Fading Reality

Nick eyed his vast green surroundings with renewed energy. The forest drapery surrounded him on all sides and he wanted to explore every inch of it. However, Nick knew it wasn't real. It couldn't be. There was no such thing as a place that truly existed. This could have only been a simulation. Nick jumped as he heard the brittle sound of a dead leaf crunching beneath a boot. He whirled around to find himself facing a man around his age. The man had dark brown hair and caring yet firm amber eyes that demanded attention.
"Welcome", the stranger said in a monotoned, robotic voice.
"What is this place? Why am I here", Nick insisted.

"You are to complete a series of obstacles. If you pass, you will join us. Fail, and well, we won't get to that yet", The robot man replied calmly. The man disappeared and Nick found himself confused and surrounded by metal walls on all sides. It suddenly seemed cold and he felt small, the forest was gone. In the middle of the room was a wall made from bars. On the other side, a black panther paced hungrily, his fangs bared. Nick felt his eyes grow round with fear and adrenaline pulsed through him at a great rate. What kind of test was this? The cage wall lifted and the panther ran at him with terrifying speed. It leaped first, straight at Nick's head. Nick closed his eyes, preparing for extreme agony and prolonged death, but to his amazement, the cat went straight through him! It was a hologram! Nick sighed in relief and opened his eyes to see the robot man staring at him with disapproval. He clicked something on the tablet he held and once again, Nick was thrown into another scenario. In this one, he was is a boat. The boat was in a river, gliding carelessly through the calm waters. Nick almost laughed. This was the challenge. He leaned against the back of the boat mockingly and yawned as if he were bored. Without warning, there was a rapid change in the current. These people knew no mercy. They had placed him on a waterfall! Nick gasped and frantically tried paddling with his hands and tried in vain to steer the boat, but got nowhere. suddenly, the river disappeared. Empty space for miles separated him and the merciless water below. If he was going to do something, now was the chance. He grasped last second at a low hanging vine above the water and wrapped his arms around it before his boat fell to its doom. He sighed in relief and allowed himself to breathe before swinging himself to the safety of the ground. Never before had he felt so grateful to be on land. A deep voice behind him boomed,
"Are you ready for the results of your tests, Nick?"

Helpful Writing Advice

1) Read a lot! The more you read, the more you can understand what books will sell the best. Also, It can improve your vocabulary and writing styles.
2) Be original! Try to do a new idea. Nobody wants to read a story they have already read before. Think outside the box and have fun. 
3) Make sure your story makes sense. If you reread your story and realize you don't understand what you just wrote, that's probably going to mean the reader won't either. Also, be wary of any inside information or jokes nobody else will get. 
4) Don't make your stories predictable. That is one thing I can't handle as a reader. It's no fun knowing the whole story within the first chapter. throw curveballs. Maybe she doesn't end up with him. Make a beloved character die every once and a while, it will be okay.
5) Vocab! It's important you sound intelligent when you write, or not many people will pay attention. I can't help but notice (I don't want to offend anybody, so please don't take this the wrong way) that older, classic books have higher reading levels. I read a label that said Twilight was a fourth-grade reading level. To help me write, I often read super challenging books. If you are still confused, I would recommend reading Jules Verne. 
6) Don't edit as you write! If you constantly change stuff, you may get confused easily, I've done it before. You can always go back and change stuff when you're finished. 
7) Be relatable as you write. It helps to include stuff the reader agrees with. If you don't do this, the reader could get bored or have no idea what you're talking about.
8) Cliffhangers, people! A good way to make money is to involve cliffhangers. The reader will have to read the next book if you leave them with an intense plot twist. Goes along with the whole be unpredictable thing. 
9) Be sure to use a lot of detail. I struggle with this too, so I'm also talking to myself here. If you use details, the reader can better picture the scenery and characters. Many of my classmates complain that they can't picture what they're reading in their head. With this being said, don't use too much either or the reader will get bored. 
10) Involve lots of action in your book. If it is boring, nobody will want to read it. Sadly, the attention spans of this generation are growing shorter and shorter. If you want your work to interest your peers, try using some battles or near death experiences to keep the reader involved alert. 
11) Create a bond between the character and the reader. To do this, try voicing the characters opinions or weaknesses that make him sound vulnerable. Try having him get injured. A quick way to make money is through doing this. Just like cliffhangers, people will want more. How do you think J.K. Rowling got so famous? 

