Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[RokofAges75]

I love that you had a typewriter, too!  So cool!

The most morbid story I wrote as a kid was an epic survival tale about three kids trying to find their way out of the woods after a grizzly bear ate their parents on a camping trip LOL.  That was my third grade entry for Young Authors, and it did not win.  I should have known my audience better - my teacher that year was not the type to appreciate my illustrations of an angry, blood-soaked grizzly bear.  She picked a cutesy story about a kitten instead. LOL

[nicksgal]

LOL I can usually tell which ones are already on Team Dark.  Some of them want to write horror stories or stories where the main character ends up in the hospital.  As long as they can keep them semi-realistic, I let them go for it.  Except for the one year I had a little girl who, when working on a "Somebody... wanted... but... so... then..." summary of her story idea, had a character named "Mangle" who wanted to make the swim team, but she couldn't stop hurting other kids.  Imagining Mangle as a budding young serial killer who couldn't control her impulses to drown her classmates in the pool, I was like, "So... are you saying Mangle's a bully?  And she has to learn to be a better friend and not bully her teammates if she's going to be on the team?"   I'm not sure if that was actually her intent or not, but that's what she went with LOL.  She was a girl after my own heart - sweet and quiet on the outside, secretly dark and twisted on the inside LOL.

Forget my earlier statement! Give these kids cookies and initiate them already! I love that a character named "Mangle" was sparking your imagination, yet you kept a straight face. There are so many times I have to fight not to react to things. It's usually laughter, to be honest.

Right?!  Although I never liked being forced to write for fifteen minutes right there in the classroom.  I've always written better when I'm by myself, on my own schedule.

By fourth grade, most of them do include dialogue, especially after I've modeled it for them and taught them about showing not telling, but some of their stories are like ALL dialogue... just characters talking back and forth without a lot of description or action in between.

Oh, I know. I've tried help her come up with ideas when it's not that time because she always says she has no ideas. I have also run out of ideas about princesses getting married to princes, so I understand her struggle.

You can tell a short story with only dialogue! But this way, they just have something to improve on for the next draft.

[nicksgal]

Fun fact, I still have them to this day cause my mom had saved it, but my elementary school had a "publishing" program where they'd pick kids from each grade who wrote the best stories to make a little book with their story. In 2nd grade, which was legitimately the grade I discovered I loved writing, I wrote a story about a Fox that loved life but got hunted down by a hunter and died lmao. In 3rd grade I got picked again and this time it was about a kid who's stepmother tried to cook them after marrying her dad - like a hybrid of cinderella and hansel and gretel LOL.

My teachers were always encouraging but sometimes I wonder if my weird ideas didn't scare them a bit lmao.

I like to think that if they picked them, they were also Team Dark! Nurture the twisted young and initiate them! That poor fox though. Cinderella would have been a wild ride if she was getting cooked instead of married!

My school had something similar. In Kindergarten, my story was about a family of four cats who went to a spooky graveyard. The details are vague in my mind, but there were definitely cats and a graveyard. Third grade was a detective story (because I really liked Harriet the Spy) where the villain was posing as a doctor, but was actually Dracula and in true hammy villain nature called himself "Dr. Acula" because... well, names were not my strong point back then, lol. I think in second grade, I wrote about frogs and it did not get picked; I was bitter and that should have been my indicator that I should have been Team Dark, or maybe my frog story was dark and my teacher was not. I can't remember!

The fox one cracks me up cause I gave the fox a cutesy name, for such a morbid story. Foxy Fox lol. Very 2nd grade. But getting picked twice and asking my mom to buy me notebooks is what got her to buy me a typewriter for my birthday. I loved the hell out of that thing LOL.

Foxy Fox would love life. Poor Foxy Fox.

Aww, the origin story of the oft-mentioned typewriter!

