All That Blah: NT Edition

Hello, I'm Chair. So, YOU want that elusive Neopian Times trophy? YOU want the Neopian Times avatar? Or maybe you just want to see your name in print. For any reason, you've probably come here because you want to be a Neopian Times writer. But the question is... what can I write about? Well, I'm here to describe to you different types of stories and articles you can write about. I'll also give you tips along the way. Keep in mind that I can't list all of the types of stories and articles you can do. There are too many! But I'll list a few general ideas, which hopefully will kick in inspiration.

Short Stories and Series

Neoschool Stories: This is a popular one. Despite neoschool's nonexistence, it still seems to inspire people to write a story about a neopet with a backpack slung over his shoulder heading off to school. Maybe it's because of the endless possibilities. There are bully stories, friend stories, color stories, class stories... anything you can think of! A lot of stories take place in neoschool. This would probably be a good idea for those who prefer to write realistic stories. Take something that happened in real life (which obviously doesn't exist, but just pretend) and change it around, making it a perfect NT submission.

Tales in the Pound: Another popular one, people seem to enjoy writing stories about poor neopets abandoned by heartless owners. These stories often involve a neopet, at the beginning, being led to the pound by their cruel owner. Dr. Death escorts them to a cage, or a room, where they wallow in filth and sadness until another person wanders in and saves them. If you like writing sad stories with happy endings, this might be a good idea for you. Think of the feelings being left behind would evoke. The misery, the sadness... after you've pictured it (don't get too sad!), try to describe it, then incorporate it into your story.

Wild and Free: This type of story, more uncommon, is one about, say, a pack of neopets, with no owner. They live in the wild and thrive off of it. I can't say much about these because I don't see them all that often. Normally they focus on a character in the herd/pack/tribe, describe their feelings there, and write about something that happens to the pack/tribe/herd. If you don't like writing about humans, try this.

The Classic Family Fiction: This one is a common one. A lot of writers like writing about either an imaginary family of owner and pets or about themselves and their pets. These introduce the world to the writer's neopets (or fake characters) and tell a story about... well... anything. These often involve a lot of imagination, and that imagination is required if you want to make the story original and creative. These stories can be pure fun if you let them, or you can have a serious rift between siblings (or another kind of conflict). These stories go in any direction you're willing to take them, so no matter what kind of author you are, go for it!

Other: Well, of course there’s the ‘other’ section! Writing one of the types of stories aforementioned is great. But if your creativity can take you in a new direction, try it out! Write it, submit it... and wait for the response to head your way!

A Few Other Tips on Writing Short Stories and Series:

Write. A LOT. There’s nothing better than practice. The more you write, the better you get. I had millions of stories rejected before even getting in once, but that led to the featuring of my stories in the Neopian Times.

Be original. The types of stories I listed? Loads of people will submit them. So, you need to take your imagination for a walk and try to come up with something so creative and original that yours will stand out above the others! (Just don’t do anything about Jelly World. It doesn’t exist. Seriously.)

Whatever type of story you choose, BE CREATIVE. This is very important, so I capitalized it. Remember, fellow writer, this is Neopia! The land where it's cheap to buy a house, but some food costs over 100,000 neopoints. Anything can happen, and will happen, if you make it.

Articles:

The Highly Acclaimed Game Guide: Are you awesome at games? Can you get the Feed Florg avatar in a snap of your fingers (if you can snap, unlike me)? Then maybe you should think about helping your fellow Neopians! Write a game guide. Include the instructions, any cheat codes, and a few tips you have about the game. I know that the complete reason I got the Meepit Vs. Feepit avatar is because of a game guide. (Pathetic, no? Well, I am the pathetic gamer over here.)

A Current Plot: Is there a plot going on? Is Sloth trying to take over Neopia... again? (Out of luck, Slothy.) Well, then, I'm sure you can conjure an article out of this idea! Interview the hero and the villain... then put them in the same room and interview them together. Even though RoDS is over, I'm sure a lot of people would love the chance to hear about what Sloth is plotting next, or how life is going for Gorix... but what you really need is an article on Gormos, 'cause he pwns your face.

Rants: Tell me you haven't seen a rant on how Neopets just isn't the same anymore in the NT, and I'll know you're lying. Because, honestly, what's popular now is rants on how neopets aren't anything more than pixels anymore. This is perfect if you want to vent.

Help Guides: They don't have to be Game Guides to help! If you like to aid people, write an article about... say, a Neopian world, or how to earn a million neopoints in forty days, or something of that sort.

NT Help Articles... like this!: These are great. A lot of people dream of being a Neopian Writer... I was one of them, since the day I joined this site to when Alton's Potatoes made it in print. These can be helpful with one subject, such as titles, a type of story, how to develop an awesome character... or they can cover a whole range of subjects.

A Few Other Tips on Writing Articles:

Be Original!: Again, this is Neopia, where the possibilities are as broad as the horizon, if not broader. So don't just take an idea! Enhance it, make it nice. Look it over. If the article has been done before, either scrap it or do something to make it more original. Readers don't want to read the same thing again... and again... and again. But if you have a different viewpoint or something, try it out! See where it takes you.

NEVER doubt an idea. It can be done. When editing, THAT'S the time to see if you should scrap it. Because inspiration can't be stifled.

So, that's all I have to say about writing for the NT. Maybe I'll write more All That Blah articles... they're so much fun! Well, see ya again sometime soon. Remember what I've said and please be original. This weird person in the computer chair... signing off! ~Chair