SWC Megathread || Nov. 2022

-Galatic_Planet-

Daily Nov 19
(423 words)

Metaphors and symbolism are common literary devices, but they can become quite a cliche. Fire for destruction, roses for love, light for hope, some symbols can be overused to the point they seem uncreative To circumvent this cliche, visit this project ( https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/756858370/ ), and generate a random object and a concept that that object should symbolize in your writing. The harder it is to draw a connection between your concept and object, the better! 400 words for 400 points, and an additional 100 points for sharing your writing.

I got “a star that represents the concept of desire” (I kinda accidentally did more than desire- it’s more like ‘a star that represents the concept of desire, despair, and acceptance’)

TW- Abandonment, mention of de@th

I looked out my window. It was around 1am and pitch black outside. I couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard I tried. I looked out at the star-filled sky. There l could spot Orion, my favorite constellations. As I started out my window I remembered my life state. It wasn’t spending my days at my grandparent’s, it wasn’t spending cold weekends sitting by a fire, it wasn’t eating all my grandma’s delicious cooking, no. I was just stating there until my parents got back. But they’re never coming back. I know that. They abandoned me. They left me to die. The only reason why I’m with my grandparents, alive, is because they took me in. My parents didn’t even bother giving me to someone. I burst into tears. My life was a mess. I wrapped myself in my blanket. The blanket that was my older sister’s who left to escape from my parents when she turned 18. I looked back out the window. I looked at the comforting soft glow of the stars. Then I remembered this song my sister used to sing whenever she saw the first star of the night. “Star light, star bright” I sang. “The first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, get the wish I wish tonight.” Tears rolled down my eyes. I wanted so much. It might have not been the first star, but it was to me. I wish my parents weren’t cruel. I wish my sister comes to visit. I miss her so much. I wish my grandparents never die. I love them with my entire heart. I wish for the winter to be over. I wish to go to school. Then, when I looked out the icy window once more, a shooting star swiftly flew across the night sky. Then I knew.
“Everything happens for a reason” my grandma would always say. Back then I didn’t believe it. I desired a new life. I wanted to maybe even take myself off the earth. But now, here on my bed at 2am, I realized the meaning. They abandoned me, and that pit me with my grandparents. If they never abandoned me I’d still be living in that h*ll. My parents are be cruel and not deserving and I will not ever talk to them ever again, but they still put me in the earth. My sister may have left but she still holds a place in my heart. She was the only one that cared. I’m slowly healing.

coolgirl100-

Weekly 3:

Part 1. Time Managing:
I did the Eisenhower Matrix and the Pomodoro method!

Part 2. Motivation:
I was in the Encouragement faction!

My Comment:

”Hi!!! About the writing comp, I am working on an entry, although I’m still not so sure about it!! I don’t know how I should improve it or anything, since I’m still drafting and already there are so many brilliant entries being submitted! What should I do?"

My replies:

“Try your best!! If you don’t want to make anything up before the deadline, you could always look back on past dailies or weekly parts writing and pick out the one you think you did great on! If you want to try to write something, think about what is a really meaningful theme for you (friendship, wisdom, new beginnings, etc.) and you can write anything like essays, poetry, or short stories!! And remember, it doesn’t even have to be super long! Quality > Quantity! ^^”

“Don’t worry if you can’t manage to make your writing super long! Perhaps you can try to find a quick prompt that could get you going (it doesn’t have to be fancy) And try to maybe write as much as you like on that!! Inspiration can happen anywhere, but don’t always force yourself to try to find it! Try not to worry too much, and make your brainstorming get in the way of your normal schedule <3 And remember: whatever random prompt you may find, you are going to write a brilliant piece!!”

Part 3. Self-care: 269 words
Our bodies are made up of lots and lots of water. Well, 80% actually, but that means that it makes drinking water extra vital for our health and wellbeing.
Now, before I go into this, don’t try to chug down litres of water and then expect some miraculous superpower thing to happen. While Demi going water gives you benefits, they happen over a long period of time, mixed win with lots of other healthy activities such as exercise, skincare, healthy eating and positivity.
First if all is the most obvious reason. Water hydrates you! It is essential that you drink water a lot, especially when you are doing exercise or you are in a hot climate! Water also contains no calories, and not drinking enough or no water can lead to overheating your body and a tired, unclear brain. Water can help you keep replenished and awake as well making you feel slightly better if you are sick. Sometimes, you don’t even know that you are consuming water! When you eat foods with lots of water in (such as fruit and vegetables) you arre also rehydrated as well as getting other benefits from those healthy foods!

And besides, water is super tasty. B] Don’t you love that refreshing, ice cold taste when you are drinking cold water on a hot summer’s day? Or that delicious mint-and-lime flavoured water you can make yourself. If you really don’t like the taste of normal water, you can always make it nicer by adding flavour like lemon or mint to it (sometimes shop-bought water contains lots of sugar) or making it ice cold!

Last edited by coolgirl100- (Nov. 20, 2022 17:26:58)

ka26dhan

HARRY POTTER FANFICTION - WRITING COMPETITION - 745 WORDS
(where Malfoy is cooler than Potter)
Title: Oh no Hairy Potty fell down
It was a wet morning. It had rained last night, and the grass of the quidditch field proved it. Harry Potter looked at the field, tripping on slimy mud getting there.
“Oh no! Potter got his pants wet!” Draco Malfoy cackled, and others joined in. Potter seemed like a perfect target for everyone’s laughter. Potter jogged across the grass away from Malfoy, trying to get the mud off his pants. What a horrid morning.
As the horrid morning continued, with Potter being the subject of everyone’s conversations, Potter suddenly remembered sad information. Hermone Granger and Ron Weasley both had green toe fungus, causing them to miss the quidditch match. Potter walked slowly back to his dorm to prepare for the game in an hour, only having a bite of his blueberry pancakes. As soon as he reached his dorm, he erupted into tears. Malfoy and many other people crowded at the portrait hole thing, laughing at Potter’s cries. Potter, suddenly realizing this from the unmistakable sound of the Malfoy cackle, continued sobbing even like a baby, because Malfoy was so much cooler.
“Are you okay, Potter? Do you need your sippy bottle?” Malfoy cackled, creating an uproar of laughter. Potter ran through the portrait hole, too quick for his “fans.” Potter, luckily remembering his broom, raced to the quidditch ground, with 20 minutes to spare. Oliver Wood screamed at him for how late he was (chuckling about Potter’s tantrum), and rushed him to get on his quidditch robes. He made Potter run a lap, then took him to the others for a drill.
“Better not cry when we play,” Wood reminded Potter, causing Potter to erupt into tears, and bring cries of laughter back to his “fans.”
Once the quidditch match began, Potter dried his tears and stood up in pride, forgetting you must sit on a broom. When he finally regained the priceless information, he began playing quidditch. Lee Jordan kept spotting Potter with a drop of tear falling out his eye, much to the delight of the mostly Slytherin fans. Potter now was hungry for attention. The good kind. So of course he had to fake fall. And say dementors captured him. So he did that.
“AAAHH!!” Potter screamed, loosening his grip on the broom, and falling down, acting like dementors got the better of him. He fell to the ground, speaking a ton of mumbo jumbo. “If I die, please remember me as a sign of peace. I never wanted the dementors to come. I hope you all can make better peace than I ever did. I love all- um, most Hogwarts students, and would sacrifice my life for them. Do the same, my pupils, and remember to praise me every day before walking this blessed ground. Bye, my friends.” Potter spoke in a whisper scream voice. After the speech, he closed his eyes on the wet grass, sticking out his tongue. People stared, weirded out by Potter.
“WHAT is happening here?” Albus Dumbledore interrupted, staring at Potter. Malfoy explained what happened, adding his own crying twists, much to the anger of Potter. Dumbledore listened, staring at Potter with a weird expression. “Potter, get up now or else I will tell the Ministry of Magic about your little school tantrum.” Potter jumped up, pretending to fall back down, as if he sprained his ankle.
“Ahh, my leg!” Potter fake-cried. Everyone already knew dementors didn’t scare him, so why even try? Potter cried out in pain, but Dumbledore saw through him.
“I’m so disappointed, Potty,” Dumbledore finally said. People snickered at Dumbledore’s pronunciation on “Potter.” Potter’s “fans” seemed like they were about to explode with laughter. “I thought you were an honest boy,” Dumbledore continued.
“I can explain-” Potter started, but Dumbledore signaled him to stop. Potter shivered with fear, much to the amusement of Malfoy. Malfoy whispered another sippy bottle joke, causing Potter to begin bawling in front of Dumbledore. Dumbledore chuckled. Potter tried to stop crying, and pretended he was crying because of his leg. “Ah, Dumbledore! This is the last time I will ever see you! I’ve lived so long with you, but the time has come! Defeat Voldemort and the dementors! Remember me!” Potter fake sobbed. Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his head.
“Potter, what is with you today? There are no dementors! You are such a foolish boy!” Dumbledore yelled at Potter. And Potter finally learned his lesson: don’t be an annoying Hairy Potty brat.
-