The most morbid story I wrote as a kid was an epic survival tale about three kids trying to find their way out of the woods after a grizzly bear ate their parents on a camping trip LOL.  That was my third grade entry for Young Authors, and it did not win.  I should have known my audience better - my teacher that year was not the type to appreciate my illustrations of an angry, blood-soaked grizzly bear.  She picked a cutesy story about a kitten instead. LOL

You learned an important lesson that year. Team Fluffy does not like angry, blood-soaked grizzly bears, lol! Team Dark rewards morbid. I approve this morbid tale.

[nicksgal]

Tomorrow Camp NaNo starts! Come join Julie and I in committing to April writing of some sort for the Absolutely Chaotic Backstreet Project! 

[RokofAges75]

Third grade was a detective story (because I really liked Harriet the Spy) where the villain was posing as a doctor, but was actually Dracula and in true hammy villain nature called himself "Dr. Acula" because... well, names were not my strong point back then, lol.

That is actually really clever!  Of course Dracula would pose as a doctor - easy access to blood!  Dr. Acula LOL - I love that!!  It sounds like something out of Bailey School Kids.

[RokofAges75]

Tomorrow Camp NaNo starts! Come join Julie and I in committing to April writing of some sort for the Absolutely Chaotic Backstreet Project! 

Yes, join us!  Here is the link: https://nanowrimo.org/writing-groups/the-absolutely-chaotic-backstreet-project

[nicksgal]

That is actually really clever!  Of course Dracula would pose as a doctor - easy access to blood!  Dr. Acula LOL - I love that!!  It sounds like something out of Bailey School Kids.

Haha, thanks! I think he was murdering patients if I remember correctly? It was all very twisted, lol. This is really what we should have been discussing in out "how dark is too dark" chat. When did you know that you were Team Dark? Apparently all very young. I wonder why that is... I'd actually forgotten about this one until we started discussing children's writing. I think I know where the cat story is, but I'm not sure about this Dracula detective story.

[nicksgal]

Yes, join us!  Here is the link: https://nanowrimo.org/writing-groups/the-absolutely-chaotic-backstreet-project

So it is day two of April and I wrote six words yesterday. Not currently on pace with my goal, but we'll get there! I blame Opening Day and a PD training I registered for.

I did, however, mention that I was writing a book to a friend with the usual "it's about demons, but they're the heroes" lack of context when asked (although, saying "they're the heroes" does provide more information about the story, I guess). And my friend was telling me how he hadn't written anything in a while, but that he used to write fanfic when he was younger! Like completely unprompted! Curiosity got the better of me and I asked about what and he said Redwall (and also said "you probably haven't heard of this," like what... I haven't heard of Redwall? We've clearly never discussed reading before apparently, lol). So I decided to live dangerously and said "I wrote fanfics when I was younger too, about the Backstreet Boys" (which is technically true and leaves off the end of that sentence "and I still do and that novel we were talking about earlier is a Backstreet Boys fanfic," lol). I sensed no judgement, but he also said "you don't seem like the type of person that would ever write fanfics, but I also didn't know you were writing a book at all or liked to write. I think it sounds cool. I'd read it... Your book, not the Backstreet Boys fanfics you used to write."

So... I guess the moral of this story is... get your friends drinking and then tell them you starting writing novels during COVID and they might tell you that they used to write fanfics! lmao

[RokofAges75]

Haha, thanks! I think he was murdering patients if I remember correctly? It was all very twisted, lol. This is really what we should have been discussing in out "how dark is too dark" chat. When did you know that you were Team Dark? Apparently all very young. I wonder why that is... I'd actually forgotten about this one until we started discussing children's writing. I think I know where the cat story is, but I'm not sure about this Dracula detective story.

