Thread: Challenge Me. I'm A High School Student.

Hey guys. I'm 16 years old, and I'm new here. I just read through some of you guys' short stories and I'm impressed. I wish to one day become successful writers like you, maybe even the best in my school. But to do that I will need your guys' help.

I want you guys to post topics -- easy or hard -- on this thread for me to write about. I will be replying on here with my response every so often, when I get the time.

Also, do you guys think you can give me BRUTAL feedback -- grammar, writing tips, using more powerful words, etc. -- and a mark out of 10 on my writing skills? I would really appreciate this.

If some of you guys are stumped with no topic, it can be anything like: Our toughest struggles in life can be within ourselves. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Do you want to write fiction or non-fiction. Either way:

Fiction topic: Billy loses his hat (max. 500 words)

Non-fiction topic: Should the free market be constrained by law or allowed to be self-correcting? (yeah, I know it's a tough one. Max. 500 words)

Good luck!

Describe to me the complexities and the infinite vastness of the universe. Write it however you choose to. This will tell me much about how you write.

Originally Posted by Strutter

Hey guys. I'm 16 years old, and I'm new here. I just read through some of you guys' short stories and I'm impressed. I wish to one day become successful writers like you, maybe even the best in my school. But to do that I will need your guys' help.

I want you guys to post topics -- easy or hard -- on this thread for me to write about. I will be replying on here with my response every so often, when I get the time.

Also, do you guys think you can give me BRUTAL feedback -- grammar, writing tips, using more powerful words, etc. -- and a mark out of 10 on my writing skills? I would really appreciate this.

If some of you guys are stumped with no topic, it can be anything like: Our toughest struggles in life can be within ourselves. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Uhm... write something without saying 'you guys' a whole bunch of times? Sounds like a challenge. Maybe it's nerves, so just chill.

Lmao, speakerphone that's not a real topic

Do you think it was right of Bush and Blair to go to war in Iraq?

There, that's a good non fiction topic.

A plague wipes out the ruling elite of all of the world, only common folk are left. What happens?

And there's a fiction topic. Enjoy

medival fantasy story, the king of the land is assasinated...
good enough? =]

-btw im only 14 myself =]-

I don't have a writing challenge for you but try this to get an idea:

Go out side and balance on your head in the middle of the yard while its raining. If you don't get some sort of idea then, you might be broken, lol!

Do not exceed 250 words for this exercise.

Write a complete scene comprising a dialogue involving two characters. (By "complete scene" I mean that the protagonist(s) must be introduced, the reader made to empathise with them, a setting described such that the reader can picture what's going on, and there must be some change between the start of the scene and the ending--a decision reached, for example, is enough.)

Bonus points for:

• Getting all of the dialogue formatting correct--speech marks in the right place, punctuation in the right place, etc.
• Using words as economically as possible (200 words is better than 250)
• Showing me believable but unusual characters in a vivid setting
• Being completely clear about what's happening and who's saying what.

This is really hard to do well, by the way, but well worth it. I think dialogue's the single most important skill for a writer.