Author's note:
MALFOY SHALL PREVAIL MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

yui | writing | REALFIIII |

Last edited by ka26dhan (Nov. 22, 2022 02:21:35)

opheliio

-WildClan- wrote:
Blue
Once I knew many shades of blue
The teal rain and sapphire moon
The sky blue feathers that overlook
The gently flowing turquoise brook
The aqua wave to which I’d go
To find the silence of indigo
But when the flood of ice blue came
My azure tears slipped down the drain

what a great usage of blue! so many shades balanced in so few lines; the imagery of blue everything is very clear :0 as for getting emotion across, the main one i feel from this is loss — loss of being able to experience so many things, but it’s somewhat surface level. i’d suggest expanding the poem to include what the emotion of each blue is. also — and this is a personal stylistic preference — maybe steer away from using the word “the” so much? it’s used seven times in eight lines, and you could remove it in several places for better flow. as a whole, i quite enjoy this poem!

Red
My first memory was that their eyes were red, red in all three. The first, red with a pinkish tint, could see nothing, and yet was neon all around. The next was bright and pure, a red with feverish intensity. The last was red-orange, a bit faded, wide open even in sleep. Each of them was beautiful, perfect, unique. But mine were stubbornly yellow, such a pale, nervous color! Still, I was their big sibling, and I did my best. It wasn’t enough, though. We went our separate ways, through the scheming and the fights, a broken family. The first gave up the red, took up new eyes and fur. The next blurred his red away into a puddle of blood, the secret of the havoc. And the last hated the red, trapped by the color for which I was once proud. My yellow lacked the strength to save a single one. Instead, I ran far past the hills, searching for refuge amidst the greens and blues. I found someone who saw the red, saw more clearly than I ever could. So I let them inside my head, and they filled all my thoughts with red.

oooo this is so interesting!! such a punchy, colorful story!! i love your descriptions of the colors and their meanings — beautiful writing (: i also love how nothing is really explained outright, creating a more engaging read because the reader has to piece together what is being talked about. i think my only suggestion for this would be to write more things like this, it’s fun to read and flash fiction is the kind of thing that improves with lots of practice ! <3

Lineart
I draw my lines in Haven’s green
Cracks in your reality
The other world that thinks unseen
That is where I long to be

I draw your lines in bright cyan
Along the way the River ran
Hanging together whenever we can
Keeping up with the demand

Chaos came with lines of gold
Adapting as the tale is told
Any color, calm or bold
The shifting lines that shall unfold

Eclipse is more an orange hue
I draw the lines of him and you
Curiosity, through and through
Everything we dream, we do

The lines of Silence, indigo
Within the fear of the unknown
Turned out to have a gentle glow
Unexpected, but now my home

Can’t forget the teal Rain
The sarcastic voice within my brain
Can be blunt, but feels no shame
Lines of clarity in times of pain

Chervil resides within the forest
Probably will just ignore this
Her lines are harsh, but they don’t bore us
A mental whisper, turtle’s chorus

Parsnip’s lines of time have led
To a woodpecker above his head
Sundial’s a mystery, we all said
For he is drawn in infrared

Sometimes others pass on by
Raven’s heart and Wander’s sky
They can glimpse the other side
So I sketch a few more lines

This is where ideas start
The place of thoughts, close to my heart
Each of us all taking part
A rainbow made of our lineart

this is what i wish your first poem were more like! it’s longer, with each color getting more of an explanation, wrapping up all together as a rainbow :0 i like how you’ve told a story with this poem and used the motif of drawing lines throughout. i’m not great at giving feedback on poetry, but this is very nice!

gooseful

╔══ ≪ daily 19 ≫ ══╗

“pencil that represents the concept of platonic love”

Rob?

Read.

Rob, I understand that you're angry, but can you please answer?

Read. There was no reply.

I know what I did was wrong.
I didn't mean it.
I really miss you.
Can you answer?
Tell me what's wrong, please.
What can I do to make it up to you?

Charlie drags his finger up to reload the messages. As always, they were read, but no response. They were spread out over a period of two weeks, the most recent ones getting more and more desperate. He was promising more and more, asking more and more, attempting to do any amount of persuasion to receive just one message back. There was still nothing.

He adds another message:
I know you don't want to talk. Hey, I wouldn't, if I was in your position. But I'd like to talk. I swear I didn't mean whatever I said, whatever injured you – but I'd like to know for the future. I want to know what I can do to improve, or what made you hurt. Can we talk? Just once, please. I'll meet you outside school on Monday, if you'll let me. I'm not going to try and convince you that I'm innocent, ‘cause I’m not, but I want to be reassured that you're okay. Please, Rob. I miss you.

Charlie waits a second.
Another.
And then, miraculously, a message pops up: Rob is typing …
“Yes,” he whispers to himself. “A chance?”

Rob: Fine, we can talk. Before school. But you're not allowed to try and pretend nothing happened. Got it?
Of course!
Rob: And stop being so clingy.

He smiles weakly, refreshes the page one more time, and tucks his phone into his pocket.
They'd be okay, now.

–

It was 6:31 AM, and it was cold. Incredibly cold, in fact. Charlie arrived at the school gates wrapped in a warm, padded coat, a scarf twined around his neck and earmuffs settled atop his dark hair.
He waited for seven minutes, fidgeted slightly, and lapped around the block.
When he came back, a familiar, tall figure was leaning against the red brick wall: a figure with russet hair falling into his amber eyes, freckles along his nose, and no coat.