I have been Team Dark my entire life LOL.  I have always had a love of horror and a morbid fascination with death, disease, and medical stuff.  Even as a little kid, my favorite Curious George book was "Curious George Goes to the Hospital."  I remember watching the old black and white Universal monster movies - Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc. - with my mom when I was like five years old.  That was my introduction to horror movies, and I loved them.  They gave me nightmares, but I never told my parents that because then they wouldn't let me watch those movies anymore.  Jurassic Park also gave me nightmares, but I loved it so much, I saw it two or three times in the theater when it came out.  I've always liked the things that scare me.

I hope you still have your Dracula detective story!

[RokofAges75]

So it is day two of April and I wrote six words yesterday. Not currently on pace with my goal, but we'll get there! I blame Opening Day and a PD training I registered for.

I did, however, mention that I was writing a book to a friend with the usual "it's about demons, but they're the heroes" lack of context when asked (although, saying "they're the heroes" does provide more information about the story, I guess). And my friend was telling me how he hadn't written anything in a while, but that he used to write fanfic when he was younger! Like completely unprompted! Curiosity got the better of me and I asked about what and he said Redwall (and also said "you probably haven't heard of this," like what... I haven't heard of Redwall? We've clearly never discussed reading before apparently, lol). So I decided to live dangerously and said "I wrote fanfics when I was younger too, about the Backstreet Boys" (which is technically true and leaves off the end of that sentence "and I still do and that novel we were talking about earlier is a Backstreet Boys fanfic," lol). I sensed no judgement, but he also said "you don't seem like the type of person that would ever write fanfics, but I also didn't know you were writing a book at all or liked to write. I think it sounds cool. I'd read it... Your book, not the Backstreet Boys fanfics you used to write."

So... I guess the moral of this story is... get your friends drinking and then tell them you starting writing novels during COVID and they might tell you that they used to write fanfics! lmao

That's awesome!  Redwall would be a fun fandom to write for.  Fellow fanfic writers are probably more understanding than people who have never written or read fanfic.  If I found out someone I knew in real life wrote fanfic, I would probably admit that I "used to" write it too.  Maybe you can share the OF version of Pbox with him someday and not tell him it was a BSB fanfic.

[nicksgal]

I have been Team Dark my entire life LOL.  I have always had a love of horror and a morbid fascination with death, disease, and medical stuff.  Even as a little kid, my favorite Curious George book was "Curious George Goes to the Hospital."  I remember watching the old black and white Universal monster movies - Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc. - with my mom when I was like five years old.  That was my introduction to horror movies, and I loved them.  They gave me nightmares, but I never told my parents that because then they wouldn't let me watch those movies anymore.  Jurassic Park also gave me nightmares, but I loved it so much, I saw it two or three times in the theater when it came out.  I've always liked the things that scare me.

I hope you still have your Dracula detective story!

I would call mine a fascination with "what happens when you die." That's probably why I like mythology so much, lol! Except for ghosts and zombies kind of freak me out too. I guess if the dead people go somewhere else and aren't actively bothering me when I'm alive, it's all good. Except for maybe Dia de los Muertos. I think that's fascinating and wouldn't mind being visited one day a year by deceased relatives. Graveyards aren't my favorite, but I think that's more in the vein of them being a "sacred space" that I don't really want to be traipsing around in. I felt the same way at Pompeii. Like this is all super interesting, but also a place where a bunch of people died horrifically. I'll call it "awed fear and reverence." And I guess there's this "removed" feeling from something that's thousands of years old versus "could have died yesterday."

Horror movies freak me out, but I don't mind the older ones as much. The newer ones, the special effects get me. My favorite game growing up was this "VHS game" called Doorways to Horror where you tried to collect monsters and money throughout the game and people tried to steal them from you, but you could protect them with magic spells. And the monsters up for grabs were determined by rolling a colored die and fast forwarding to the next "doorway" of that color on the VHS tape, then a monster movie clip would play and you had until the end of your clip to capture/protect the monsters up for grabs that round. They for sure gave me nightmares and that's probably why I'm Team Dark now, lol! I don't really like being scared (haunted houses make my skin crawl even though I know they're actors and they aren't supposed to touch you), but I find scary and macabre things fascinating. I don't know what it is. If the jump scares aren't there, it's better. It's probably that I don't like being scared and startled at the same time, lol.

