Media Res VS. Ordinary World

The words, "in media res" is Latin for "in the middle of things" or "in the midst of things".

Starting a story in media res means to start it in the middle of the action. For example, let's say your protagonist realizes she is suddenly late for a meeting and she rushes to work. A lot of things could happen between her realizing she's late and her rushing off. Maybe she forgot her purse, or perhaps she runs into an unknown stranger while making her way to work and he gives her a secret coded message.

For some, starting in media res can be simple, easy, and exciting. But for others, it may be more difficult. In order to successfully incorporate media res into your story you have to make sure you explain things later on. It's always great to keep the suspense going, but not long enough so that your readers stop reading in frustration. Remember, show, don't tell. Use dreams, flashbacks, and dialogue to slowly reveal more about your characters and the story.

Actually, if you think about it, there are actually a lot of stories written in media res. At the moment, I can't think of any examples off the top of my head so if you wish to read some stories written in media res, google it.

Now let's talk about the opposite of media res, ordinary world.

Not as fancy-sounding as media res, huh? Starting in the ordinary world simply means starting in the protagonist's casual everyday life. Take Harry Potter for instance. We are first introduced to this abused and despised ordinary boy who is hated by his uncle and aunt. Then after a while, the situation begins to form and the story begins. Harry meets Hagrid who explains that Harry is a wizard and that he must come to Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Harry's like "What?!?!" and Hagrid's like "Yeah, you're a wizard."

Starting in the ordinary world is basically sticking to the traditional story-writing stages. There's the beginning, middle, and end. Now compare it to starting in media res. With that, you start from the middle, go back to the beginning and explain things, and then end it at the end.

In my opinion, I prefer starting in media res, but honestly, I'm better with writing in the traditional ordinary world. It really depends what kind of story you're writing and what your target audience is. The best way to decide this would be to write it in media res and ordinary world and then choose which one sounds better. So far, I haven't started any stories in media res, but I am hoping to. Starting with media res often attracts more readers then with ordinary world

The thing with starting with the ordinary world is when to begin the whole story. If you wait too long, readers will get bored and put the book down. You MUST get it at the right time. The exact, as-close-to-perfect as you can get right time. Let your friends and family review your first few chapters and make sure you get honest responses from them. Starting in ordinary world can be more stressful in a way, but if you can master it, it can be rewarding.

In conclusion, media res and ordinary world can be both highly difficult and extremely easy at the same time. It just depends on a lot of things. Some prefer media res, while others don't. And it's perfectly fine. I haven't read much stories starting with media res, but out of the two, it's definitely my favorite and I hope to write my own story with it soon.

So, what are your thoughts? What do you prefer? Please comment below and tell us your opinion.

:)

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

Favorite Quotes from Legend by Marie Lu

"I will hunt you down. I will scour the streets of Los Angeles for you. Search every street in the Republic if I have to. I will trick you and deceive you, lie, cheat, and steal to find you, tempt you out of your hiding place, and chase you until you have nowhere to run. I make you this promise: your life is mine" - June

"I'm entering the patrol as a detective in training. My first tracking mission: Day."

"I would rather die than see them hurt you.

And I have a sudden fear that somehow, some way, what he said in that dream will come true."

"My hands start to shake. The boy is John."

"I never did ask you about your street name. Why 'Day'?"

"Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time."

"You try to walk in the light."

"In fact, he got the same score I did. I am no longer the Republic's only prodigy with a perfect score."

"My brother had once promised to stay at my side forever. I look away from Thomas and towards the altar, so he doesn't see the tears in my eyes. I can't smile back. I don't think I'll ever smile again."

"That would be impossible. Metias can't be tortured. He is already dead."

"That's when something happens. I stumble into a Skiz fight."

"Kaede strikes like a bull, a battering ram.

This girl strikes like a viper."

"But I know Tess would've given me sad puppy eyes for the rest of the day. So I didn't."

"She's not cynical or jaded. The streets haven't broken her. They've made her stronger instead.

Like me."

"I have no sympathy for a criminal, I remind myself harshly. Just a score to settle."

"But… sometimes it feels like we're the same person born into two different worlds."

What are your favorite quotes?

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

The Art of Fantasy Worlds

Fantasy fiction has that special touch that makes them different from sci-fi or dystopian fiction.

It's that sense of imagination and adventure we all love. But the question is, how do you summon it?

If you normally write dystopian or science fiction, it may or may not be easier to transition over to fantasy. Fantasy can be anything you can imagine, which is why most amateur writers are fond of it.

Today I am going to tell you how to create your own fantasy world. It can be a kingdom, a forest, a town, anything. So let's start with its landscape. What does everything look like? Mountains, valleys, cliffs, or meadows?