“Rob, why do you not have a coat on?”
“Hello, Charlie.”
However, Charlie was already unwrapping his scarf, passing it to Rob, and saying firmly: “Put it on or you'll get sick, idiot.”
“Fine.” The scarf cushioning his neck, he stands with arms splayed at his sides. Waiting – waiting for what? For Charlie to say sorry, to beg for forgiveness, to break another promise. But he did nothing of that sort.

Charlie swings his rucksack off his pack, places it on the damp pavement, and searches through it for a couple of minutes. He can feel Rob's gaze burning through his hair, but he takes his time. After all, wouldn't that be what would save him, in the end?

“Ah yes, here it is.” A small, wrapped box lies in his hands. “Here you go.”
It passes between them, and Rob casually unwraps it, shivering while doing so.
In his hand lies a pencil.
Not any pencil, but a gold one with the word ‘friend?’ written in cursive on the bottom.

“I know you wanted it for your birthday, and yes, I know it will run out. But that's what friendship does. Nothing can last forever, unless you care enough to have it be eternal.”
“Thank you,” Rob whispers, awed.
“I didn't break my promise.”
“No, you didn't.”
“I know you don't want to be friends, but I want you to know that I appreciate and miss you so much.”

–

Rob: Charlie?
Yeah?
Rob: It's 2 AM, why are you awake?

Charlie smiles sleepily.

(639 words)

gooseful

╔══ ≪ writing comp. entry ≫ ══╗

dignity — an entry
(1079 words)

They’re humming as they watch the servants set out the silverware onto the table. The forks and knives clink majestically as the help scurry to and fro, some with a negative outlook to the work and others with energy that they envy themselves. It is only after one particularly zealous person pushes past their chair with a handful of precious china, calling out apologies on his way, that they decide to resign to the embarrassment and aid their employees.

“May I assist you?” they ask, their polished accent sounding clear through every syllable. The servant flashes a full smile of pearly teeth and heaps the valuables into their open arms. “Thank you, Master!”

There is no time to add any gratitude to the conversation, for he energetically bounces away, but they aren’t too fed up as they position plates on the tablecloth. Obviously, their work is less pristine and perfect than the others, but they nod and smile at any newcomer who is awed at the sight of their prince stooping to their own level. In fact, they are starting to believe that the work of a servant is not as terrible as the employed moan about – that is, until a whisper goes up through the workers that the vassals are nearby. They hastily place down their last fork and head to their seat at the head of the table — some cannot be perceived with such behaviour in front of the respectable patricians of the world.

The first person to stumble in isn’t a vassal, though, chest perked up and hair swept to an affected curve. Eon creeps into the room with much hesitancy, head tucked down so his eyes are staring delicately at the floor. Some servants stare coldly at him while he walks by, but he makes it down the long passage of icy stares and nods briefly to the prince.

“Please, take a seat.” He does.

The servants hurry to set out the rest of the cutlery, and, as a crowd, they make their way out of the grand hall. They notice that some are sharing glances, speaking simply of the elegance and sophistication of the new guard. They curl and uncurl their hands until their fingers are red, but they aren’t comforted.

“Is it usually this empty?”

“You were imagining a banquet?”

“No, no. But all this,” he waves his hand manically, “It’s so much space for so little.”

They automatically glance up. The chandelier, hanging from the roof and sparkling with luminescent lustre, seems to them a universe away. It hadn’t always been such a distance.

“It is a lot, yes. I believe it is a good omen to have space during meals.”

Eon’s lips move inaudibly.

“There’ll be others.” they tell him. For some reason, Eon seems smaller too. A planet in the unknown. A shrunken mouse rather than the stallion the open air contains.

And, just like that, the rest of the civilised pour into the hall.

It isn’t a banquet, not nearly so, but when accumulated, the masters of the kingdom amount to quite a hefty sum. A scheduled meeting set to take place after the meal is only an excuse for those invited to mingle. Many craftsmen discuss the opportunities and salaries of their workers, and the vassals of the kingdom discuss adventures and enemies at the border. The hall fills from corner to corner with the murmurs of laughter and speak.

The prince, born and bred for such a purpose, radiates pleasant ambience and chimes in much of the time to the neighbour’s conversations, discussing mildly the prices of food and horse-racing. When their neighbour throws out their chest and declares that they are the finest at card games in the kingdom, they offer a cool proposition to play a hand. They lose (purposefully) and excuse themselves thereafter, pushing in their chair and thanking the servant who clears away their plate.

The restroom is sweet refuge from the refined bustle outside. They make a face at themselves in the mirror, eyes filling with the emotion that they reject in company, and then busy themselves with the washing of their hands and the general appeasing of hygiene. They emerge content and much cleaner, a reserved smile on their face that they save for only themselves to wonder at.

Outside, leaning against the wall with nonchalance that they personally find incredible, is Eon. He nods to them as they come out and they wipe the smile off their face. Some things even bodyguards cannot observe.

“Hello,” they greet, careful to keep their voice down.

For once, Eon does not look arrogant, or restrained, or intimidating, or any of those other neutral emotions that he reverts to in moments of need. He dips his head again and greets him cheerfully as if he isn’t seeking refuge in an empty corridor.

“Is it a lot?”
He inhales and manages a weak smile. “I didn’t think it would be like this.”
“Imagine a feast.” They don’t have to grin wickedly to make the image of dismay imprint on their guard’s face.
“You’ll help me, won’t you? I’m horrific at social situations.”
“I know.”
“Of course.” His voice breaks, and he just sounds exhausted.

The prince leans against the wall, shoulder bumping his slightly. They let the silence rest for a moment — an ultimate test of character — and then they speak once the results satisfy them.

“Didn’t get much sleep last night?”
“Another question that you know the answer to.”
Their eyes linger as his shoulders slump wearily.
“Get more sleep tonight, okay?”
“Why should I?”
“For, ah, me.”
Their gazes connect, and then Eon is (almost) back to his usual self. “You think I’m not trying hard enough at training?”
“Correct.”
“Fine.” His eyes shut. “I’ll sleep, for you.”

Why does that send shivers through their arms?

“I better return to pointless card games,” they offer.
“You should.” He hesitates, and then, as if he couldn’t decide whether to move or not, his hand glides forward jerkily and tucks the prince’s crown in amongst the golden curls.
“It was annoying me,” he says with a neutral expression, and then he slips past and through the door.

The prince waits there for a second, inhaling the earthy scent of a man who frequents the night, and then their legs move forward, and they join the others in the hall.
Heat burns through their soul, flickering through their mind, and scorching their heart.

Last edited by gooseful (Nov. 20, 2022 18:36:51)

cxxkies-n-crxxm

SWC Daily #19:

Sasha counts down the days until Hanukkah. She crosses off the days of December with a bright red marker. The day before(December 18th), she and the rest of her family set up their Menorah.

Sasha was a very cheerful and kind person. She had many friends, not just because of her looks. She was just the perfect nice child anyone could have. Except one day, on the day before Hanukkah, something tragic happened to her personality…

The Menorah shines in the darkness at night. Every year, it reminded Sasha of happiness and peace and relaxation. Except this year it felt different. Ever since she and her family set up the Menorah, she couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t remember all her school subjects, she worried super often, and she just felt uneasy in general. And she didn’t know why.

