in the Neopian Times.
Over the last few months, I've received many neomails from aspiring writers who shared their writing experiences and wondered how they could get their work into the Neopian Times. Like all skills, writing takes a lot of creativity, hard work, and determination to pursue your dreams and make them come true; however, it doesn't have to be as hard as you may think! I and my owner, starhamster42, decided to make a page dedicated to the subject. This webpage will be your handy guide to
Everything You Need to Know About Writing and Getting your Work into the Neopian Times!size>
Enjoy!
Overcoming Writer's Block
Okay, the first thing you'll want to know is How do I come up with an idea for my article or story? Below are a few suggestions and ways I personally overcome my writer's block. Don't try to force your ideas; I usually find the best ideas come to me when I'm not wracking my brain trying to think of something to write. Relax, calm your mind.
Think about something new in Neopia. Has there been a recent Chomby Festival celebration? Is there some cool new item in the Hidden Tower, or a mysterious villain that has just appeared in the Gallery of Evil? These are all good places to start if you're writing an informative article, and can give you some ideas for starting your story.
Look at entries in the Neopedia or the descriptions and pictures of characters on collectable cards, then try to think of a plot involving them.
These are all good places to start if you're writing an informative article, and can give you some ideas for starting your story.
Now that you have an idea, start writing. Articles make up one of the smallest but most important sections of the Neopian Times, as they provide valuable information and opinions to the citizens of Neopia.
An informative article will naturally be easier to write because, unlike a story, it needs little in the way of plot. When writing an article, think of yourself as a reporter on the streets of Neopia.
Remember, articles do not have to be boring; be creative! You can write it as a mystery to uncover a long-lost secret about Mystery Island, perhaps using your pets as characters, or you could write it as a persuasive article, trying to get the reader to buy an item or play a game such as NeoQuest.
However, if you are thinking about writing a fictional story, things may not be so easy. This next section will explain about the most important part of a story or series, its very core - the plot.
Every good story needs plot to tie everything together. This should be the center of the story around which all actions revolve. The best way to get your story noticed is to have a fresh, creative plot; old plots such as a good pet being abandoned in the Pound and then finding a new owner are not only boring, they're also just plain clich餮 Make sure your plot is your own, and one that you can be proud of!
Remember, rule number one of writing is to never, ever plagiarize someone else's work - that is, steal their plot or character ideas and use them as your own. Plagiarism is no less than the very worst theft of someone else's imagination and hard work. That is very important - always come up with your own ideas.
An ideal plot should have the following features:
First, you should have a short beginning to introduce the characters and their personalities to the reader (known as the exposition). Without this section, the reader will feel confused as you jump right into the plot, and probably will not feel much affection towards the characters, perhaps even to the point where they stop reading altogether and go to read something else.
Next, you need an introduction to a central problem or conflict in the story (known as the inciting incident). This starts the plot along; without this, the story will wander and seem pointless. The conflict can be either external (physical fighting) or internal (trying to make a tough decision about something).
Rising action consists of various events to slowly build tension to a peak. This part can also include complications, or twists in the story to make the plot more interesting.
Most important of all, you should have a sudden climax where the two opposing forces clash. This is the vital part central to every structured plot.
The climax should be followed by falling action, or events to reduce the tension which gradually bring the story to a close. Without this, the story would end abruptly at or after the climax, leaving the reader hanging to wonder about the fate of the characters.
Finally, you should end your story with a resolution of everything, where all loose ends are tied together (known as the denoement). This part just brings the story to completion. If you wish to write later sequels to that story, you could add a small twist in here to let readers know that character's adventures are not yet over.
The first step to writing an interesting story and getting it published is just that - to make it interesting. Not only do you need to make it go somewhere in terms of plot, but you should also try to make everything as original as possible. Don't be afraid to be creative and try new things!
While you must have a good plot to make a story, you must also have interesting characters to push the plot along. Try to make your characters stand out in the reader's mind; give them some personality! You can either write about your own pets, make the characters up, use pre-existing ones, such as the Monoceraptor or Dr. Sloth, or a combination of all three. Every story should include one or more "good" characters (otherwise known as protagonists) to be the heroes of the story, and one or more "bad" characters (otherwise known as antagonists) to be the villains.