Once you have a simple idea of what you want your world to look like, think of a name. If you don't have one now, that's fine. You want the name to make sense, though. If your world is pretty much all flat land, you probably aren't going to call it the "Enchanted Hills".

This is the stage where you can brainstorm some other ideas you want to incorporate into your world. Maybe there are four lakes at each corner of the kingdom. If so, what are they for? These connecting ideas will come in handy later if you write a story using this world.

But wait a moment.

Who are the inhabitants of this land? Mysterious elves? Dragons? Faries? Remember, this is a fantasy world, so you get to be creative. Maybe there are three clans of inhabitants, wolves, mermaids, and dryads, for example. Then you could divide the kingdom three ways for each clan. And perhaps one of the clans is jealous of the other, if so, why? Try to fill in all the gaps of your world so that everything looks nice or at least makes sense.

For those who are designing their own kingdom for the use of a story, think of different towns to add in. Each could serve a certain purpose related to your characters and story. Don't forget to make your protagonist's hometown or village unique. Maybe give each citizen there a certain trait they all share, so your protagonist or other character can differ from that.

If it so helps, draw a map. It's better to visualize your world on paper then in your head. Unless you're an artist and you wish to color your world, a simple sketch will do. Keep in mind the best fantasy worlds are the most unique and creative, so don't be afraid to step outside the lines!

For more information on fantasy worlds, look up some older posts on my blog. Also, read lots of fantasy books and take note of important details.

Good luck on your fantasy novel!

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

My Top 15 Favorite Words

Hey everyone, it's Ashlyn here! Was discussing my favorite words with a friend and came up with this blog post. Enjoy!

15. Imagine

I am a HUGE fan of imagination as most of you know how much I love Bridge to Terabithia! I absolutely adore bringing my imagination to life while writing and I try to be more open-minded in reality as well. :) Unfortunately, today people are neglecting their imaginations and obsessing over things like iPhones and other material possessions. *rolls eyes*

14. Nature

Mountains, valleys, rivers, nothing inspires me more! In my spare time, I sometimes go out and explore God's amazing creation, which is where most of my inspiration comes from!

13. Write

… This one should be rather obvious…

12. Read

Every writer must read just as much as they write! Reading what other writers have to say is one of the main sources of creativity and inspiration. For me, I can read approximately two or three books every week. How about you?

11. Rebel

I love the verb and the noun. Who doesn't love rebellious characters like Tris Prior, Katniss Everdeen, America Singer, and June Iparis?

10. Create

Don't really have an explanation for this one, just really love it! Creativity, creative, they just really draw me in.

9. Aspire

Look up. "Ashlyn Shore: Aspiring Author of Today".

8. Inspire

Inspiration is a writer's best friend. Without inspiration, every story would be very similar and dull to read.

7. Dystopia

Honestly, I wasn't a fan of dystopian books at first. The Hunger Games kind of drew me in, but it was Divergent that really opened up my mind to read other dystopian novels.

6. Join

Dunno, just like joining things :) Communities, forums, clubs, websites, that kind of thing.

5. Blue

My favorite color and the color of the sky.

4. Forest

Whenever I'm reading a fantasy story and a character wanders into a forest, I half-expect an elf or fairy to pop out.

3. Kingdom

When I'm not writing stories, I'm creating random kingdoms just for fun. Enforcing different laws, people, and creating the rulers. Sometimes I even sketch maps for my kingdoms if I get really attached to them. Then I turn them into stories :)

2. Random

I like randomness. Enough said.

1. Free

Free. My favorite word is free. Get it? I love all of its meanings, but my favorite is probably to be free. Freedom, you know. 

What are your favorite words? Tell me your thoughts by commenting below!

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

How to Create Amazing Dystopias

Sometimes I just feel like all the perfectly dystopian ideas have been taken. I mean seriously, love the districts from the Hunger Games, fascinated by the caste system from The Selection, and blown away by the factions from Divergent!

So today I'm here to help all the dystopian/sci-fi writers out there to spark brilliant ideas for dystopian worlds. (Also because I've neglected my blog for a while -_-)

The first most common thing dystopian authors do is to create a utopia. Make it unique, but perfect. Everyone's utopia looks and appears differently depending on their personality. Again, try to make it as lively and perfect as possible.

Then what you'd want to do next is twist it up a bit, in other words, destroy your utopia. Add in things like robots/highly advanced machines, aliens, animal hybrids, powerful dictators, etc. Or you could even take some things away. For example, what's something we treasure but don't necessarily need to survive? Video games, technology, it could even something like nature. If none of these ideas work for you, just turn your utopia into a dystopia! Take away things we know as normal and replace it with something else. Enforce strict laws prohibiting things we normally do and add a touch of unfairness into your dystopia. For example, citizens in District One have more luxuries and better lives than those of District Twelve.