She tried asking her parents why she felt like this. Both of them gave the same response, “You’re stressed out from school. Take a break. Sleep earlier.”

“That’s the problem. I can’t. It’s almost impossible for me to go to bed now. I just don’t know what’s bothering me!”

Sasha swallowed. “Sorry, just a little grumpy.”

That evening, they lit their first candle. Sasha received the most beautiful and elegant present. It was a necklace engraved and personalized specifically for her. There was a charm for almost everything she liked: Music, Hanukkah, food, friends…

She smiled and said, “Thanks,” to her parents.

“Are you feeling better?” her mother asked.

“Yeah,” Sasha lied. In fact, no matter how beautiful the necklace was, she felt even worse than before.

And every day of Hanukkah, the more presents she got, she felt even more uneasy. She watched each night as all nine candles lit, she felt more and more lazy, grumpy, stressed, and uneasy.

Eventually her parents spotted her sad face. And asked, “Sasha, what’s going on with you? We keep giving you beautiful delicate presents, yet you’re still the same uneasy person we’ve seen you as for a whole nine days!”

“Maybe I don’t need presents!” Sasha yelled. Tears started to overflow her eyes. She wanted to know what was bothering her, yet, she couldn’t. It was an impossible mystery.

After that day, once they took down the Menorah, Sasha gradually became her normal usual self. Except for one thing… Her least favorite holiday was Hanukkah… She couldn’t bear telling her parents. It was the Menorah that made her uneasy.

When she went to school the next day, her friends who celebrated Hanukkah all said they had the worst nine days of their lives. They all felt uneasy and grumpy. And so did Sasha. And she still had a long mystery ahead of her…

gooseful

╔══ ≪ weekly three ≫ ══╗

part one:
I used Eisenhower's matrix and the pomodoro method to sort out my studying! I ended up getting much more work done than usual and I aced the test I was studying for, so I definitely consider these two methods to work. I also divided my work into time blocks, although unfortunately I wasn't able to follow through as I was sick the next day and I took a break from preparing for exams <3

part two:
I joined the Time Pressure faction!
'could i have a dare? i need to write a history essay and i need motivation x)'
This: (take your 3 favourite songs and however long they are write for that time. so if my favourite songs were the duck song (3:12), the duck song 2 (2:36), and the duck song 3 (3:36) i would write for 9 minutes and 24 seconds while listening to these songs!) helped me complete that essay!

Advice:
'have a snack! however long it takes you to eat it, multiply that by 5 (for example, if it takes a minute to eat it, do five minutes), and use that time to complete some homework

'
'look up a random (classical) painting generator. however many words the painting’s name is, multiply that by ten and work on your art for that long <3'
'take the first word from wherever you’re taking notes from (for example, if you’re taking notes from a textbook, the first word of that chapter) and do as many sections of the notes as there are letters in that word

'

part three:
Yesterday I signed up to a website which is supposed to help you organise your life, so I was super motivated today to make the checklist and do some self-care!
- sleep eight hours
- yoga for thirty minutes
- read outside for thirty minutes
- one hour with no electronics
- hug someone

persuasion:
Self-care is really essential to having a good mindset and be physically well! Hugging and spreading compassion can make both you and the other person feel better, and I'm currently in a horrible mental state, so it definitely made me feel better and more confident in myself and my abilities to get out of those slump. Yoga and exercise helps as they can clear your mind and make you physically more fit – the yoga was hard but very enjoyable, and I felt much more confident and proud of myself afterwards. Sleeping has so many benefits that didn't really help me today because I'm sick, but I can't imagine what I would have felt like had I not slept, so I'm proud of myself for that, too. Sleeping can help you get sick less often or get over sickness, it lowers your risk for health problems, reduces stress and improves your mood. It'll also make your day more enjoyable, (trying to concentrate in school without sleep is quite hard). It will give you more energy, too! It is very essential to life and I'm really glad that I have a somewhat normal sleep schedule, so sleeping for at least eight hours helps.
Reading has also helped a lot, and gave me some time to get the stress and sickness off my mind – after all, reading can take you to another place and another time without so much as moving. Reading outside also gave me sunlight, so it felt very beneficial for my mental and physical health.
In summary, these activities were extremely helpful and made me feel a lot better about myself!
(271 words)

Last edited by gooseful (Nov. 20, 2022 18:29:40)

ForestPanther

Literary analysis essay – acceptance – 438 words

My friends hate English class.

I dislike the class myself, honestly. But not for the same reason.

In my English classes, we spend about two thirds of our time doing analytical writing, researching context, or essentially not doing creative writing. I very much enjoy creative writing. It’s a pleasure to weave words together to form a truly compelling story. But I also really enjoy analytical writing. It really makes you think about what the author truly intended their message to be. My friends disagree- they think that analytical writing is boring and serves no purpose. We share different opinions, and that’s okay.

So then why do I dislike English class at school, you ask?

I dislike English class not because of the content, but because of the teacher.

My teacher teaches analytical writing as an opinion, an analysis, and nothing more. My teacher teaches the base meanings of analytical studies. She teaches the techniques used by the author, the context and relations to the author’s surroundings, and the purpose behind the writing. My teacher does not teach about the opinions, viewpoints or emotions behind the writing.

We had an assessment the other day. We had to write a paper analyzing an extract of a text.

I enjoyed the test a lot, actually. It was a great opportunity to express my interpretation of the author’s work. I did not score very well, however. I think this is because I was not only commenting on the techniques and literary devices used by the author, but that I also put in a diversity of my and others’ own opinions regarding a controversial matter. I tried to get as rounded a viewpoint as I could. I tried to interject other people’s lives and feelings and thoughts and emotions and opinions into my essay simply to understand an opinion written by one person. I wanted not only to understand the author’s viewpoints- I wanted to get them. To respect and empathise with them. To accept them, even if they were not my own, or my friend’s own, or a stranger’s own.

I do not know why I got a bad grade. Perhaps I simply wrote too much. That happens.

Maybe my English teacher didn’t get what I was trying to do. Maybe she was confused.

Maybe she didn’t accept my interpretation of the author’s narrative.

I think what I did was right. And even though I was not right as judged by someone else, I will continue to write the smallest of things in a big way, just so people can just maybe begin to accept the world.

laluvy

critiquitaire thingie-thing for @gh0stwriter

ok so first of all I think this story is super duper original (maybe just for me, but idk) and it is super duper interesting so yes i love it!!!!

the first couple of sentences were amazing and clear so I understood what was going on without having reading the description thingy at the top!!
——————–
“My foolish credulity caused me to see things that weren’t there, skipping over the blanks and stuff”
——————–
i know you put a note here saying you couldn't think of a word so maybe I can help!! heres some examples:
ex: My foolish redulity caused me to see things that weren't there– caused me to skip over the blanks.
ex:: My foolish redulity caused me to see things that weren't there, skipping over the blanks and (overlooking/dismissing) (holes/red flags).
hope it helped!!