You know, my mom gave me a box of my old school stuff recently, so it might be in there, I just wasn't ready to tackle it yet while I'm still tackling other "paper" type things and not sentimental things.

[nicksgal]

That's awesome!  Redwall would be a fun fandom to write for.  Fellow fanfic writers are probably more understanding than people who have never written or read fanfic.  If I found out someone I knew in real life wrote fanfic, I would probably admit that I "used to" write it too.  Maybe you can share the OF version of Pbox with him someday and not tell him it was a BSB fanfic.

Who doesn't love rodents going on adventures! I was pleasantly surprised, and like you said, wanted to share that moment since I didn't think anyone I know away from fanfic ever wrote fanfic. You know, I might, but won't say it was BSB fanfic unless he asks. I feel like if one of my friends straight up asked "Did this start its life as a BSB fanfic?" I don't think I'd be able to lie. I'm finding out that a lot of my friends think demons are "interesting" here lately (or they just want to be overly supportive of the fact that I decided to write a book). This is how I find out who's Team Dark away from the fanfic world, apparently, lol!

[RokofAges75]

I would call mine a fascination with "what happens when you die." That's probably why I like mythology so much, lol! Except for ghosts and zombies kind of freak me out too. I guess if the dead people go somewhere else and aren't actively bothering me when I'm alive, it's all good. Except for maybe Dia de los Muertos. I think that's fascinating and wouldn't mind being visited one day a year by deceased relatives. Graveyards aren't my favorite, but I think that's more in the vein of them being a "sacred space" that I don't really want to be traipsing around in. I felt the same way at Pompeii. Like this is all super interesting, but also a place where a bunch of people died horrifically. I'll call it "awed fear and reverence." And I guess there's this "removed" feeling from something that's thousands of years old versus "could have died yesterday."

I don't really like being scared (haunted houses make my skin crawl even though I know they're actors and they aren't supposed to touch you), but I find scary and macabre things fascinating. I don't know what it is. If the jump scares aren't there, it's better. It's probably that I don't like being scared and startled at the same time, lol.

That makes sense.  I am more of a skeptic when it comes to paranormal stuff like ghosts, which is maybe why I don't get scared easily by horror movies.  I prefer older horror movies to the newer ones that seem to rely more on cheap jump scares.  I don't like haunted houses either - they're too reliant on jump scares and darkness.  I would rather slow down and appreciate the details than be rushed through and only get a glimpse of everything because of the strobe lights flashing.

I love graveyards, but that has to do with my love of history as well as my fascination with death.  I love finding really old tombstones.  I understand what you mean about Pompeii.  That's really cool that you've been there!  I haven't, but I imagine I would feel the same way.  Same goes for any historical site of mass death - concentration camps, battlegrounds, Ground Zero, etc.  It's interesting, but sad.

Horror movies freak me out, but I don't mind the older ones as much. The newer ones, the special effects get me. My favorite game growing up was this "VHS game" called Doorways to Horror where you tried to collect monsters and money throughout the game and people tried to steal them from you, but you could protect them with magic spells. And the monsters up for grabs were determined by rolling a colored die and fast forwarding to the next "doorway" of that color on the VHS tape, then a monster movie clip would play and you had until the end of your clip to capture/protect the monsters up for grabs that round. They for sure gave me nightmares and that's probably why I'm Team Dark now, lol!

I don't know that game, but it sounds fun!  It reminded me of a horror-themed VHS game I had as a kid called Nightmare, which was a staple at all my slumber parties.  It was a board game set in a graveyard, and you had to finish it in under an hour to win.  You put in a tape that had a countdown clock, and this creepy Grim Reaper type guy would pop up and scare you and make threats about how you were running out of time throughout.  I loved it so much, I actually still have it.  I have no idea if the tape still works or not.