Governments. They are the ones that rule over your world of doom. There are many different types of governments I learned from a writing workshop. 'Hitler Style' aka  dictatorship is when one individual takes over and enforces unfair and cruel laws. Normally, they also overthrow the previous ruling government and change everything, which is an excellent addition for your dystopian novel. Other governments include tyranny, royalty, religious, democracy, and many more.

Next we must name our newly created, terrible, horrid dystopia. To me, online name generators aren't really my thing. I prefer sparking out ideas at random, but that's probably not the case for others XD. Some writers I know prefer brainstorming, others take words and combine them together or even try misspelling them. There is no right or wrong name for any dystopia, but I doubt you would name it, 'Butterfly Meadow'.

Try reading dystopian books for finding inspiration. A few include:

- The Search for WondLa by Tony Diteralizzi

- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

- Matched by Ally Condie

- Crossed by Ally Condie

- Reached by Ally Condie

- Divergent by Veronica Roth

- Insurgent by Veronica Roth

- The Selection by Kiera Cass

- The Elite by Kiera Cass

- Legend by Marie Lu

- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Good luck with you dystopia!

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

Writing Short Stories

It used to be that if you wanted to become an author, you would publish three short stories first, and then write a novel and send it to a publisher.

Nowadays, it's harder to get published and short stories are often neglected unless in contests or magazines. But for some, it's just something you do in your spare time. Sites like FictionPress and Wattpad accept short stories so feel free submit your story online!

However, if you are looking to submit your short story to a writing magazine or to simply extend or improve your writing skills, then this article is for you.

The thing about short stories is that… well… it's a short story. You can't make it too long, and you can't make it too short. For some writers, it's easier to write short stories than it is for them to write novels, vice versa.

Since the purpose of a short story is to keep it short, your plot must be interesting and exciting, but not as detailed or complex as a novel. I have written a few short stories, and I find that field easier than long, detailed novels. But I do know some writers who are more comfortable with writing novels, mostly because they have certain broader ideas that need more complexity and writing steps.

Short stories can be fun and satisfying to write, and there's no rule to what genre you have to stick with. But some genres are just easier to write than others. In my opinion, I think it's harder to write sci-fi or dystopian short stories than it is to write fantasy short stories. Chick-lit is a popular favorite, as well as crime, mystery, paranormal, and realistic modern-day fiction.

Animal short stories are also a largely-appreciated area of fiction that is normally more acceptable for younger writers. I find that stories with a purpose or theme of some kind; a life lesson, are usually more interesting.

Well, how do you end a short story anyways?

There are many ways to end a short story. Traditionally, most short stories leave you deeply in thought about something, whether it be animal cruelty or the future. Other options are simple, sad endings, happy endings, romantic endings, you name it.

Characters for short stories should be unique and flawed, yet simple and overall, not as complex as characters like Katniss Everdeen or Harry Potter. It's always great to have character growth in the end of any story. If there was a little sort of adventure taking place in your short story, think about it. What experiences did your characters have? Was it something amazing, terrible, or joyful?

Short stories may not be as popular now as they used to, but hopefully, that will change in the future. For now, write, write, write! Never stop writing or believing. For writers that haven't been published yet, there will be a day you are successful. For already published authors, keep believing! Have confidence in yourself and perhaps one day, you'll be as famous as Suzanne Collins or Rick Riordan.

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

An Effective Way to Plan Characters: G.O.T.E.

Okay, so you've thought up a handful of great characters to get you started on your story. Actually, you're not really sure what your "great" characters are going to do exactly, but that's okay.

But sometimes writers can be confused with even their own work. Like what their protagonist wants, why the antagonist wants what the protagonist wants, and so on. Most of the times, writers get too frustrated and toss their story into the trash. However, with proper methods and practice, there is a way to master this.

G.O.T.E sheets.

When I attended a writing workshop, I learned how to effectively plan out my characters through G.O.T.E's.

G.O.T.E stands for goals, obstacles, tactics, and expectations. Although they are usually meant for actors and plays, they are excellent with writing as well.

All you have to do to get started on a G.O.T.E is to think about which character you wish to clarify. Characters that are a bit confusing and aren't so clear are what I call, foggy characters. It isn't clear what they want or why, usually it's those characters you want to G.O.T.E out first.

List all their goals, obstacles, tactics, and expectations.

Their goals are what they want. They are what the character is trying to achieve. It should be made as clear as possible what their goals are.

Obstacles. What's getting in their way? For your antagonist, this should be an easy one. But for other characters, it may be more complicated. Maybe one character is trying to unlock a treasure chest but someone else has the key.

