Rani

There's a few universities I'm looking at to transfer into. A few from my state and one in Virginia where my boyfriend lives and goes to school. Something I can do is take a year off after graduating community college, live in Virginia for that year, and then be able to get In-State tuition from this school, which is less than half out-of-state tuition. This school is one of my top choices and it doesn't have a very good merit scholarship program so this seems like a good idea to save money. However, I don't want to "put all my eggs in one basket." I want to know that this school will accept me before I decide to live in VA for a year. Because then I'll have wasted a year AND I won't be able to go back to my home state for a good in-state tuition.

SO, if I apply there for Fall 2017, will I be able to apply for Fall 2018? Regardless of the decision they give me? If they accept me, will I be able to decline their offer and come back the year after? I know this probably sounds stupid, but let me know if you have any insights. If I shouldn't do it, then I just won't.

I decided to start a little freelance art and design work, and I will need to ship my work to my customers at one point or another (business cards, invitations, paintings, etc). I'm trying to do research but I still need to know the following:

1. If I use UPS, can I use my own box instead of theirs? Does it cost less, more, or the same to use my own box? I want to use my own for the brand recognition.

2. Is package cushioning necessary for shipping stationary? (Like, business cards.) Or, do I just need to create some cardboard dividers in the box to stop the cards from moving around? (I know I'll have to use some kind of item protection if it's a canvas painting or charcoal drawing or something, but it seems a bit superfluous when shipping card stock.)

3. How can I find out about EXACT shipping costs before I go to ship it? I obviously want to include the shipping costs in my client's invoice. Is there a really good calculator online? Or, do I have to go somewhere? I don't have a weight scale, but should I get one?

That's about it. Thanks so much for helping!

So, I met a person here on Y!A that INSISTS "intelligence" has "everything" to do with being a good author. (She then went onto say that she MUST be a good writer then. Yeah, she's pretty vain but let's not get into that.) And I wholeheartedly disagree. Sure, it helps with grammar and spelling but not with creativity, imagination, writing style and skills, making characters, and weaving a good story. I'd like to hear all of your thoughts. Why or why not? Elaborate. =]

~~Peace Love And Bear Hugs~~

I'm only asking because it is for the best novel I've ever worked on (my favorite). Depending on how good I think it is when it's done, I'll either try to publish it or post it to a few websites. So, CAN I LEGALLY change the tenses in a work of literature if it is for this reason?: It's written in first person past tense from the beginning because the narrator is RECALLING her life from a certain point while she is in the hospital unconscious; she wants to figure out where everything went wrong and what led her to the fate she faces. It's a realistic psychological bildungsroman. By the end, I want her to wake up in the hospital and begin narrating in the present tense (here is where I make it apparent that she was just recalling her life). I mean, it's the only way that makes sense in my head. Is this okay? Thanks! =]

I'm feeling Hell-bound amounts of pride for this hook I wrote for one of my stories just a few days ago. So, I'm looking for others to either agree with me or knock me down a few pegs. Be honest and please be specific! Thanks! =]

"I would have killed myself then if only my mind understood the complexes of suicide. I would have locked myself away from the unforgiving world, spending hours screaming, crying, kicking, and bashing my knuckles into the stiff walls just to feel pain pulsate beneath my fingertips. Then, I would stab a knife into my chest so mercilessly . . . and that would be the end of little Lee Kai."

I've been relentlessly searching for an actor to play a character in my story (don't ask, it's for Wattpad) and I need help. He needs to be at least 18, but could be as old as 25. He should be a really handsome, sexy, muscular, and well-known actor with blonde hair. I've tried Alexander Ludwig and Chord Overstreet, but I don't really think they're all that good-looking and I can't find a decent picture of them. Do you think I should go with Ludwig because enough girls are in love with him, or keep searching? Thanks!

~~Peace Love And Bear Hugs~~

So, I came up with this idea yesterday for a story on Wattpad, but it might be too f**ked up to put on that site. It has a working title of "Dark of the Mind" and it's supposed to be this psych horror about a girl who is corrupted by her terrible life of abandonment, neglect, abuse, and loss. This causes her to be very incapable of feeling or compassion, in other words she grows a really tough skin and bottles everything up inside. I haven't really figured out the story, but just read this passage and tell me if I shouldn't scar the teenage girls on Wattpad with it.

"I think mother died yesterday.

