WVA National News ~ Issue 1

Welcome, everyone, to the very first edition of the WVA National News! This is basically a culmination of multiple writers working together to bring you all a compilation of writing tips, some funnies, and keeping the group up to date and fresh, all whilst being sure to focus on what we all are here for: Improving our writings. We worked hard and dilligently on this so on behalf of all the member of WVA National News, enjoy!

Tips:

When writing something that is not in the time we are living in, you need to do thorough research on the history of that time. This applies to more than just history. When writing about something you only know a little bit about, you need to do your research. This is because, believe it or not, someone who is reading your story knows more about the topic than you do, and some people will not hesitate to point out that you are wrong.

But research takes so much time!

Yes, it sometimes does. If you are doing something that’s just for fun and not that serious, you can just make stuff up! However, if this is a serious story that you are willing to commit to, I would advise you to do your research. Even if you are writing a fantasy story with magic and monsters, there are parts of the story you will have to base on real life. For instance, what is the magic government like? You have to research different types of governments and see which one fits the story the best.

Areas of Challenge:

Please note that in these things being noted about the writings about WVA, it is in no way the reflection of every member in the WVA National News team. This advice is not meant to harm or hurt anyone’s feelings, but to assist in bettering the work one would put forth and aid one in their writing capabilities. No works will be pinpointed, no excerpts taken, and no examples made.

Shifting of Tenses: Tense shifting can be something that can enhance a piece of work, but can easily lose its purpose when accidental. Be sure to check and make sure that your piece flows in like tenses, or at the least, shifts with purpose and with proper warning/signaling.

Imagery use in poetry: Fragmented imagery, while oftentimes can be used successfully, does not work when one is fragmented to the point of confusion. Your imagery may invoke a certain view in your own head and that is perfectly well and good, but as a rule of thumb, always read a work aloud to ensure that it is easy to understand and clear in meaning.

Font Choice: Dedicated font stylization use is fine, in moderation and consideration for those that cannot read it due to disabilities and the unpredictability of the fonts. Many people have difficulty reading specialized fonts, fonts that are very close together in spacing and even fonts that are artistically styled. Be mindful of these things when choosing a font to use for your writing.

Understanding Dialogue: Dialogue monitoring in chunks of text: When implementing dialogue, you want to be sure to integrate it into text properly and with purpose.

Poetry punctuation: While there are various forms of poetry that exclude punctuation, save commas, many times periods and other end punctuation is omitted from the piece. It is assumed that one is to read each line as a single sentence but often it happens that it is not a full stop, but a continuation in the next line. I’d advise looking over your piece several times before fully committing to the punctuation, or lack thereof.

Reminder of the Colour System: Red: view these as a more NC-17 style of writing, Not really safe for those under age 17, but read at your own risk. Yellow: Moreso a PG-13 rating. Safer for family, but can contain some more adult themes mentioned or insinuated in ing. Green is for the little ones out there, easily measured at a G rating.

Easy Readability: In connection with Dialogue monitoring in text, be mindful of your text “chunks.” A writing piece heavily relies on paragraphing and sentence structure for pacing and mood. The difference between an exciting, fast paced story and a slow paced, leisurely writing is the sentence variation and the paragraphing.

Full Understanding of your Character: I always view any characters I create as living, breathing people. Anytime I write about them, I make sure to include quirks and strange ticks that make them more “human-like” and relatable. ALL characters are fallible and ALL characters should have their own idiosyncrasies that make them unique. They can appear mostly infallible, but adding in small ticks take a character from being flat and static, to being 3D and dynamic.

In all of those points made, I hope that they help any and all writers that may use them in the future! Thank you so much for reading!

-Penned by Fae

Grammar:

This week, we will be covering the proper use of a semicolon. I often see semicolons being misused, or not being used at all in when needed, so I’m here today to teach when to use them!

