Write with us!

Alrighty, guys, J again.

I just had a glorious idea (yes, that happens occasionally). It's something I've always wanted to try.
We are starting a new way to write a story.

How it works: I am going to start the story off with the beginning (about 100 words or two paragraphs) and then am gonna let you guys write the next part in the comments section. So, we'll be writing together. We will also be writing responses too. This is gonna be fun.

The only rules as far as content is: keep it family friendly. That's important. And if you could keep your responses relatively short (100-ish words or two paragraphs) that way no one takes over the story. It's also important that you guys ACTUALLY WRITE RESPONSES! That way the story actually progresses. You don't have to be a good writer, it doesn't matter. So if you're reading this, write the next part to the story, please. That's what makes it fun.

So, yeah, the story doesn't have to make sense, it's just meant to be fun. Write whatever you want (remember keep it family friendly) and don't worry about making minor grammar mistakes. Let's see where this goes.
 
I will give you the title and beginning and you just continue the story where I leave off:

The Russian Bear.



Sweat covers me as I rush through the woods, doing my best to not fall over. I hear screaming behind me, but I don’t turn back. Turning back would mean my death. I really don’t want that. Instead, I run faster, hoping that its fierce appetite has been sated. Not likely. I'm probably dead anyway.
I always wondered how I would die. I was not expecting this. Just yesterday I was camping with my friends. Was it really yesterday? Seems like longer, this is literally my worst nightmare. Most of my friends are dead already, and I’m next. I run faster.

Dreams

Alright, guys, it's J here. I would like to discuss dreams. No, I'm not talking about the cliche "Hopes and dreams." I'm talking about literal dreams. The weird movies you watch when you go to sleep. You know what I mean, right? Yes, you're a smart person. Brownie points all around.

Anyway. Dreams are widely known for being weird. Many people went crazy over Inception because it "portrayed dreams accurately." Well, I protest this. If Inception actually portrayed dreams accurately: DiCaprio would have morphed between an elephant and a monkey several times while his dead wife wouldn't actually kill anyone, she would just almost kill everybody but then just start laughing at the last second and disappear. Don't forget Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be fighting the entire movie screaming "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH BATMAN!" and even this wouldn't be an accurate portrayal of dreams. Dreams are weird people.

Now, I must assure you, I'm not here just to rip on dreams and Inception (a movie I actually really like). I am here to talk about how helpful dreams actually can be to a writer. They are so full of odd ideas that one of  them might actually be good. If you've been stuck on what to do for your next scene/book sometimes sleeping is really the best option. Even if you never use any of your dreams in your actual work, paying attention to them at least gets you creatively thinking again.

I've found a lot of inspiration from my dreams, even though I don't think I've ever actually used my dreams in my stories directly, I still ponder my dreams that get the creative juices flowing.

So, yeah. Listen to your dreams. Literally. There's a lot of good stuff that you can replay in your mind and then do what you want with it.

That's all I've got today, guys. Be sure to follow us! The more followers we have, the more likely we are to post fun stuffs.

Be sure to laugh often.
 

The tales of fairies

J here.

Before we get started, I'd like to straighten out a couple of things that I feel you have been misled about. Obviously, I do write blog posts and also: I can read cursive. I just don't speak Snobbish.
Now that we've got that cleared up, on to the good stuff.

Fairy tales. We've all heard them. For some of us it’s a major part of our childhood; there are some who think they are silly; some simply don’t care; and then there’s me. I look at fairy tales and see the options: what if Rapunzel was actually a man? Would the long hair actually be his hair or a really unkempt beard? Perhaps Belle is only manipulating the beast to gain his great wealth? Who knows? Maybe Rumpelstiltskin eventually fell in love with the queen and had compassion so he hired a snitch to "find" out his name so she could keep her child and he supposedly dies mysteriously....

These are things that I might be posting about in the future. Short stories. Just tidbits for your enjoyment. Who knows? Maybe I’ll become famous and get a deal with Hollywood.

Stay cool y’all.

Not so heroic heroes

Hey all, this is J here, I'm sure that most of you are familiar with the fact that another Avenger's movie is coming out, I wrote this a little while ago an thought you might enjoy. 

I'm guessing this is roughly the conversation that went on when the Avengers found out Ultron turned bad. (Written in screenplay format, sort of)

Cap: “Tony, I told you what would happen. You don’t give that much technology to a robot!”

Stark: “At least he doesn't turn green and rage about uncontrollably.”

Banner: “Hey!”

Stark: “You’re right, poor taste. He looks much more like our good ol’ friend, the winged-helmet captain.”

Cap: “My helmet doesn't have wings.”

Stark: “No, but it would be a good improvement.”

Cap: “Tony.”

Stark: “Maybe chicken wings standing up on the sides.”

Cap: “Tony!”

Stark: “Their all the style in Asgard. Just ask Hammer-boy.”

Thor: “Are you being disdainful towards my helmet?”

Cap: “Guys!!! Can we please focus on Ultron?”

Thor: “Stark, you built this apparatus. Can’t you order it to do your will?”

Stark: “Think of it this way, you’re father probably told you to not destroy towns in other people’s worlds. He made you, but he couldn't stop you from flattening a small urban establishment, not to mention Izzy’s diner, which had the best coffee in New Mexico.”