At first I assumed it was her cooking, but she has never cooked; never even tried. But, the putrid stench had grown intolerable, so I had to do something. I opened windows, turned on fans, used incense and air fresheners, yet nothing prevailed. It was right after I finished spraying my strawberry perfume all about the room when I realized she had even died at all. Because nothing can mask the smell of death.

Reluctantly, I bounce down the old rickety staircase that could collapse at any moment and view the scene for myself. There she is . . . clear as day. An emancipated corpse of white flesh and fragile bones still like water on the floor with half of her head blown off. Crimson and mahogany blood is splattered across the carpet and drapes while the thickest and gooiest ebony kind plaster the open wound on her scalp. Her icy blue eyes are open; frozen with a look of shock and horror. Glassy and unseeing. The b*tch must have offed herself while I was asleep in the night.

Selfish, selfish woman."

I despise this one thing I wrote for my story; it is so awkward, boring and just doesn't flow well. But, I really can't seem to make it any better. Any tips on how to improve it would be much appreciated, and/or you can give me an example of a better version. Please don't tell me it's fine, because I really don't care if you think it's good I just want ANY other opinion on what I could do to change it.

"After Brianna had a small talk with her mother, she just left the two of us alone. Bri came into the apartment (I had just gotten Sapphire to clean it up the night before) and we dug into that batch of homemade cookies together."

And, if you could help: THANKS SO MUCH! =D <3 <3 <3

Is this a good hook? Is it well written? Honestly, would you care to read on? Does it flow well? Does it have enough? Are there any mistakes that you wish to point out? Anyway to make it better? What are your predictions to the plot and/or what happens next? Can you guess what the father's occupation is? Thanks everyone! :D

Time was crumbling away with each bothersome tick. Such petty attempts at idle conversation and his small, cautious bites wasted every second I planned to spend avoiding him.

God, I swear my father couldn’t have eaten any slower that night! The shear tension increased with every movement he made and moment that passed. Awkward silence poked at my flesh and clenched my throat until my breath nearly came to a standstill. I wished that Mom was there.

No, I prayed.

“So, Lee Kai,” he called, looking up from the floor. He may have actually met my eyes for at least a split second. “What do you want to do tonight? Watch a movie?”

A movie, he said, though he meant one of his movies.

“Oh Daddy, of course,” I wanted to exclaim sarcastically. “It is always so astounding to see your familiar face on the big screen!” Yet I could only hesitate. My reluctance was almost crippling and even today I detest it. Instead my head rolled around as my throat replied with the faintness of a mouse. "Sounds good."

He took a second out of his awfully busy schedule to smile for me. As I desperately tried to ignore the charm and handsomeness, my attention was drawn to the kitchen window again. Thick raindrops were continuously pounding fiercely against it and I hoped even more that Mom was safe. I’ve never truly been away from her in all the seven years I had lived then. In the same sense, I don’t think I’ve ever been alone with my father in that time. What did he like? This I knew for sure: mirrors and cameras pointed towards him. But, what else?

Thanks Again! <3 Be as harsh as you like, because you know I'm pretty harsh on you guys! xD

Is it a good hook? Is it well written? Honestly, would you care to read on? Does it flow well? Does it have enough? Are there any mistakes that you wish to point out? Anyway to make it better? What are your predictions to the plot and/or what happens next? Can you guess what the father's occupation is? Thanks everyone! :D

Time was crumbling away with each bothersome tick. Such petty attempts at idle conversation and his small, cautious bites wasted every second I planned to spend avoiding him.

God, I swear my father couldn’t have eaten any slower that night! The shear tension increased with every movement he made and moment that passed. Awkward silence poked at my flesh and clenched my throat until my breath nearly came to a standstill. I wished that mom was there.

No, I prayed.

“So, Lee Kai,” he called, looking up from the floor. He may have actually met my eyes for at least a split second. “What do you want to do tonight? Watch a movie?”

A movie, he said, though he meant one of his movies.

“Oh daddy, of course,” I wanted to exclaim sarcastically. “It is always so astounding to see your familiar face on the big screen!” Yet I could only hesitate. My reluctance was almost crippling and even today I detest it. Instead my head rolled around as my throat replied with the faintness of a mouse. "Sounds good."