“A semicolon is most commonly used to link (in a single sentence) two independent clauses that are closely related in thought.” -The Writing Center (https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Semicolons.html)

This means that the clauses on either side of the semicolon must be independent, or able to be a separate grammatically correct  sentence on its own. If the two clauses you are connecting are unrelated, you should not be using a semicolon. In situations where you use a semicolon, it is still grammatically correct to use a comma and a conjunction. However, semicolons are used to put a stronger pause compared to comma conjunctions. that when using a semicolon, you should only capitalize the beginning of the sentence and any proper nouns. The word that follows the semicolon does not need to be capitalized because you have not yet ended your sentence.

Example:

“Jordan and his sister ate pizza; their brother ate wings.”

Thanks for reading and I hope I’ve helped some of you!

-fuko

Updates:

There has been an update to the guidelines regarding many different things. Check out the post make by a leader, Alpha, and also check out the [Guidelines].

Polls:

Want to help this writer decide what to write? Well then hop over and vote!

Creator: Gii

Quizzes(backup):

Want to try you hand in guessing some songs? Then check out this quiz and try to take first place!

Creator: MrStrange

In this quiz you will try to match a character to a specific story title! Will you jump in with the knowledge to triumph, or will you jump straight in? Throw your hat in the ring and try to place first! (link)

Creator: Mystic

Vocabulary:

Part(s) of Speech: (n)

Definition: Sovereignty- Complete independence and self government.

Sentence: The country ruled itself in complete sovereignty.

Part(s) of Speech: (n)

Definition: Autonomy- Self-rule.

Sentence: The country’s residents wanted autonomy over their government.

Part(s) of Speech: (n)

Definition:  Coalition- Temporary alliance between various political parties or nations.

Sentence: The coalition brought on a sense of peace throughout both nations involved.

Member Posts:

Two sides shouting,

One with pride,

The other with anger,

As the group parades down the line.

With you, my sweetheart,

By my side,

Hand in hand,

I can hold my head up high.

Yells of encouragement,

Shouts of vile curses,

One ear loved,

And the other ear abused.

Today is the day,

The day I come out,

Tense but relieved,

Smiling at you, my beloved.

Today is the day,

The day we come out,

Tense but relieved,

Announcing to the world of our love.

In the midst of all these colors,

You bloom the brightest,

Biggest, and the most amazing

Compared to the rest.

We can finally show ourselves.

I tighten my fingers,

Around your warm, sweaty ones,

Ensuring you that no matter what,

I’m here for you.

Squeezing my hand in yours,

Despite my clammy and awkward hand,

Encouraging me to keep going forward,

Telling me that you’re here.

I’m here for you,

You for me,

Our community for us,

Drowning out the hate.

Marching down this street,

Surrounded by many flags,

Of different colors,

That bloomed beautifully.

Just like you.

Perhaps I’m a little cheesy,

And maybe a little cringey,

But in my eyes,

You’re the most beautiful of all.

I’m kinda embarrassed now.

Turning your soft and gentle eyes to me,

You repeat my words,

Slowly, and carefully,

With all the love you have.

With a warm blush,

Hands clasped together,

Sharing a gentle touch,

We kissed.

In front of hundreds,

Thousands,

Of people,

We show our love for one another.

No one can shame me,

Mock me,

Label me,

Of sins I never committed.

Our love soars beyond the haters,

Reaching out to our fellow people,

ing them through tough times,

Just like others did for us.

Thank you for your love, despite the hard times.

You have my body, heart, and soul.

You are my pride.

Writing/Comic/Meme:

Staff Interview:

We asked the following questions to m e r a k i and Iris Sinclair

1. What's the hardest part of being a staff member?

2. What's the best part of being a part of the staff team?

3. Would you recommend this position and why?

4. What advice do you have for newer writers?

5.What’s your favorite part of WVA?

m e r a k i’s answers

one

the hardest part about being a staff member would have to be the work and dedication you have to put into leading a community. it takes time and care, and it's hard to constantly be online. i do love this place, though, and would never give it up. :purple_heart:

two

the best part about being on the staff would honestly being so close to the rest of the staff and the community.

three

i would recommend being leader, but only if you're prepared. being a leader is stressful and requires a lot of hard work. it's not for the faint of heart or those who can't be online constantly.

four

some advice i would have for newer writers, hm? honestly, just be yourself. keep your own writing style, but change it if you want. read lots of fictional books and beautiful poems and pay attention in english. but most of all, never give up writing.

five

my favorite part about wva is the . i love how committed they are to writing, and how unique and beautiful they all are. they interact with each other and encourage one another. it's truly great to see wva help the and the help wva.