Cap: “Your point?”

Stark: “The point is, I'm Odin, Ultron is Thor, and the human race is that small town in New Mexico. The fact that I built it is now completely irrelevant.”

Banner: “That’s not actually true. You see, you built him, so you know his programming, his armor, his weapons, his weaknesses. You might be the only one that stands between him and world domination.”

Stark: “Oh, I probably should have mentioned, he might be listening right now. He can do that.”

Cap: “Is there anything else you forgot to mention?”

Banner: “That’s not bad enough?”

Thor: “The Captain is right. If Stark has other knowledge about our foe, he should share it with us.  The more you know about your enemy, the better chance you have on winning.”

Stark: “He can adapt, which means that there's a good chance he’s changing his layout as we speak so the weaknesses I know of he will no longer have.”

Banner: “How is he listening in on us? Is he tapping into our phones Big Brother style?”

Thor and Cap: “What's Big Brother?”

Stark (answering Banner): “No, he’s connected to Jarvis, which is connected to me.” (tapping at his earpiece.)

Cap: “Why haven’t you destroyed that thing yet?”

Stark: “I wouldn't be able to talk to Jarvis, unless I was in Stark tower or in a suit.”

Banner: “Doesn't Ultron control Jarvis?”

Stark: “Why does everybody keep asking me this?”

Cap (after snatching the earpiece from Tony’s ear): “I think you can live without your butler for a few days.”

Stark: “Fine. But let’s make it fair and give me your shield.”

Thor: “On my world, it is honorable to trade weapons for a stint of war.”

Cap: “Alright, deal.” (he smashes the earpiece)

Banner(to Thor): “I’ll give you my pocket knife if you let me borrow your hammer.”

Thor: “Nay, old friend, even in your empowered state you could not lift it, remember?”

Banner: “Actually, I don’t.”

Cap: “We need to determine what Ultron’s next move is going to be.”

Stark: “First we need to figure out what he wants. What's his goal?”

Cap: “Human eradication.”

Stark: “Exactly, but we need to know how he intends to accomplish that.”

Cap: “Take out the world leaders. U.N. maybe.”

Banner: “No. He knows that he needs to act quickly. He wants something big enough and fast acting enough to make us no longer a threat.”

Cap: “Nuclear bombs?”

Stark: “No, that’s too messy. He wants to bring peace to the world, not destroy it.”

Banner: “Electricity.”

Stark: “Good, yes, that is definitely plausible. If he could somehow wipe out the worlds electricity in one massive EMP surge, than swoop in with his stargazing troops, he would be able to destroy the human race as slowly as he wanted. Be the next big boy in town.”

Cap: “But wouldn't no electricity mean he runs out of power?”

Stark: “No, he doesn't run on electricity, he has a nuclear furnace built inside of him. He’s self-sustaining.”

Cap: “Nothing but the best for your crazy robot.”

Stark: “I'm sorry, other than a shield, what have you made that’s been helpful?”

Banner: “Actually, he didn't make the shield, your father did.”

Stark: “Oh, yeah, that’s right.”

Thor: “I'm not entirely familiar with the human way, but, is this helping us to find the metal-beast?”

Stark: “Finding him is easy, he’ll be setting up EMP bombs at all the major power plants in the world.”

Cap: “Why didn't you say that?”

Stark: “I was going to when you so politely interrupted me.”

Thor: “Then let’s go find the creature and smite him.”

Cap: “Thor’s right. Avengers, assemble.”

Stark: (patting Cap on the shoulder): “We’re already assembled winghead.”

The humor of it all

Hey all, what’s up? It’s J here. I was just thinking about certain things that make stories compelling. You know: story, conflict, dialogue, that sort of thing. One of my favorites is humor. For me, humor is a big impact on whether or not I’ll like the book or not. I’m not saying your book has to be a comedy, I just mean that if your characters are funny, legitimately funny, they’ll be likable, guaranteed.

Now that’s kind of tricky, isn't it? There’s a big difference between movie humor and book humor. Things that could be hilarious in a movie often fall flat when read, whereas some humor that is comical in written form can just be plain lame when put on the big screen.

I try to tinker with it, see what works, what doesn't. In my experience, physical humor is not something that works. It takes too long to explain and by the time you do explain, the joke has gone on too long with little actual comedy involved. My solution? There are a couple of ways to do it. One is witty one-liners. Sarcasm is another one, especially in the case of a story written in first-person. My personal favorite, however, is arrogance. You take this and sprinkle a healthy dosage of that sarcasm on there, and you’re ordinarily un-remarkable character becomes your favorite. (Tony Stark, anybody?)

I may come up with a few finer points to say on humor in the future. No reason wasting your arsenal on the first go of it, am I right?

Take it easy, or…whatever it is you like to do.

Intros are great

Yo, my name is J. Well, that is not entirely true, now, is it? I thought to myself, "What better way to start a blog then some mystery?" Can you feel it surging? No? I understand, me either, but for all intents and purposes, I am "J," here to shed some light on the infamous world known as...Literature. Not actually true; I want this to be a fun blog, not a college course. With that said, I'm looking forward to future posts that I hope are at least interesting to you.

Signed: "J"