A Yurble stole my cinnamon roll! Circulation: 196,228,680 Issue: 900 | 1st day of Hunting, Y22
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Thank you, Neopian Times


by precious_katuch14

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For about 900 issues, the Neopian Times has delighted us, informed us, entertained us, fooled us, broken our hearts, and broken our funny bones, often in some combination of any of the above. It has been an integral part of life in Neopia for as long as any of us can remember, providing writers and artists with a fill-in-the-blank news source where they can flex their creative muscles and pens, and readers with something to, well, read.

     And it has also become an integral part of my life, beginning with my first article way back in issue 98 when I was a wee Neopian lass, until now. Despite my comings and goings from Neopia, and those moments when my well of inspiration proved to be dry and parched and utterly useless, I will never forget the lessons and opportunities the Neopian Times has provided for me, and many other writers and artists. Thus, I overflow with gratitude for the Neopian Times…and cheesy statements like “overflow with gratitude”.

     I suppose this article counts as one of those “why you should contribute to the Neopian Times” articles. Cool, I hit two Beekadoodles with one stone! Read on for the reasons why I have continued to write, and why you should at least consider getting into the ‘Times with the rest of us insane folk.

     1. Thanks to the Neopian Times, I learned to hone my writing skills.

     With its constant circulation and ever-present call for writers and contributors, the Times offers a continuing opportunity for writers and artists to share their talent and silliness with the rest of Neopia. The fact that it’s not easy to make it into the ‘Times is an added challenge on top of being able to write a semi-coherent plot with relatively acceptable grammar and spelling that readers will actually want to peruse. It may sound difficult especially since, with how long the art of storytelling has existed, there seem to be no more completely original ideas, but that has never deterred storytellers from all walks of life from telling stories anyway.

     I can honestly say that after submitting a number of series, short stories, articles, and comic collaborations to the Times during my entire run, my writing style has improved. Some of my old work makes me cringe, but those pieces are part of the entire process and were but steps toward where I am now, writing-wise. For example, I learned that just because you learned a cool new vocabulary word in English class doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for any character in your story to say in normal dialogue. And, I learned that you should not give up if you get a rejection letter, but it should be welcomed as an opportunity to look over a submission again to see how it can be improved or streamlined.

     The process of honing one’s writing skills, as it turns out, never ends for as long as one keeps on writing. Even now, there are many things that I can learn and apply to my work.

     2. Thanks to the Neopian Times, I learned to look for ideas and inspiration.

     I’ll be honest. Writing for the ‘Times has turned out to be really addictive and if you ever told the me from issue 98 that she would go on to be published over one hundred times, she would’ve laughed her head off until she was out of breath. So, consider this a warning.

     But it’s a testament to all the weird and odd ideas I somehow unearthed while playing games, exploring Neopia, hanging out with my Neopets and reading up on famous Neopians. Sometimes I would get fixated on certain details (or lack thereof) that I want to spin into stories and which eventually spin so out of control that I’m suddenly holding sequels, prequels, and side stories. I’m not sure how it all happened, but it sure did happen, and thinking of what I want to write next for the Neopian Times has helped me come up with ideas I never thought I could.

     Sometimes, the ‘Times also puts out special issues like holiday issues or milestone issues which I want to be a part of, and I am challenged to quickly think of something that I can have published for those occasions. It doesn’t always pan out well, but I’ve managed over the years.

     3. Thanks to the Neopian Times, I met many new friends and fellow writers I could learn from.

     I met so many people who shared the same passion for writing as I did, as well as artists who had a passion for hilarious and amazing comics. We shared ideas, insanity, advice, and constructive criticism, and these authors have contributed greatly to my growth as a writer. When I felt down and uninspired, it was these people who gave me the courage, strength and perseverance to keep trucking on. Aside from them, there are also the kind readers who take time out of their busy schedules to read my work and give me kind and constructive comments.

     If you are reading this right now, whoever you are, thank you. I’d give all of you a white Weewoo if I could afford that many.

     4. Thanks to the Neopian Times, I learned to take pride in what I have written.

     As I’ve mentioned before, a number of my older pieces make me cringe and result in secondhand embarrassment, and sometimes I wind up proofreading and nitpicking my more recent stories when I reread them. Nevertheless, the ‘Times teaches me that even though I’m not a perfect writer and I’m still learning, I can write, I can put out stories and articles, I can think up ridiculous comic plots for other artists to draw, and even when I hit a snag, I know I can do it again.

     Even if I don’t always like what I’ve written, there remain those beautiful readers and fellow writers who will tell me that I’ve still done – and can still do – something right. And everything that I’ve had published so far remains in the ‘Times for everyone to see, for posterity.

     There’s pride, and there’s also the embarrassment, but at least the pride is there!

     The Neopian Times is more than our fill-in-the-blank newspaper full to bursting with zany stories, cool articles and funny comics. It’s an opportunity, it’s a learning experience, it’s an institution, it’s (insert cool noun with optional adjective of your choice here). Like it or not, it has permeated every corner of Neopian culture and left its own mark, inspiring many items, a couple of nice avatars, a multitude of inside jokes and a continuously growing community of writers and artists.

     As a final note, it seems fitting that I began my Times career with an article and pay tribute to teh 1337est n00zpaper with one too. Thank you, Neopian Times, for being with me – no, with us – all these years, and here’s to many more stories, articles, comics, general insanity, and April Fool’s jokes – wait, what, forget I said that last part. You saw nothing. Here’s to many more issues to come. Raise your Tchea Grog mugs with me for a toast to the ‘Times!

     …Or Grog Light. Sure. If you’re concerned about your calories, ya landlubber.

 
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