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The ultimate goal of this page is to promote the Neopian Times in all its snowflake-encrusted, Chet Flash-inhabited glory. We want it to be appreciated! We want it to rule the world! We want it to aid meepit world domination plan #32599! Well, maybe only the first two. But we want it to get love. And it shall get love!

Are you a reader, a writer, an artist? The Neopian Times encourages creativity and enraptures the imagination of our Neopian community. Forget about merely earning neopoints, buying paintbrushes and battledome equipment, turning the wheels the economy... the Neopian Times is the cultural centre of Neopia.

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Here is a list of helpful guides that explain the art of writing and drawing for the Neopian Times. With these wonderful resources, anyone can learn and grow and have their work accepted in the NT!

If you find or write a good guide, please share it with us so we can display it here =D Neomail me to have it put up.

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This is a collection of letters written by the fans of the Neopian Times that aim to encourage each and every one of you to participate in our wonderful weekly art and storytelling masterpiece that is the Neopian Times. Neomail me letters and I'll put them up here for all to enjoy. :3

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Dear readers, Picture this: A young Acara comes running up the path to his front door, skipping over the crackes (he loves his mommy) stone. He's back from neoschool, so exited and proud about the cardboard weewoo he's made in Mr. Lupid's art class. He comes bursting in the front door, impatient to show his creation to his mummy. He hollers her name, hoping she'll come running. But nobody comes.

... "Hello?" He whispers into what has suddenly become a dark and scary home. Nobody answers, but from the living room he can hear the TV muttering quietly to his family. Hurt, the Acara storms back out the door and stomps deliberately on every single crack. The contributors to the Neopian Times are still young at heart (like all neopians should be :-P), they're the Young Acara seeking approval from his family. The unseen articles, comics, and short storys are the empty house.

There are many reasons to read the Neopian Times. The Neopian Times provides many helpful articles that will help you be come the popular, rich, famous, *fill in desired adjective here*, neopian you want to be. If you're comfortable with your self there are other articles to read that tell you about the short stories will provide you stimulus and amusement. While the comics will provide non-stop laughing!

The Neopian Times has broken stories that have revealed and forever altered the course of neopia's history, stories like, how the invisible tower became invisible, a recap and rediscovery of the lost deserts' history.

I know you don't want to be left out of all the wonderful things that happen in neopia. Who wants to be behind the times. Not me!

Written by Ticktock

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Dear artists and writers,
It's a long grueling process to turn you dream or story idea into a Neopian Times worthy submission. The only reward we get is appreciation from our readers, indeed, the Neopian Times is the only contest that does not give a regular reward to its participants. As I said in the introduction neopets used to have a link to the Neopian Times on it's front page, but with neopets 2.0 renovations TNT saw fit to remove the link. Now we must struggle to get our love, but struggle we will! So how can you help? There are many ways. The simplest is just taking one of the buttons we provide and posting it up somewhere for others to see. If you want to get more involved there is a section here. We always need more buttons, comics, quotes, and ideas.

Written by Ticktock

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Dear artists and writers,

Greetings from within all the wet fish Mr. Insane chucks at me for every time I mess up the NeoQuest II plot with my half-baked stories to our talented Neopians!

There is a reason why the Neopian Times is a fill-in-the-blank news source. It needs people to contribute to make it what it is today - a wonderful newspaper full of comics, articles and stories of all shapes and sizes. Well, sort of, since comics do have a size limit...

Anyway, as I was saying, you guys are awesome. Maybe some of you have yet to make your mark in the Times, but I encourage you to keep trying, because without you guys, the Times is nothing but a mere blank page with blank links and no pretty pictures. Your ideas make the Times a colorful and diverse read for Neopians around the world, and they always have for the past several years.

Sure, we don't get much from this gig - perhaps a prize here or there for every special issue, the golden quill trophies and an avatar or two - but isn't it reward enough to know that there are readers always waiting for us to come up with more new things? It's one thing to read something you have accomplished; it's another to have someone else read it and give you feedback. Kinda gives you a sense of pride, does it? And it's simply fun to draw and/or write, am I right?

Take it from an old fogey who's been with the Times for more than four years. I am proud to say that writing for the Times has also helped me improve my writing style considerably and meet new friends with whom I share my interests.

Here's to many more great ideas!

Written by Kat

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Salutations, fellow readers!

As I am relatively new to the world of the Neopian Times, I feel that I have no place to offer advice to those who aspire to grace its pages with untold stories of adventure and valor; articles that help broaden our understanding of the Neopian world around us; and comics that touch our hearts and make us smile.

No, my limited experience is not enough to help you cross the threshold of publication. But what I can offer you is encouragement.

If you feel your work may not be good enough to get in the Neopian Times, try. If you work hard enough in anything you do, you will see results, and this is no exception. Get critique, practice your writing or drawing, do whatever you feel would help you improve. Simply making the effort is your first step into being in the Neopian Times, and sometimes it's the hardest step to take.

I remember what started me on my Neopian Writer's journey. I had just read a story called A Different Faerie, by Tdyans. I was so inspired that right then and there I decided that I wanted to submit my work into the Times too! Of course, I didn't get accepted right away, and with each rejection I felt that I simply wasn't good enough to get in; but I worked hard at it and eventually I succeeded. And along the way I met many friendly people who were also Times enthusiasts, and they helped critique my comics and give suggestions on how to improve. I even gained confidence and branched out into writing stories too, something I felt very weak in originally.