Different Book Genres

Alrighty, folks, my father recommended describing the different genres to you people who aren't bookworms for future references I might make.
Fantasy: Not real, fiction. most of these books are set in medieval times. they often include knights, kings, vampires, werewolves, wizards, dragons,...etc.
Historical Fiction: These stories mostly take place in actual historical events, however, they do not involve the perspective of an actual historical character. 
Realistic Fiction: These are stories that could actually happen, but are not based on a true story.
Biography: A book written about someone. It can be a famous celebrity or a historical figure. Don't confuse with autobiography!
Mystery: You will always be caught by surprise by these books. Usually, they start with a character trying to solve a code or something and at the end, they figure it out or they reveal the bad guy.
Horror: Basically, it's in the name. The scary, don't read at night books. sometimes confused with mystery.
Autobiography: Like a biography, these books are about an important person, only that person wrote the book themselves. Kind of like a diary, they just share stories about themselves. A good example would be The Diary Of Anne Frank.
Nonfiction: These can be about historical events or just plain facts. If you need information for a research project, this would be the place to go. You'll find the books can range from encyclopedias to King Arthur and His Knights.
Sci-fi: Usually fiction that is explained by or involves a lot of science. Space mainly.
Adventure: Yes, I'm sure some of these other Boom genres are full of adventures, but these are non stop adventure. Either that or there was nothing fake so they couldn't identify it as fantasy.
Romance: Alright this is a shout out for all you Hallmark lovers and teenage girls. From start to finish, you read about a slow romance blossoming and on the last page, the main characters get married. Usually, they are very predictable, so I don't often read them.
Dystopian: I don't know why I love these books so much, but basically they take place in a horrifying future. To give you an idea, one example is the Hunger Games or The Maze Runner Series.
Graphic Novels: Just a fancy title for comic books. There are a lot of pictures and few words. Not exactly a picture book.

The Chase

My heart slammed into my chest repeatedly as I heard the footsteps inching closer step by step. In a matter of seconds, he would see my hiding spot and alert the others. Not on my watch, he wouldn't. I rolled across the hallway behind him, keeping in mind to remain silent. To my dismay and outrage, I paid too much attention to my foe and slammed into a metal vase on the floor. It fell over loudly with a clang and I winced as the loud sound echoed eerily through the empty hallways. The man whirled around and smiled wickedly as he saw me sprawled ungracefully on the floor. I felt my eyes grow round and I bolted. There was no possible way an nonathletic girl like me could ever hope to outrun a lithe male, but I sped faster anyway. He was drawing closer and to my fortune, I noticed a low hanging branch in my path. I lifted my hands and grabbed it, then swung myself into a sitting position on top. the man came running straight towards the tree, it was obvious he didn't notice me. He ducked right as he ran under the branch, and I leaped on his back. We toppled to the ground from the impact and I struggled to pin him down successfully. He shot me a crooked smile then screamed as loud as he could. Screech was a better word for it. My heart sunk as I heard the sounds of his whole group racing through the forest after the sound of his scream. I let the man I had pinned go and darted for it. I didn't make it far though, how could I have dreamed to? In a matter of seconds, five men surrounded me and the one in front of me grabbed my waist to pull me to a halt. He flung me mercilessly on the ground and I closed my eyes, waiting for the worst.

More Inforamtion About Me

I understand you all only know what I have put about myself in the intro of my blog, so I thought I could fill you in on a little bit more. I have one younger sister who does competitive cheer and then you have me, a bookworm. There probably isn't a set of siblings more different. My father is a youth and discipleship pastor at our church, First Missionary Baptist. My mom is a special ed teacher at the elementary school in our county. I have two cats, Sam and Sage. That is really all I know to tell you since I already listed all of my favorite books and movies. 

My Progress

Alright, guys, I thought I would let you all in on some info about the books I'm writing. I wrote a book by hand this past summer and it was about a knight and a sorcerer who go on a quest to prove their worth. I got so bored I ended it within around 80 pages and killed off the main character. Remember, I was a newbie so I struggled with keeping involved with the book. I recently wrote another book, though I typed in on google drive this time. If you guys are interested, let me know and I will share the link. Anyway, the second book was about a boy who gains the power to shapeshift. A queen soon discovers him, and he has to choose whether to remain with her and live the life of a king, or he can continue to live as a simple commoner but be with his family. I am currently working on a book continuing the first two. It stars the shapeshifter's son and daughter. The son lived his life believing he would inherit his father's awesome abilities, but is shocked when his sister receives them instead. Meanwhile, they have to put their differences aside to save their father who is being held captive by another kingdom. 

Okay, it's been a few months since I updated this post. I am still currently working on the latter of the former two and have named it the Helpless Prince. Sadly I'm struggling with writer's block when it comes to that story but I've just begun another book (I'm only working on two). It's called A Mentor's Struggle. I've read countless stories from the apprentice's point of view when it comes to books, such as Ranger's Apprentice (John Flanagan), Arc of A Scythe (Neal Shusterman), Septimus Heap (Angie Sage), and several others. The list never ends. So I decided, sure, it's fun to read about an energetic character, but how about the mentor's attitude towards the apprentice. The book is currently going amazing and I'm already 22 pages in as of today! I have big hopes. Along with that book, I have another book called Three Clans Three Heroes uploaded on Wattpad!

Common Frustrations Amoung Young Writers

Inspiration can come at the most random moments. I find it aggravating how you can lay in bed or stare at your ceiling for hours and no ideas can come to mind. Boom! You're having lunch or at a museum when an amazing book prompt comes to mind. Or does anybody out there struggle with creativity sometimes? Occasionally I will be writing only to realize that I have copied an idea from another book series I just read. Another problem I struggle with is names. It is next to impossible to come up with something original that hasn't been used in twenty other books.