[RokofAges75]

Who doesn't love rodents going on adventures! I was pleasantly surprised, and like you said, wanted to share that moment since I didn't think anyone I know away from fanfic ever wrote fanfic. You know, I might, but won't say it was BSB fanfic unless he asks. I feel like if one of my friends straight up asked "Did this start its life as a BSB fanfic?" I don't think I'd be able to lie. I'm finding out that a lot of my friends think demons are "interesting" here lately (or they just want to be overly supportive of the fact that I decided to write a book). This is how I find out who's Team Dark away from the fanfic world, apparently, lol!

I haven't read Redwall in a long time, but those books had such a vivid world and history, it seems like perfect source material for fanfic.

I'm glad your friends are interested and supportive!  I'm sure mine would be too (supportive, not necessarily interested LOL), but I have never even been tempted to tell them.  That's a big no for me LOL.  It is nice to have friends in the fandom who are genuinely interested and understanding though.  I guess that's why I've never felt the need to talk about my writing in real life.

[nicksgal]

That makes sense.  I am more of a skeptic when it comes to paranormal stuff like ghosts, which is maybe why I don't get scared easily by horror movies.  I prefer older horror movies to the newer ones that seem to rely more on cheap jump scares.  I don't like haunted houses either - they're too reliant on jump scares and darkness.  I would rather slow down and appreciate the details than be rushed through and only get a glimpse of everything because of the strobe lights flashing.

I totally believe ghosts are real, but I also absolutely do not want to meet one. I did a lantern tour at Cave of the Winds (there's another thing that's really fascinating: caves) and I didn't feel anything paranormal. I know that the tour guides specifically pick on people who seem like they'll have big reactions, so I purposefully went with the persona of "externally cool as a cucumber, internally screaming" to the point that when they volunteered me and and another friend (who was one of my bridesmaids) to do the 'Lover's Lane" walk, I said "We're not even that close. Business associates really." Then I let her volunteer someone else, lol.

I love graveyards, but that has to do with my love of history as well as my fascination with death.  I love finding really old tombstones.  I understand what you mean about Pompeii.  That's really cool that you've been there!  I haven't, but I imagine I would feel the same way.  Same goes for any historical site of mass death - concentration camps, battlegrounds, Ground Zero, etc.  It's interesting, but sad.

I love history too, which is why it probably gets easier for me the more removed it is from modern. Of the ancient preserved sites we went too, I liked Akrotiri (in Santorini) better, but they were both really interesting (this might be my predisposition to all things Greek over Roman, but who knows). In Akrotiri, there's a theory that everyone escaped the town before the eruption since they've found things preserved in the layers of ash but never any remains. They also built a structure around the ruins to keep them from deteriorating as they excavated, which was also fascinating. I would go again to either in a heartbeat. It had been unbearably hot the week we went to Pompeii and that day it started pouring rain (but wasn't cold), so most of the tour groups left and ours didn't, so we basically had all of Pompeii to ourselves. It was amazing.

I only went to Ground Zero after it became the memorial, but it was a huge gut punch since the original tower site is now this big water structure surrounded by the black name walls. I definitely stood there for a long time pondering existence and tragedy.

I don't know that game, but it sounds fun!  It reminded me of a horror-themed VHS game I had as a kid called Nightmare, which was a staple at all my slumber parties.  It was a board game set in a graveyard, and you had to finish it in under an hour to win.  You put in a tape that had a countdown clock, and this creepy Grim Reaper type guy would pop up and scare you and make threats about how you were running out of time throughout.  I loved it so much, I actually still have it.  I have no idea if the tape still works or not.

It was super fun. I still have it as well, but also don't know if the tape even works! I'd love to get that and all my old BSB VHS tapes on to some other type of media so I could use them again.

Nightmare sounds fun! Like Jumanji crossed with an escape room!