Tactics are strategies and methods a character is going to use to overcome their obstacles and achieve their goals. If the character above wishes to unlock his treasure chest, he'll have to think of ways to open it. For instance, he could steal the key from the other character, or he could try to pry the chest open with his hands. Each character must have tactics for a certain obstacle and goal.

What does a character expect in the end? Expectations are what a character expects to happen. For instance, in the Hunger Games, Katniss expected to die, even though she wanted to win. The way the expectations of a character tie in with their goal all depends on what he or she expects. The antagonist of your story may want to take over the world, and he expects to take over the world. But try experimenting. What would happen if he didn't expect to rule the world? How would that affect his tactics?

In the end, all these things are connected to each other. You should have a clear idea of your character now. Tell me your thoughts on this article and don't forget to comment, rate, and review! Did G.O.T.E sheets help you?

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

How to Overcome Writer's Block

What is writer's block anyways? Well, to me, it doesn't really exist. It's just yourself. But to some people, it's serious.

There are many symptoms of writer's block, too many to list. You may loose your imaginative ideas, creativity, and other key points in you that make you a good writer.

When that happens, it means you've spent too much time writing and not doing other things writers need. Writers are writers, so why do they need to do other things? Simple. Writers need to read other books and draw inspiration from them. Not copy them, of course, but draw inspiration. Good ideas are contagious, and can lead you back to forming your own ideas.

Another way to steal back your inspiration is to do a sport. Running works, and I have used that method for as long as I can remember. Hiking is great too, be sure to take lots of pictures on your next climb!

Gardening also works, basically anything with nature, if you know what I mean. Take a walk in your local park or explore forest trails in your town/city.

Inspiration is the greatest, most feared enemy of writer's block. And because of that, inspiration only comes when it's time. It will come naturally, and if you really, really need to punch writer's block in the face, you'll really just have to hang in there. The methods above are also great, and I know people who used them and recovered immediately.

It's different for each individual, and if this is happening after your first draft, you have to leave it for a while. Meaning, you have to ignore your story for three months. Then when you get back to it, you'll find the story fresh and new again, also meaning you'll find the great parts, and the not-so-great parts. It gives you an opportunity to edit and revise parts you don't like, and ultimately, destroys writer's block.

If writing your story blocked you out from your friends, family, active life, etc, then now's your chance to connect with them again. Overcoming writer's block isn't always facing it head-on, but tiptoeing around it, and surprising it from behind. Connecting with your friends and family is important, and in the meantime, try not to write at all!

Instead, spend more time doing things you've never done, and things you haven't done in a while that you might have neglected when you began writing. 

In the end, it all comes done to this: writer's block is just a sign that tells you to look at your surroundings. Connect with your old life, photograph things, garden, that kind of thing. If you need help with your writer's block, feel free to contact me! Speaking of which, it's always great to connect with other writers ;)

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

Character Naming Techniques

Some characters are just naturally likeable. Take Tris Prior from Divergent for example, her name is very cunning and it just draws you in to Tris. Of course, Tris is a nickname for Beatrice.

But that's the point! Great character names are usually unique nicknames we find interesting. Some names are more attractive and alluring than others, but some are also fun and outgoing. You can usually tell how a character is like from their name, unless you're reading a book about a goth girl named Sunshine.

Nicknames can be great sometimes! Like Genevieve can be Jen or Gen, and Cassandra can be Sandy or something.

But not all nicknames will work out perfectly. Take Evelyn for example. Evie? Lyn? Nah… doesn't sound right. But Will for William? Quite original, will do.

Well, how about last names? Surnames can be vitally important, since you'll have to find one that fits your character's first name. If you're writing a fantasy or sci-fi novel, you won't have to worry as much. Often sci-fi, fantasy, or sometimes even dystopian stories have characters with extremely rare, unique, or even made-up last names. This will show your inner creativity through the words that you write!

So… all you have to do now is to avoid something. That is, you have to avoid commonly used names. NEVER use the surname Smith unless absolutely necessary or as a temporary surname. Naming you're character Bobby Smith will scream "newbie writer!" Even amateurs could do better than that! Be creative and don't be afraid to think outside the box.

What makes a good character name anyways? For a fantasy novel, you might use a name like Sunset Dawn or something. Perfectly fine, but don't you think you could change it up a bit? What about Sunset Moon, or Dawn Sunset? Be unique in all things important to your story and draw inspiration from others. Remember, you can't be a writer if you're not a reader.

In conclusion, names are what make your characters besides their personality and appearance. If your reader doesn't like a character's name, they might as well give up on the character himself! Remember to always use your creativity and let it shine in your writing.

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today