Iris Sinclair’s answers

1. The hardest part is managing time. My personal life is unpredictable and sometimes I have a lot of time to commit myself to the community and sometimes I only get few minutes. But I try my hardest to be active as much as I can.

2. The best part is choosing the right posts to be featured. I love reading and analyzing writings of other . I love interacting with them and ing them because I know that it means a lot to them.

3. I would recommend this position to anyone who's responsible and loves this community. It's really an amazing opportunity and a good practice for future job.

4. My advice for the new writers is to not give up. Sometimes there will be writer's block that might last for a long time and during that time you might start to question if you're a good writer, don't lose hope. Writing is difficult but it's worth it. Creating your own world and characters is a gift that you shouldn't give up on. Improve yourself by learning from your mistakes and by learning from others.

5. My favorite part of WVA is that the moment I open the app, it's like I'm entering a completely new world. This amino is a safe space for writing. The staff is trying their best to make this amino enjoyable and to spark your inspiration. I feel fulfilled and joyful when I'm in writing village amino.

So there you have it for this issue’s staff interview!

Book Review:

Title: Heartless

Author: Marissa Meyer

Any Warnings: Murder (Minimal description)

Setting: The Kingdom of Hearts, Wonderland, Before the events of Lewis Carroll’s/Charles Dodgson’s Alice in Wonderland

Short Summary: Catherine Pinkerton is the daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Rock Turtle Cove.  Her parents want her to marry the King of Hearts, but she only has dreams of opening the best bakery in the land with her maid and closest friend, Mary Ann.  When newfound feelings for the King’s new joker, Jest, fall into the mix, Catherine starts doing everything she can to be able to have the future she wants.

What you liked: My favorite classic story is the story of Alice in Wonderland, so it wasn’t hard to be enticed by what is basically a sequel.  The contents aren’t the only thing that got me hung up on this book. In Heartless, Meyers brings interesting and lovable characters to life. The mood has always been set, and each chapter leaves you wondering what happens next.

What you didn’t like (Optional):

Who is this book for: This book is recommended for people ages 12+.  It is perfect for fans of Alice in Wonderland, as it is Meyer’s personal theory on how the Queen of Hearts came to be.  If you like theories on backstories, you should definitely read this be, but make sure to read the source material prior!

Open Ended Question about the End of the Book: Will Catherine fulfill her dreams or follow her parents’?  How will everything fall into place and give birth to the ruthless Queen of Hearts?

Title: The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse

Author: Brian Farrey

Any Warnings: Subtle mentions of depression

Setting: Dreadwillow Carse

Short Summary: For years upon years, it has been taught that if any monarch steps into the horrifying forest of Dreadwillow Carse, their kingdom shall fall. When the queen becomes ill, her throne must be ed down to her 12 year old daughter, Jeniah. Jeniah wanted to be a responsible leader..however, curiosity killed the cat. The rule of no one ever stepping into Dreadwillow Carse will all change once Jeniah meets the only unhappy and knowledge needing villager on her land.

What you liked: The plot was amazing! The story was extremely creative; it was a fairytale with a very unique twist. I also believe that the story itself was well-written.

Who is this book for: I’ve read that the age range is 8-12, but in my opinion, it’s more 11-14. If you enjoy fairytales with slightly dark themes and shocking twists, I highly recommend this book.

Open Ended Question about the End of the Book: Did Jeniah reveal the secrets of her land to the next monarch or did she leave it to them to discover on their own?