Setting is where the story takes place. Try to set your story firmly in a unique Neopets environment, such as the Space Station or Tyrannia, not just any old Neohome or Neoschool, because that gets boring after a while too.
When creating your plot, try to avoid solving problems with a deus ex machina - that is, a miraculous solution that falls from the sky with no previous explanation. If two of your protagonists are trapped in a jail cell, provide a way for them to escape on their own, whether it be slipping through the window bars, picking the lock, or distracting the guards. You don't necessarily need the Fire Faerie to appear from nowhere, free them from the cell, and disappear again with no explanation. If you do want to use the example with the Fire Faerie, alter the plot earlier - have they encountered her before? Is one of the heroes her personal favorite? Remember, be creative!
You've finally gotten your story written out: it has original characters and a plot you're proud of. Congratulations, the worst is already behind you! The last step before submission is editing and proofreading your work, which is basically just checking for any possible errors.
Start at the beginning of your article, story, or series and read through the entire thing, then return to the beginning and start correcting your mistakes. Some things to look for:
Does it "flow" - that is, can you read through it smoothly without feeling that something has been left out?
Are there any obvious spelling or grammar errors? Most word processor programs will have a built-in spell or grammar checker that will automatically alert you of any mistakes you might have made. Keep in mind though, it will probably not recognize many names of Neopian places and species of Neopets, so it's best not to have it set for automatic correction.
A somewhat more subtle threat involves words that manage to slip by the spell- and grammar-checkers but are really used incorrectly: the difference between "their" and "they're" is a common mistake.
After getting the obvious errors out of the way, you should work on "tightening up" your story, making sure it doesn't ramble and is legible and interesting to the reader.
Getting Rid of Unnecessary Detail: Detail is usually good because it helps fire the reader's imagination, filling in the details of the scene. However, there are some times when you want to cut back on your use of detail to allow the story to move along. Below are three sentences.
The Ixi jumped over the Doglefox. The quick brown Ixi jumped over the lazy Doglefox. The quick and agile brown Ixi's fur gleamed in the bright, warm sunshine like the bronze of an autumn leaf as she leaped, soaring gracefully over the peacefully napping brown and white-spotted Doglefox curled up in the lush green grass.
I think you can see for yourself which sentence you would rather read. Sentence 1 is rather plain, with little detail. Sentence 2 is the improved version of the previous sentence, with more detail to draw attention but still allowing for quick, concise reading. Sentence 3 goes way overboard on the detail; while it does pack a lot of imagery, the reader can get lost within the first few words.
Make Conversations Interesting: Conversation is one of the main elements of any story, but can be tricky to master. You want the characters to sound like they're really talking, not just reading from a written script. Below are three short conversations.
Hurry up, Enti!" the Eyrie said.
Hurry up, Enti!" the Eyrie cried.
Hurry up, Enti!" Blaze cried. His sharp talons clicked on the hard metal floor as he paced nervously.
The conversation in paragraph 1 is overall pretty boring, the "he said" and "she said"s get tired quickly, and the reader quickly loses interest. Paragraph 2 is better, starting to alternate verbs to make their conversation more interesting. Paragraph 3 starts to include various other actions of the characters other than speaking, making the scene seem more alive and realistic in the reader's mind.
You've already cleared the worst hurdles. Now it's time for one last one: submitting your work to the Neopian Times. To increase your chances of getting your work published, send it right after the new issue comes out - say, within a day or so.
First, make sure you have an e-mail account and that your story or article is typed out on the computer. Some e-mail services will allow you to copy and paste your work directly into the body of the letter, in which case you should just put the title of the work as the title of the e-mail, make sure you have your username there, and send it off!