He took a second out of his awfully busy schedule to smile for me. As I desperately tried to ignore the charm and handsomeness, my attention was drawn to the kitchen window again. Thick raindrops were continuously pounding fiercely against it and I hoped even more that mom was safe. I’ve never truly been away from her in all the seven years I had lived then. In the same sense, I don’t think I’ve ever been alone with my father in that time. What did he like? This I knew for sure: mirrors and cameras pointed towards him. But, what else?

Thanks Again! <3 Be as harsh as you like, because I'm always harsh to you guys! xD

"And, since she had bid me farewell the night before, I waited in desperate anticipation; expecting that at any moment a highly decorated chauffeur would come lightly knocking on the penthouse door with a fist encased in black gloving."

I'm afraid it might be a run-on. Or, does it not even need the semi-colon? Thoughts and suggestions, please. :)

This is a scene where someone (a good friend) is trying to get the seven-year-old little girl to understand and accept her mother's death a little better. I was really struggling with it, so I want to know how realistic it is (Winnie's words, the child's reactions and counter-questions, etc). Also, any other comments on how its written will be taken with open arms. :) Thank you.

She signed sympathetically while plopping down at the edge of my bed. I inched over just so I could be next to her, and then rested my aching head on her small shoulder. Winnie often reminded me of a princess, if one straight out of the fantasies of children were ever to exist. Her skin was so soft and fair, her posture was elegant, and she met every situation with composure, modesty, and temperance. A perfect doll of a woman.

“Oh Lee Kai. My only regret is how very young you are. At seven years, you probably couldn’t bear the thought of losing your favorite toy . . . let alone a mother. But, it is still very important to understand what happened to her, and I want you to realize that it wasn’t anybody’s fault. It was an accident on the road and no one of us could’ve stopped that from happening.”

All true, but I could see now that she was only sugar-coating. Because if that one man had chosen sobriety over intoxication the night of her death, we could all be damn sure the two of us wouldn’t have been there. Talking about this. Grieving about her.

“And, you know what happens to good people who pass away, don’t you?”

“They go to Heaven,” I murmured, without the enthusiasm I’m sure Winnie expected. “But, I know she’s not going to be happy up there without me!” Miniature melancholy tears found their way from my eyes again. “And, I’m not going to be happy without her . . .”

I could tell Winnie was a bit thrown by my reaction. What, with how well she had executed her speech, anyone might have believed she was a mother herself. “Oh sweetheart, it’s okay. I know that your mom will be happy, because she can look down onto you whenever she wants. She will watch you grow up, and she will always love you even though she isn’t with us.”

I took her kind words and found much solace in them. “But, I don’t really have a mother now.”

“Yes, but honey you have everyone else. Your grandmother, your uncle Derry, and me.” She quickly found her mistake. “Even your father will be there for you. And, we will all take care of our Lee Kai just like your mother would have, and I bet that makes her very pleased to know.” I gave her a slight smile and despite its weakness I could tell that she was satisfied as well.

This is either the beginning of my prologue or first chapter, I haven't decided. But, after ten prototypes I think I've finally written an opening I'm proud of. So, what do you think? Is it good? Do you want to read on? Only honest opinions please . . . I don't care if you're mean as long as you're truthful. :)

There is no way to sugarcoat death and all its wickedness. Of course, it isn’t exactly easy to say that my dear mother passed away while I was only seven years young. Sadly, it is where I must begin. Others would attempt to glorify it, by saying how the day had just broken and the sky was a striking shade of rose and apricot. Yet, I refuse to be belittled to such ignorance. I did not awake that morning to the joyous song of a mockingbird flock, rather to a sound of something so unusual and horrific that it chilled the very base of my spine. My father was crying. It was unsettling just to recognize those blue, melancholy tears as belonging to him. The tears that reddened his eyes and flushed his complexion until I could barely see that it was in fact my father.

It's a psychological fiction novel . . . and, I'm fifteen (just saying).

"You cannot view this question at this time"?

I mean, is that for me personally or every one. I don't understand . . . if the question was reported, then they'd say that, so . . . God, does anyone know what this means? What happens to make the question "un-viewable" to me?!

I'm going to include a pretty basic plot. I just want to know if everyone (especially teens, because I am one) would be interested in reading something that isn't Fantasy or overly-reliant on Romance. Thoughts and feedback, please.