——————–
In a blink of an eye, he was one of Them. The people who viewed me with a different mind. One of destruction.
———————
I find this sentence to be a little unclear, and although I get what you wanted to achieve, I think you could've worded this differently. for example maybe like:
ex: Before I realized, he was one of Them. One of many who view me with a different mind. A mind of destruction.
The reason I took out in a blink of an eye was because it had already mentioned eyes in the sentence before so if you read it aloud it sounds really repetetive and bad.
———————
“He showed me who I truly was: a helpless girl, a wild animal. Something dangerous. Something that could never be controlled.”
———————-
idk but like reading this aloud in my mind it sounds messy?? its like you're putting the wrong puzzle pieces together and even though it looks like it fits, it doesn't. idk maybe its just me.
———————-
“Because he knows what I can do. Even a simple touch brings death to all living things. Plants wither and die. Animals collapse on the floor. Even a human would shrivel into a husk.”
———————-
ex that I think could do a bit better: “Because he knows what I am capable of. One simple touch brings down death to all living things. Plants wither and die. Animals collapse on the floor. Even a human would shrivel into a husk.”
the change in the first sentence was just my preference. I took out Even in the second sentence because it already says it in the last one so if you read it aloud its bad and repetetive (i've said this before) I changed the A into a One because for the dumb readers that little switch makes it the slightest bit easier to read.
———————-
“They call me Poison Ivy because my touch brings red rashes and death. (This is out of place, I can’t figure out how to explain it)”
———————-
yea I can agree it just sounds really out of place and unecessary when you put it together with the other lines.
when it says “they call me” it sounnds like some disney channel saying and i do noooooot like that. but maybe its just me again.
ex: They've named me Poison Ivy because of that; because I bring (rashes and death/an end) to whoever I touch.
ok so reading this I was a bit worried there would be the same problem with repteetetiveness with the word touch but it didn't happen so yay
but I pushed it farther to the back in my example juuuuust in case. when you said it was really out of place i thought maybe it was partly because of the abrupt change when you read this so i put the “because of that” so that wouldn't happen as much.
———————-
so I saw your lil note at the end saying that you don't know how to end it so i'll help if I can!!!!!
(btw i wasn't quite sure if you wanted to end it right there or have it continue going for a bit)
in my opinion I would have it continue going because yea ok she's like done explaining it but then whats the point!! what was the point of her explaining it if she's not gonna fix it or nothin! dynno how to explain it but it just seems really boring just to end it there because there's so many things that could have happened like for example:
- what if they interact? have a conversation? i don't think you ever mentioned how he was going to use her power as a weapon like you said he would in the description thingy at the top so maybe have them have a conversation about what he is going to do with the weapon he is hoping to get? what if she talks about how hard it is with her power and that makes him feel guilty and let her free(i'm just thinking of ideas)? what if once she's let free, she just pokes him in the eye, causing him to die?

and something i'm wondering like whether or not if she puts on gloves or wears a suit will she still be able to kill someone? maybe you could add a little line on that? maybe he forces her to wear gloves? just thinking!!
——————–
that's all i can come up with.
overall, i think this story is so amazing and original and i know you can do so much more with it than just stop it right after she reveals her nickname, poison ivy. its would be like 10x more captivating. but maybe its just me.
hope I helped!! hope you win the comp!!!!

Last edited by laluvy (Nov. 19, 2022 21:21:29)

coolgirl100-

Critique for @equestrian5810's “De@th Doesn't Lie”

Hi! I think this is a great piece, and that it was well-written!

The first thing I'd like to mention is that you made this mainly dialogue-orientated in an excellent way as well! Your dialogue tags such as “frowned”, and “gazed” were really well used, and that you did not shy away from adding action and imagery for the scenes!!
- Your writing for many busy scenes was well constructed, and it was almost like I watching a movie as well!
- There was also very consistency and the scenes were well thought-out! You did amazing o getting a clear plot and style down, and it was a joy to read!
- And your style is super good, like when you moved on to poetry in one section when describing that denial of love! I love how you described the personified version of De@th and how it sounds harsh but truthful! I love how you used more poetic styles when you moved on to that section, making it stand out a lot!

But, there is always room for improvement, so let's get started on that!
- Clarity; At the very first line of writing, it is set right into the dialogue. There is already a scene with lots of action, and I couldn't get the whole scene and setting. Maybe read your piece from a reader's point: this is their first time in this story, characters, and plot, and they may not get the whole plot immediately. Perhaps tweak the opening slightly so the setting is clearer, or maybe add some description as well.
- Setting; You had already explained a lot in detail throughout the piece that this is a Western story, but where exactly? The whole town? A single saloon? A canyon? Try to elaborate!
- Elaborate the character's motives - Near the end, Lacey tries to get revenge on Stormy, but then she agrees to marry him. Why is that? Why does she change her mind at the last second? What suddenly drove her to get him? Try to describe the character's thoughts and emotions even more, and elaborate on how their inner thoughts and emotions are acting. While You8 had made Storm's intentions very clear throughout, and also Lacey's, it may just fall back onto clarity again!

Overall, De@th Doesn't Lie was a really fun and interesting piece to read, and I enjoyed it lots!! The dialogue and scenes were captured perfectly, and the plot was super interesting! Keep up the good work! <3

(418 words)

Last edited by coolgirl100- (Nov. 20, 2022 15:18:01)

charliesunset

november nineteenth daily ☙ 1018 words
prompt: “a lantern that symbolizes mourning”

tw ☙ mention of disappearance/not existence, although in my mind this storyline is going to have a happy ending~

