My kid sister told me that she wanted to be an author when she grows up. I found a note book of her's filled with story ideas. I think they kind of suck. Title: Rose Garden Plot: A girl and her mother move into a house with a sprit haunting the garden. The girl befriends the sprit. Title: Alone Plot: Girl has no friends Would you read that?
If it were my younger brother or sister (which I do not have), I would read it and help her. Give her feedback. Point out mistakes and plot holes. Encourage her. That's what a good older sibling is for.
i believe there is already a book with that plot, i remember seeing a movie based on it as a child. in case someone remembers what im talknig about: a family moves to india or something(during the war?) and there is a crippled kid in it.
Secret Garden?...a girl moves to England(I think) from India, anf theres a dying cripple. But then she befriends him, and finds a secret garden. Good book,but there's no spirit.
I would, if I was a kid. I read everything. I read the side of milk cartons while eating my breakfast. As if discourage someone who wants to write because you've "read it before". That's one of the problems these days. They stamp out everything they possibly can, any spark is killed before it has a chance to flame. Look at you. Jealous bastards. Instead of telling her it's "been done", give her more books to read. Give her everything. Let her read it for herself and decide what has been done and what hasn't. Better that than kill whatever was in her before it has a chance to burn. And god forbid anyone ever shows any more talent than you'll ever have. I'd kill each and every one of you if I thought I could get away with it.
Well said, Harlequin. Although, you did resort to the nebulous 'they'.... Bad form, that. Anyway. She's a kid. So her story ideas may not be the most original in the world. Big whoop. It's the enacting of the idea that makes a story. Not the outline. Ever heard the saying that there's nothing new under the sun? And even if you read some of her stories and you think they 'suck'. Well. She's a kid. She's got plenty of time to progress and to learn from her mistakes. Very few are prodigies and are able to write amazing and original stories from early childhood. The key at this point of the game is for her to keep the fire alive. So many people nowadays don't really want anything. They want candy. They want sex. They want tv. They want money. But they don't want to build something better. They don't want to tap into their own inner creativity. Don't want to open up themselves to the inevitable ridicule that comes from those who've already given up and despise most of all the sight of someone who hasn't yet died inside. Bah. So many dead walking. Why, exactly, is this a problem? I know there's an obvious problem with this as regards creativity and imagination and etc... but, when it comes down to it, we do live in the world. This world. Our creativity must, in the end, deal with this world and not some other. If we create some wholly new world in our imagination, the task is still to translate it into a fashion that fits into this world. Either this, or the task is to reshape this world in some way. No matter what, you can't escape this world. Not without a denial of life and living.
Encourage, encourage, encourage. Her story cannot suck if she loves it. "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948); Indian politician
I don't know how old she is, but you could always help her write the short story with some pictures and take it to some childrens hospital and let her read or you read it to some kids that aren't as fortunate. It is a joy for the kid not doing so hot and a thrill for your sis as well to be able to give back through creativity. Eventually she will develop her skills and later look back and say, man that story sucked poppycock, but right now she will think it is great.
The thing is that she has all these ideas, but is too lazy to make something of them. Shes never written a page of it, they are just ideas in her notebook that she saves for "later" but later NEVER comes for her. If she had written it I would be delighted to do that, but she hasn't.
lol, I don't think either of them do, but whos to say, i might be wrong, after all its not like they have an end. or a begining come to think of it.
How can you possibly judge a book that hasn't been written yet by a one- or two-sentence description of the milieu in which it's set??? Those are perfectly fine situations for really good stories. The fact that they've already been used proves it but doesn't make it difficult for another author to see a different story there. I'm rather surprised by your reaction to these. They don't tell you enough to form a judgment. If a kid wants to be a writer, then for the goddess's sake, encourage her. If she's really got a dream about doing it, she'll probably take some classes eventually and she'll find out if she has real talent. It takes some people many years to get in touch with their muse. Writing is about the only art in which age is just not an issue. She could work on this for decades and then suddenly become the next P. D. James.
Because I know that they will never be written P.S. She said she wanted to be an "otter". P.P.S. I don't think its really a dream of her's. In fact I'm willing to bet that she will change her mind in a week or two and decide to be a squirrel or a beaver or something like that.
