Quillqueen

Well, speaking as a teenager.... you can't say that just because you personally don't have a capable, critical, intellectual brain, doesn't mean we all don't.
You can't take something and say "this is how it is" because every teenager is completely different, however difficult this may be to comprehend.

Cheers-

Q

__________________

Mike C

Speaking as someone who used to be a teenager, I have the ultimate respect for the teenage mind - it's usually inventive, inquisitive and critical.

But please, guys, remember that experience plays a part too. You all probably know twice as much as you did a couple of years ago, and half as much as you'll know two years from now. Opinions change and mature with time.

__________________
My writing
My Photo Blog
Web design for Writers
The Oddville Press

suzakugaiden

"you can't say that just because you personally don't have a capable, critical, intellectual brain, doesn't mean we all don't. "

Yes I can. I can say pretty much anything I want to, no matter how false, or true, or validated or unvalidated it might be. I'm 17, so nobody's apt to take me seriously much anyway ^^

I could also say I AM A TELEVISION but sometimes I'm this fat, inuit girl. Atmopsheric hair machines amaze me when they sleep, daaaarling. That doesn't make any sense, I guess, but I can say it, and it's also sort of a proof of concept that I can readily string completely incoherent, but grammatical correct (Gnome Chaumskian) phrasentences together on the flieg.

But yes, as for the teenage mind! I don't think people develop mentally much farther beyond their junior year in highschool. Experience matters of course but you're set in stone about halfway through college, I guess. Most opinion formation is probably mostly arbitrary anyway. So, er, yes, yes. If I'm saying teenagers are mentally inept, I'm saying the same thing about everyone else, although I doubt I believe because in diese spiel, the piece ich spiel, nor der spieler behind it is so cynical as... that.

I keep mexico in a jar.

I guess what I'm saying is that teenagers are horrifically short sighted and are apt to completely blow themselves up with grenades because the act of throwing said grenade is in the future and they'll wont to forget about it, as such. This, more than anything, hurts their writing, because it really tends to show in their characters. Of course, it's not too bad if their characters are teenagers too, but if they're writing adults? Yeah. They're going to predominately be WAY too ready to just barge into the most immediate solution that comes up in the story. And, er, as such, said solution will probably be rather mediocre because the writer's going to want it to work. So I guess critical shortsightedness also affects the ability to carefully plan out a story ahead.

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

Anne Lacey

The fact that you're seventeen, shows that you cannot know if your opinions will change. I am a completely different person now than I was in high school. While some opinions have stayed the same, most grown and matured along with me. My mom is totally different person now than when I was a child. She'd tell you the same thing. Experience, age, wisdom... it's all combined to make her almost unrecognizeable. You th thinks as a youth. As you age, you can look back... Trust me, as you get older, you WILL change. If you don't then shame on you! Because everone should be open to change. It's what keeps us from becoming stagnant. There's a reason you were always told to respect your elders. They just know more than you do. They've seen more, experienced more, felt more. And that does change a person.

__________________
Anne Lacey
Wife to Joel, Mom to three lovely boys and expecting a little girl in January
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." -Winston Churchill
"Live to the point of tears." -Albert Camus

hooch

one thing i've done with some success is used my setting descriptions to do something alterior with the reader, allowing them to create or do something more, like introduce a character or foreshadow action, out of the description.

hmm. maybe that's put poorly.

i guess an example is this:

in my current book im introducing one of my characters and his home, which will be a setting for some action, by writing a chapter simply describing details about the home that allow the reader to draw conclusions about my character. i dont even mention him except in saying that he owns the place, but i do use his logic as a descriptor for some of the things within so that people can see what he's about and how he sees things.

ryan

Mike C

Obviously I haven't read your stuff so can't comment directly, but my observation is that you've wasted a chapter talking about THINGS. No matter how well you write, I'd see that as being a pretty boring chapter. I'm sure you could convey all the information you need in half the space by having your character(s) INTERACT with their environment - for instance, do you want to tell me there's a jug of water on the table, or do you want to offer me a glass?

__________________
My writing
My Photo Blog
Web design for Writers
The Oddville Press

hooch

perhaps you're right, i'll post a selection when its further along and you can comment then as well. that said, implying action and allowing the reader to provide motion to the character can be a great way to pull him into your course of events...

ryan

Mike C

It can, but a descriptive passage provides no motion; it's static. It's better to provide the motion for yourself.

__________________
My writing
My Photo Blog
Web design for Writers
The Oddville Press

New Moon

I personally don't care for description that much. only when it really does add to the story. I like clarity and to the point type of things. descriptions tend to muddle things up for me. mostly becuase I start zoning out...