The city was empty at midnight, everyone hidden safely away behind the closed windows of their apartments and asleep, or awake and daydreaming about happy things. The swirling darkness enveloped each building, shrouding whatever secrets might dare to hide themselves there. I tried not to think about my bleak, disorganized room, or Nova’s empty, blank space. I’d been in her room a few times before when Zia and I were younger, but Zia was gone now, probably having disappeared somewhere into that all-consuming night. And everyone had resolved to announce that she was actually gone.
As if by giving up on her, we could ease the pain.
As if we could forget her entirely, absorbing her memories into the night.
I knew Nova felt crushed, just as I had. Which probably had something to do with whatever ridiculous expedition she decided to go on far past curfew, happening to bring along her younger sister’s childhood best friend.
And why midnight?
She’d claimed that wherever she was leading me was some special place, a safe haven for her thoughts–Nova had always been strangely poetic, especially for someone who was currently directing me into…
A random alleyway.
The dusty crevice of the dying city was illuminated by nothing, not even the stars that had suddenly resolved to hide in fear.
I could feel dust swirling around my heels, and the bite of the cold air against my cheeks.
That was it.
And Nova chose then, of all the times, to stop, standing completely still and looking around as if there was something she was waiting for here.
“What on earth?”
It wasn’t until Nova turned around that I realized I’d been the one to whisper that.
And her expression–one that I could barely make out, with the sky shrouded by black fog–was purely oblivious.
“Why did you take me here?” I hissed. A strange burning sensation filled up in my chest, one that was too familiar. “Why am I here?”
“Just wait a second, Makara,” she whispered back, her voice annoyingly soothing. “I promise it’ll make sense.”
“Nothing makes sense!” I cried out.
Nova stumbled back.
I hadn’t expected the burst of energy to create a shout so loud, or so impassioned.
But the sound of its echo off the hidden buildings encouraged me to keep going.
“They promised me it would make sense when Zia left! Now they don’t have an answer, and they’ve just decided to declare that she’s–she’s gone, just like that. They don’t have any evidence of that! Anything could’ve happened, and instead, these oblivious people have changed our lives, with some stupid declaration. They don’t–” something else started to push down that energy, something I really didn’t want to acknowledge “–they don’t know what they’re doing! No one… no one makes sense anymore…”
I glanced up.
A few of the windows had been illuminated, light seeping through the cracks like glimmers of hope.
Yeah, right.
“…Maybe it makes a bit of sense,” I whispered, as if it was supposed to be an apology to the people above who I’d just woken up at twelve in the morning. “Maybe–”
“Kara, look,” Nova whispered, her voice cracking.
As if commanded by her voice, a series of lights illuminated themselves, burning vibrantly in the night.
Among them I saw multiple gleaming lanterns, sending light through the alleyway–revealing that it hadn’t actually been that dusty or abandoned in the first place.
Patches of royal blue forget-me-notes were blooming alongside the brick apartment buildings.
And the lanterns seemed to coax the stars to come back out.
“Zia and I, and our family, used to live right up here,” Nova whispered, pointing to one of the dark windows. “After we moved… a lot seemed to change. Some of it was good, like when Zia found you.” I could tell that her eyes were stinging in that moment, just like mine were. “But some weren’t. Sometimes, we’d lose people. Or pets. Or we’d find something that would happen worth commemorating. That’s… that’s what these lanterns symbolize.”
The lanterns shuddered, as if they were haunted. I peered carefully at each of them, and they seemingly had messages written on their sides in Nova's perfect handwriting, with Zia's printed on too in some places.
Nova’s solemn gaze drifted to the dark sky above. Mine followed.
“Here, everyone tries to… forget,” she explained, “and it’s unfair. If people leave, or disappear, or worse…” Her face glimmered in the light. “They’re just gone forever, then. Everyone expects us not to mourn, like that’s some awful, disruptive thing. But really, it’s what sheds light on these peoples’ lives… why we need to remember them.”
She reached for a bag I hadn’t bothered to notice she’d been carrying, and pulled out–
A light-powered lantern, glimmering fiercely.
Zia would love that, I knew it.
“I also brought a black marker,” she added. “It’s thick and should block out just a little bit of the light. You know, in case you want to write something.”
“…Me?”
Nova smiled–a bittersweetly heartbreaking smile. “You’re still Zia’s best friend.”
I’m still her best friend.
She might not be gone.
Nova handed me the pen, and I uncapped it carefully, cradling the bottom of the lantern in my other hand.
All the maybes seemed to echo in my head as I searched for something to write.
Maybe she’s gone. Maybe she left. Maybe she didn’t. Maybe something happened. Maybe she doesn’t want to come back. Maybe they’re right.
And somehow worst of all, Maybe she’s going to be forgotten.
I shook the thick marker, the very artificial scent swirling around me, and scrawled my message onto the side of the lantern: MAYBE NOT.
Nova smiled, a real smile this time, peering over the top of the lantern. “I like it, Kara. I like it.”
I grinned back. It was just a start, but it was something.
We would remember. We would mourn, not because she was gone forever, but because she was gone for now and we missed her.
But we would not give up.
And we wouldn’t dare to leave our memories in the darkness.

Last edited by charliesunset (Nov. 19, 2022 21:54:11)

TheBibliophile7

Daily #19: 11/19/22
“Metaphors and symbolism are common literary devices, but they can become quite a cliche. Fire for destruction, roses for love, light for hope, some symbols can be overused to the point they seem uncreative To circumvent this cliche, visit this project ( https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/756858370/ ), and generate a random object and a concept that that object should symbolize in your writing. The harder it is to draw a connection between your concept and object, the better! 400 words for 400 points, and an additional 100 points for sharing your writing.”

Topic: cavern of anger (it kind of strayed away from that a bit…)

As a Dark, Laomi wasn’t allowed to show her emotions. Darks were supposed to be shadows of people. Empty shells of those who were accused; twisted by the Grey Force. All the girls seemed to follow the rules, retreating into their broken stones and only speaking or thinking when told.

But Laomi couldn’t make herself do that.

There was a blazing fire inside of her, something the Greys hadn’t been able to take away. Something the Darks hadn’t realized was there until the words started rolling off her tongue like unstoppable trains.

They’d punished her for her outbursts, but it wasn’t her fault. She couldn’t control the waves of emotion that overtook her at times. They clouded her mind, blanketing her rational senses in a heavy fog. They made her feel things, too. Things she’d never understood. Like the sudden desires for the tendrils of darkness all Darks could manipulate. The darkness was what made the other girls empty. It messed with their minds, wiping away all memories they had of themselves. And sometimes Laomi couldn’t help but crave it.

The sensations frightened her. So just as they were taught to defend themselves against the Lights, Laomi learned to defend herself against her mind.

She built a cavern in her mind, a deep complex tunnel system existing for the sole purpose of rooting out all the seeping thoughts of darkness. It existed only in her imagination, but it kept her sane, knowing she had a subconscious defense system. The caverns housed all her darkest secrets; the overwhelming anger, the bitter frustration, the terrible sadness that crept up. She’d decided those bottled away feelings caused her outbursts, and that shoving the burning sensations down even further was the only way of stopping them. So she kicked them out, drowning and trapping them in the web of imaginary tunnels.

Caverns were caves and chambers, a lot like darkness, really. Laomi had chosen them for that reason. They were easy to get lost in, wrapped up in either the depth and fear of darkness or the complexity tunnels and caverns could have. The things that scared her were represented by the caverns.

She was mostly scared of the things she could do with her anger.

Her anger could bubble out and attack anything she decided. Maybe that was where her darkness came from, that insensible and uncontrollable rage-fire hidden within her. Those caverns needed to control it at all costs.

Maybe keeping it locked up was the only way.

Or maybe her caverns wouldn’t stand a chance against that fire.

--pxppy-aesthetics--

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

SWC Weekly #3

⋆ ˚｡⋆ ♡ ˚ ⠀Part 1　˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚ ⋆

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I used time blocking and the Pomodoro technique, I’m not sharing proof because it’s personal

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⋆ ˚｡⋆ ♡ ˚ ⠀Part 2　˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚ ⋆

Prompt ♡ ❝ Prompt: Make the current weather outside the weather in what you’re writing! ❞ - Me

⤷ Response ♡ ❝ And make the ‘mood’ of the weather the mood of your main character! for example, if it's rainy your mc could be sad, or if it's sunny your mc could be happy. If it's cloudy, maybe your mc is feeling conflicted ❞

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Prompt ♡ ❝ PROMPT TIMEEE If you could only keep ONE of all of your possessions, what would that item be? Answer this question for your main character of your current WIP. Then, incorporate this object into the story and give context as to why it's so important. Good luck! ❞ - @.always-wriiting

⤷ Response ♡ ❝ Adding on to your prompt // Put the character in another universe, whether it’s from a fandom, another piece of writing you made, or a universe someone else made. ❞ - Me