For those of you who do not have e-mail services that allow you to do this, make sure you have your work saved to your hard drive. There should be an option on your compose e-mail screen to add/edit attachments. You need to click on this, then browse through your hard drive and click on the file you want to send to the Neopian Times. Follow any additional steps the service might have to attach that text document to the e-mail. Now go back to the original text screen and make sure it's showing your work is now attached (it should have the name and size of the file). Now type in the name of your article or story, your username, and a short description of your work. Make sure to thank the nice Mr. Shankly for reading it!
There, you're done. Are you sure you have your article or story's title in the e-mail title? Did you remember to include your username? Okay, you're set! Wish yourself luck and send it off to
neopiantimes@neopets.com!
You can tell that your work has been received successfully when you get something along the lines of this standard form e-mail in your inbox:
Hello there,
We just wanted to let you know that your story, article, series, or comic was received and is currently being read and reviewed by a panel of anonymous Neopets. They read VERY slow, so be patient with them :)
The Neopets Team
I was planning to put some elevator Muzak in this section to play while you were waiting to see if your work was published, but I didn't want to get lynched by the inevitable angry mob with pink fuzzy earmuffs on to block out the music...
No, really. I have nothing but sympathy for those who are waiting, especially young authors hoping to get their work in for the first time - I know exactly how it feels! Waiting really is the hardest part, and often the most nervewracking. All you can do is have patience; the best remedy is to find something to entertain yourself for a few days that will keep your mind off the Neopian Times.
The new Neopian Times usually comes out over the weekend, and it can often take a while for the Neopets staff to decide which work they want to put into the newest issue. Trophies are awarded about two days before the issue comes out, so if you are very impatient, you can check your userlookup around Thursday or Friday. You can also try typing your name into the search bar on the right-hand side of the old Neopian Times; if your name and article, story, or series title comes up, you can rest assured you are in the next issue.
You wake up in the morning and run eagerly to the computer, bursting with barely restrained excitement. The new issue of the Neopian Times is out! Quickly you flip to the right section and scroll through the columns of articles and stories, looking for your username... but yours isn't there. What went wrong? you ask yourself miserably.
Are you a complete and utter failure? Is it time to break down and weep, swearing to give up writing forever? No! Rejection happens to even the best of writers; you must believe that, no matter how cliche it sounds, you must get back on your feet and try again. Some things to keep in mind:
You may have sent your work too late or the Neopets Team simply ran out of room for it when organizing their issue. Remember there are 35 million users out there and while not all of them are trying to get in, you do have some competition. Do not panic, just try resubmitting it again.
Even taking both of those factors into account, it might be encouraging to note that my first series still took over a month to get published; after resending it every week, the week it finally got published was the week I'd chosen to give up trying to get anything else into there. That one time has made all the difference for me; I wouldn't give up writing for the world now. So chin up; good things can and do happen, even if it does take a while.
The new Neopian Times is out! You log onto Neopets and go to the newest issue of Neopia's favorite Pan Galactic Gargle News Source - perhaps not as fast as you once did, but still eagerly awaiting the newest comics, articles, short stories, and series.
You scroll leisurely down the lists, clicking on the works by your favorite authors; your own experience trying to get your work published in the Times has given you a greater appreciation for those who are published, and you are happy simply to read their newest articles, stories, and series. Still, your rejected work always remains in your mind, halfway forgotten but waiting to be uncovered again.
As you are reading something with a vaguely familiar title, you notice something strange - you can complete some of the sentences, you know which words are coming next! Come to think of it, this work looks awfully familiar... but can it be?
Your heart thumps once, twice, very fast; it seems to have developed wings, something very odd for a heart to do. You scroll up through the text, up to the picture and title at the top - it's yours! Your username! Your mouth works soundlessly, but all you can manage is a strangled sort of triumphant eep.
Congratulations - you have now made it into the ranks of the few, the determined... the Neopian Times authors. Welcome, and I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay. :)
I hope this guide has helped you, but if you have any additional questions or comments, feel free to drop me a line here. In the meantime, why don't you take a look at my guild by clicking on the banner below? The Neopian Times Appreciation Guild (NTAG) is full of extremely helpful people who will be glad to give you plenty of tips and advice. Thank you for visiting my webpage!
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