The novel centers around the life of a girl after her mother dies when she's seven. Her father is a young, pretty-boy movie star who would almost always neglects her for his career. As she dives into adolescence, she develops a really terrible image and low self esteem based on being forced to live in the shadow of her "perfect" father. After something grave and disturbing happens to her (not telling), her father still decides not to be there for her. She slowly slips into madness and develops a multi-personality disorder where she hears and even starts to see voices and alter-egos. This also has something to do with her isolating herself from the world. Now, her father really loves and cares about her, yet the allure of fame and the immense pressure makes him unable to get out of Hollywood. At the end of the day, it's about a dysfunctional family who learns to communicate. There is some pretty good romance for a while, eating disorders, and maybe self-harm (I haven't decided). Remember that it's developed far more than this . . .

So, would you read?

The story involves the meeting of three different planets: Earth of course, one Utopian-like technology-advanced planet, and a smaller, more "primitive" one. The Utopian planet is really big on imperialism, for they wage wars against planets and seek to takeover (depleting their resources, colonizing, etc.). But, the actual plot involves star-crossed teens from each planet running into each other and being engulfed in many secrets and scandals with them. The (Utopian) Prince comes to Earth with an army and he intends to colonize the USA, and later all of America. As an immature 18 year old, he starts to have a fling with some girl, who actually falls madly in love with him. And, he is also stalked by an alien conspirator who wants to return with him on his home planet. Every story is connected somehow.

Now, I don't know how much THAT synopsis helped (I understand it's pretty bad). But, I just want something that sounds like a science fiction novel, but also expresses a younger more modern taste. ANYTHING will be appreciated, even if it has nothing to do with my story. Thank you! I have just never had trouble with coming up with a title before. :/

Have you realized that it's set in the Roaring Twenties in New Orleans? Yeah, right? Now, doesn't it make you sad to know that the Great Depression will follow in a few years and Tiana is probably going to lose her restaurant anyway for the decade? I just realized that yesurday . . . I almost cried.

It's something I started planning when I was twelve, and I'm fifteen right now, so basically I've almost stopped caring about it completely. I don't even like fantasy, but I know Wattpad-ers do so I was thinking of putting it on there. For a fun little experiment, I want to know what you guys think about this story. Please include as many details, advice, and feedback as possible! (I'm sorry it's kind of long, but I'm still just scratching the surface here.)

The story is based on these mythical "Sky Spirits" who are ten human-like creatures with powers involving the spirit/element they were created from (Nature, Sound, Sun/Day, Electricity, Fire, Moon/Night, Sky, Destruction, Darkness, and Light). The government is well aware of these creatures and their power, so they created a myth in order to cast them in a fiendish light . . . saying that they ate human flesh and stuff like that.

And then, there is Solvia. She is the 16 year old rebellious, nonconformist princess of a fictional island country. Yet, she's being forced into an arranged marriage to a man she's never even met and sees this as a clear example of the sexism going on in her pseudo-Medieval society. She is also part of an (pitiful; almost dead) organization of woman against this sexism, and they begin to plan a rally that will get her out of this marriage. As the demonstration goes on, her job is to slip away and seek shelter in the forbidden forest that is said to house the evil Sky Spirits. But, she doesn't believe in this wives tale, and isn't afraid to venture into the woods. Until she sees someone. A girl (13) who emits an orange light in the dark forest. She "overhears" her speaking to a black-hooded person and then she is spotted. She is knocked out and taken to America by the glowing girl. She learns about Sky Spirits, and soon she learns that she is one (it was passed to her by her mother, since it is a family-line thing). She also meets an evil Sky Spirit duo who kidnapped her best friend and now she has to study her powers and save that friend.

Jeez, I got lazy towards the end. A lot more stuff goes on, you could trust me in this field. But, is the idea something you would read? Why or why not?

I'm really happy with my story beginning when the protagonist is a kid. You meet a lot of the important adult characters, see her background, and an important turning point is revealed so I don't want to change this. I could REALLY use some help on how to make the transition from my character at eight years of age to her being seventeen cleanly and in a way readers would understand. Any tips, guys?

I'm writing a Psychological Thriller, so I want all of the mental aspects of it to be correct. One character was really close to his father, but he died when the boy was only ten years old. Without his beloved father to talk to, he bottles up all of his emotions inside and thus he cannot portray his emotions correctly. Like, in one scene, he's very happy to tell his friends and family that he quit his job, but he acts sullen, and depressed as he sulks, frowns, and doesn't talk very much. Does this make sense? I mean, could this really happen that a person is incapable of displaying what they really feel? Thanks for helping me!