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Prompt ♡ ❝ Prompt- write AU backstories for your character as royalty, villain, and fae. ❞ - @.readingCat11

⤷ Response ♡ ❝ And make the AU backstory include the first thing you see that’s in front of you being one of the most important things in the story! ❞ - Me

· ┈┈┈┈┈┈ ♡ ┈┈┈┈┈┈ ·

Prompt ♡ ❝ Prompt: Think of your favorite holiday. Now, try to write a short story with a character that has traits that are tied to the holiday! For example: Christmas might be my favorite holiday, so my character might be really merry and cheerful. ❞

⤷ Response ♡ ❝ As a twist, the character would have the holiday that’s your favorite holiday be their least favorite holiday, and your least favorite holiday will be the character’s favorite holiday. ❞ - Me

⋆ ˚｡⋆ ♡ ˚ ⠀Part 3　˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚ ⋆

To-do list ♡

⤷ Water intake
( Days 1, 2, and 3)

⤷ Listen to music
( Days 1, 2, and 3 )

⤷ Sleep
( Days 1, 2, and 3 )

⤷ Give myself breaks from everything
every day or every two days
( Days 1 and 2 )

⤷ Healthy eating
( Days 1, 2, and 3 )

⤷ Spread affection
( Days 1, 2, and 3 )

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Writing on the importance of mental health techniques ♡ Currently N/A

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KitVMH

Daily 19
589 words
How do you make a salad? No one gave me a recipe. How am I supposed to cook something without any instructions?! Just throw together some salad-y stuff, she told me, but what even is salad-y stuff? Oh, just greens and carrots and other vegetables and stuff, she said, maybe some croutons. Oh, and salad dressing! But how does one even make salad dressing?? I don’t know! I don’t have a recipe! I have no idea what I’m doing! Cooking is hard enough when I have instructions, but when I don’t… well, what do they expect me to do?!
Okay. Let’s start with the greens. I put some lettuce in a salad bowl. Is this good? Is this the right amount of lettuce? Is lettuce the right green? Okay, okay, carrots. Let’s add carrots. I need to chop the carrots first, of course. The slices need to be perfectly even… I scowl at the carrot, my brow furrowed in concentration as I chop carefully, precisely. And- No, I cut that part wrong! I glare at the failed slice. The next slice it ruined too, because of it. Ugh.
I just have to keep chopping. It takes forever. I have to make sure the other slices are all even. Now I just have to put the carrot slices in the bowl… Okay, that’s done. Hopefully I didn’t ruin anything yet.
Now for salad dressing… Ugh, no. I don’t know how to make it. What do I do? Stupid-
Oh. Wait. There might be some ranch dressing left in the fridge. Yes. Yes, I think there is. I know I saw some the other day. Let me just go get it…
There’s not enough ranch dressing left. Now I have to run to the store and get some more… Why do I have to make dinner? I have no idea what I’m doing! No one gave me any recipe or anything! And now there isn’t even any salad dressing left and I can’t make more because it’s not like anyone gave me a recipe for that, either! So now I have to go to the store, when there are really much better things to do, just to get some STUPID salad dressing for this STUPID salad so these stupid people can have some stupid dinner.
Okay. Go to the store. Let’s go to the store. I go to the store. It takes me forever to find the salad dressings. And then when I go to buy it, I realize I forgot my wallet. Now what am I supposed to do?! Run home, grab my wallet, buy the salad dressing. Ugh! A salad is supposed to be just this easy thing to make, isn’t it?! No hard cooking or anything involved. But nooo, of COURSE I wasn’t given a recipe, and of COURSE we’re out of dressing, and of COURSE I don’t have my wallet. The universe is conspiring against me, as usual. This isn’t even worth it. We were supposed to have salad as a side to pizza, but I guess we’re just having pizza.
I put so much work into the salad, too… chopping the carrots took forever… Well, I guess we can still eat it. We can still have salad. But it won’t have any dressing on it. I’m sure it’s not a very good salad; it’s just lettuce and carrots. But no one told me how to make a good salad, and no one left me any salad dressing, so I guess this is what we’re stuck with.

-JadeFox-

Weekly #3 (wip)
Part 1: I used the Pomodoro Technique
Part 2: I joined Time Pressure
Part #3

Checklist:
- Water Intake
- Listen to Music
- Reading

Essay (404 words):
Ah what is reading in the era of technology? Which do you see people do more: hovering over their phones or laptops or taking out a good book to read? If you choose the latter option, then what a splendid vintage world you live in. If you choose the former option, then congrats, this is what I see on a daily basis. Heck, you at least need a form of technology to be looking at this right now. Of course, I'm not hating on technology. Modern technological forms have made our lives both very hard and very easy all at once. But reading is essential for a healthy and balanced life and besides it's fun.
First, reading is an essential tool that will be used both heavily in school and in society. Reading improves creativity and since I assume that all of the SWC community are writers (or else why would you sign up), reading is very useful for expanding writing skill from picking up vocabulary or taking inspiration to create your own literary masterpiece. Reading actively helps strengthen and stretch your mind and as you might have heard of before, the brain is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
Reading has also been shown to help lower stress levels (a study in 2009 even revealed it could lower stress by 68%) and to generally calm the body down as well as lowering heart rate. Usually while I read, at least in my case, I always get really wrapped up in the book and I think it closes me off from the outside world. I'm not the only one who experiences this and that's why reading is a really calming activity, so much that it may even be more effective than listening to music or sipping a cup of tea.
And in general, as you guys all are SWC-ers, reading will definitely improve your writing. Not saying to copy but a big part of writing comes from inspiration and where do you get inspiration? Media. And what is a big part of media? Books! And what do you do to books…you read them. I've already touched on this but you can learn a lot from books some examples being character tropes, aesthetics, different personalities, etc.
So come on, go to your local library and pick a book. Who knows what you'll learn and what you'll find in store!

Last edited by -JadeFox- (Nov. 21, 2022 18:39:35)

eternalskies_

Weekly #3

Part 1: I used Eisenhower's Matrix

Part 2: I was in the Time Pressure faction! My four prompts given were:
'pick a random book off your shelf and take the number of letters in the color that the book is and write for that many minutes

'
'do a keyboard smash and make a word out of a couple of the letters in there, then take the amount of letters in the word and write for that many minutes'
'look at the temperature where you are, take that and divide that by 3 and go on a walk/jog around for a time that's approximately that long'

Part 3:

Self-care activities
-Drink at LEAST 3 bottles of water daily
-exercise for at least 20 minutes per day
-go outside for at least half an hour daily
-give 10+ people who need it advice on GWDFI
-start reading a new book

(255 words)
Ah, but drinking water is such an important thing to do in life. Probably one of the most important things, some people might argue. If you don't remember to gulp down that good old H20 then within ten days you'd be lying on the ground unmoving.
Which is probably another reason why I should drink more water. Remember those times when I used to go multiple days just living off things like coffee/milk/fruit? Then I'd drink a single sip of water and it would taste like heaven and I'd spend my entire net worth on a bottle of that good stuff. Good times, good times.
Plus, water is good for your skin!! And for a lot of your body parts too. You won't have dry cracking skin or weirdly pale skin like a vampire. Dehydration also comes with a lot of side effects, like mood swings, overheating, and god forbid…. the terrifying concept of constipation.
And drinking water is such an easy thing to do too! You can set alarms to remind you to drink water every twenty minutes or so. An alarm every four hours would be a nice reminder to refill your water bottle. However, the challenging fact that I dislike alarms poses a threat in this fragile system. But no worries, for my custom Quackity alarm will help out a ton. Hopefully my mom doesn't hear that.
All in all, drinking water is almost as important as playing video games and bingeing your favorite YouTube channels for hours on end.