My journey is far from over, but I hope I helped you in taking that very first step.

Written by Jade

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This is the section where artwork that illustrates or has been inspired by a story, series, article or comic from the Neopian Times may be showcased. Anyone can contribute to the love. Just remember:

• Please do not beg/spam these people for art requests
  (for they have lives too)
• Please do not enter these images in contests
  (as it as a dumb way to get frozen)
• Please do enjoy! And it'll be lovely to take a read of the NT pieces that inspired these artworks as well =D

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1. Read something cool in the NT!
2. Draw =D Doesn't matter if you don't think you're a good artist, no one's out to judge you.
3. Make sure you have permission from the writer to display their work on this page :)
4. Upload it to a free image host like photobucket or imageshack
5. Complete this form and neomail it to me:
   Image: (link to the image, or a page with the image on it, at full size/as large as you want it) Title: (optional) Preview image: (link to an image 360 pixels wide or less) (optional, if left blank I'll resize it for you) Inspired by: (what piece in the NT is it from? A link to it is good) Comments?: (optional) Spoiler warning or not?: (does this image contain anything that would spoil the plotline if someone hasn't read the story before?)
6. ???
7. Success! It gets put up on the page =D

A very quick, simple and effective way to help our cause is to grab a button of your choice and place it on your userlookup, petlookup, shop, gallery or anywhere you fancy :)

If you don't have space for a button you can always put a text plug on your page, or in your siggie.

If you would like, you can also create more buttons for us to use, to show your support for this movement.

In addition, you can help us enormously by sending us NT-inspired fanart. Everybody loves fanart, really, everyone - writers, readers, viewers, children, everyone. Fanart not only enhances the meanings of the works that it is based on, it's a great thank you present for the hardworking writers and artists of our NT and it encourages new readers to check out the texts that the artworks have been based on. Details and a form may be found here.

Linking back is one of the kindest things you can do for this page. How are the average Joes of Neopia going to find their way here, except by stumbling upon a button so generously placed on an area like a shop or another petpage? Please help support our cause by either putting this link on your page or by contributing a button (or two, or three...) for us to use.

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Ticktock was the original creator of this page, but has left neo all too soon. What pity! Without her, the Neopian Times Readers Association would never have been born. You can see the original petpage still hosted by her Pteri, Zaff_, with most of its original content.

Pacmanite, who had already invested considerable effort in the layout of the page, thought it a shame to die out when it became clear that Ticktock had left neo. So she - eventually - moved the site to a pet named NTReaders (and thanks to Weaponstar for creating and holding onto NTReaders until the changeover was finalised =D) to keep the NTRA alive. She also retyped most of the content - not because Ticktock's content wasn't good enough, heavens no, but because she is kind of paranoid about being accused of having plagiarised the content off Ticktock. This way, the NTRA lives on, changed in content but the same in spirit.

We'd also like to thank everyone at the Neopian Times Writers Forum. Special thanks to everyone from the NTWF who posted in and supported the Neopian Times Readers Appreciation thread:

Ticktock, Clocky, Jade, Goosh, Tiger, Diana, Celestial, Bianca, JDB1984, Weaponstar, Nat, Christos, Chocolate, TC, Nina, Birdy, and Kat.

Much credit goes to the following people for letting Pacmanite use quotations from their stories in the making of the layout, in the background of the top banner:

There, in the corner of a room, was a rocking chair moving by itself. BOOM-BOOM. BOOM-BOOM. BOOM-BOOM. BOOM-BOOM. With each rock, it slammed into the wall...
– Chocolate, "The Scary Story: Part Two"

Some kind of... thing with long, hairy legs had just crawled over his feet! It was far too dark to see just what it was, but Kaize fervently hoped that it was a simple Spyder...
– Chocolate, "The Scary Story: Part Two"

Those eyes were bluer than the Maraquan seas and more understanding than the eyes of a mother. There was none of the expected savagery nor was there any malice, just a kind, intelligent look that was pleading for forgiveness, as if it was sorry to destroy the Siyana.
– Celestial, "The Quetzal Ring"

Avalon looked at the necklace. It did look a little different from other Noil Gems. The Noil was made of emerald, and the chain looked like it had been made of sapphire. There wasn't a single print on the glimmering surface, and it felt oddly warm in Avalon's hand.
– Tiger, "Avalon and the Emerald Noil Gem"

Jhudora wasn't the type of faerie who would knock on someone's door, so she barged in, flinging the door open with such force that the stone wall cracked.
– Bianca, "Roomies: Part One"

She shivered. It was a bad idea, she reflected, to run away from home. And to take the shortcut through the woods. And to trip and fall and be too tired to bother getting up...
–Goosh, "Snowman"

There was no way that a snowman was moving towards her, dragging itself inch by inch. But, unmistakably, she could see moonlight glinting off the top hat, clear as day. There was no other explanation. She could hear her father's voice fading in the distance. It was the snowman.
–Goosh, "Snowman"

Also thanks to all the button-makers (name list under construction).