IzzyRS2010

♡ weekly three: ♡
back to weeklies:
back:

for part 1 making schedules helped me organize my work, even though I couldn't do everything on time on my schedule
for part 2 i joined the the brainstorming faction https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/32408801/comments
for part 3 these are my tasks

♡ 272/250 words ♡
- Skincare
- Exercising
- Writing my feelings
- Music
- Breaks
- Healthy eating
- Reading
To enhance my mental and physical health, for the next few days I will be practicing these activities.
Skincare is a great activity to do consistently to boost your own confidence and the health of your skin. Exercising will help me get healthier and get my blood pumping. It will clear my mind and make me feel happier. Writing about my feelings is something I enjoy. It helps me clear my mind as well as feed my probably starving word count. Writing about my feelings also helps me reevaluate my emotions and think about why I'm feeling what I do feel. It's calming and relaxing. Breaks are a must-have for everyone. They help unwind more than you think, and are calming for you as well as good for clearing your mind and making you more focused when you're off break. Taking breaks is a useful use of your time rather than taking no breaks and draining yourself of your energy. Not tiring out yourself is key. I will also indulge in healthy eating habits. Healthy eating habits will not only make me more physically well, but also happier because nutritious food won't make me so tired. I usually read, and it is entertaining as well as good for my mental health as it boosts my happiness and imagination, which exercises my mind. Creating these habits for a few days will hopefully encourage me to continue them and consistently improve my physical and mental health. To sum up all that was stated, completing these tasks will help me reach my goals of health.

--kitti-kat--

Writing Competition Entry || Title: Erased || Word Count: 855 words (not including title)

My mind felt like a blank piece of paper. Nothing new and creative was coming up. Was this the end of my story? Of course, my life would continue, but my characters as I knew it, would not. They would cease to exist with no adventure to continue. No adventure to finish. No adventure at all.
Writer's block. Any writer's worst nightmare. I never believed it was true, until it hit me. Nothing new and exciting came to my mind to fill in the empty space between the start of the adventure to the exciting climax, the part I couldn't wait to write the most. But fluff? I was useless at writing that. And here I was, being forced to write that. I turned away from the notebook. But, would I return to it? I wasn't sure.

“It would be time to begin our adventure.” The words laid in my brain, as if I had to listen. There were always random words and sentences that I heard inside my head and I felt the need to follow those commands, like a well-trained dog. Many people in my neighborhood feel the same way. They feel like words control them and their actions, words that we can't actually hear.
People have conspiracies, like the words are sent to us by our leader. Not the mayor or the president, but someone somewhere else who has the power to communicate in ways we are incapable of doing.
I held my little brother's hand, knowing what I had to do. We had to go for an adventure. We began walking, but I stopped moments later. Something didn't make sense. I didn't have another instruction on what to do. Nothing at all. I looked at my brother.
“Do you know what to do next?” I asked. He shook his head. He wasn't instructed to do anything either. Nothing was. I sat down, waiting for something, anything to occur. But nothing did. Days passed. Still nothing. Maybe it was time to stop this journey and go home? Maybe the villain just disappeared so there was no need to do this? But, I continued to wait with my brother.

It had been three weeks since I touched that notebook. I almost felt bad for it, not finishing their adventure. My characters stood still, waiting for some kind of instruction to go forward, yet, I haven't allowed them to. I probably never will.

Days have passed by. How many? I don't know. 3 days? 14? 23064? I've lost track now. I began to lose hope if I'd finish this. But, I still began to sit, waiting for some sort of thing, some sort of sign.

More weeks passed by. For fun, I looked through the notebook which was now collecting dust. I read the sloppy handwriting of mine. That's when I realized something. This. Was. Horrible. It's not a good plot, it barely has any description, the grammar isn't great. The whole story looked like it was written by a 5 year old. I knew I had to make a small change to my story.
Erase it forever.

It's been way too long. I haven't done anything in weeks. Nothing has happened in weeks. Until today. I looked in the distance, something catching my eye. The background began to fade. Soon enough, all of what was in front of me was… gone. White. Blank. Erased. If I didn't move, I'd be next. I started running as words that were previously my inputs started to fade from my mind. My whole adventure, my whole story was being forgotten. By me, by everyone. My end was near.
The blank space kept on filling the whole area to the point where the only things that remained were me and my brother. But even then, right in front of me, my brother faded away, erased, deleted from the universe. I was the only thing in the universe. I felt weird as I noticed my hand disappearing. Then my arm. Then everything.
“Goodbye-” I whispered before I had vanished completely.

I closed my notebook. It was done. Everything I had written was no longer visible and never coming back. Goodbye adventure. Goodbye characters. Goodbye sloppy writing.
I was laying in bed a few days later, and when trying to shut my eyes and sleep, something kept me awake. A new idea. A great idea for a story! I picked up my notebook, a small flashlight, and a pencil. A new world started to form through my scribbles on the lined paper.

I opened my eyes. I took a deep breath and looked at my surroundings. I had faint memories of what had happened. My world had faded. I barely remembered what it looked like, but I knew this wasn't the world I knew. It was brand new. I felt brand new, with a new personality and a new destiny. My brother ran up to me to hug me. New words and phrases filled my mind to guide my world to the problem and the solution. I couldn't wait to see how my first full adventure would finally turn out!

gooseful

╔══ ≪ critique ≫ ══╗

20/11 critique for re!
I've only watched a very small amount of Stranger Things, so my knowledge is basically non-existent in that category. I won't be talking about how it relates to the series, haha.

First of all, this is a great piece! It includes a lot of realistic plot with only a small amount of words, which I applaud you on. I love how you write dialogue and how you can see which character is which through only their words.
If I was to point out something you could do better, I would add more description! The plot is rather action-based – waking up, going to work, and then dialogue – and if you were to add some more description of the surroundings, or of internal thoughts, it would make the piece seem much more intriguing and hook you more efficiently.

Additionally, you could also show rather than tell! A lot of the sentences in this piece tells us what she is doing (for example, ‘I was still in bed, it was early in the morning’). Instead of telling the reader what is happening, you could show that it's early by describing the sun, or put more emphasis on the snoring – (for example, ‘When I woke up, all I could hear was Hopper’s snoring, so I assumed it was early'). Showing rather than telling can help to make a piece more immersive and less robotic!

I also love how you don't make the amount of characters overwhelming. In short pieces like this, a large cast of characters can be hard to follow, but you managed to tie them all together perfectly and make it enjoyable to read.
In conclusion, you could focus more on description and showing in the future, but otherwise this piece is excellent, even from a standpoint that knows almost nothing about the standpoint! I love your writing, Re, and you've done an amazing job here.
(315 words)

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