~The Golden Quill~

     Amy was born in Terror Mountain, like all of her family before her. She grew up gallivanting through the snow and the wilderness, foraging for food, but she has also always had an explorer’s mind. She’s travelled far and wide around Neopia, she had always wanted to see the world for herself. Whether that be spending a month living with the natives on Mystery Island or swimming with the Koi of Maraqua, she had seemingly done it all. It had been her dream for a long, long time to reap the benefits of Neopia. To get out of this world as much as she could, all with the goal in mind to become a great writer.

     She dreamed of spinning tales that would wrap up the minds of young Neopets around the globe. She wanted to weave a tapestry of words together that would ignite passion in their hearts the way the world had done so for her. To get herself published in the Neopian Times issue after issue after issue, eventually, she wanted to have her own permanent travel column. The world still had so much to offer her, and she wanted to be able to have a steady income to fund it and to have that platform to share her words. Above all, she desperately wanted that golden quill that you receive from being published over and over again.

     There is such prestige to this golden quill. It’s something she could show off to guests, something she could show off to her family. Something she could use to make her family proud. Amy’s family never really understood her travels, they always thought she was being silly and chasing after the idea of something that wasn’t really there. They wanted her to settle down in Terror Mountain, work a steady job, provide for a family. They thought a lot of her travel was nonsense. A trip to the beaches of Roo Island, staying at a resort, that is alright with her family. They see the value in a vacation. But they didn’t understand why she would want to stow away on a pirate ship in Krawk Island, living on meager rations for weeks on end just for “the experience”.

     Amy’s family was tough on her. She knew they cared deeply for her and wanted the best for her. But their idea of the best thing for her was very different than her ideas. Writing was her way of finding that middle ground, finding something that lets her still pursue her passion while having something to make her family proud. She knew that once she was published, and published again, and again, that her family would read her pieces and realize why she did what she did. They would read her excitement jumping off the page and feel the same enthusiasm. Maybe her parents would even join her on a trip someday! Wouldn’t that be exciting?

     And so Amy set to it. She didn’t want to tell anyone about her writing aspirations until she was actually first published. She didn’t want the family to think it was something ridiculous, something to be laughed at. She wanted to have the proof in the pudding that this was something she was capable of doing, and that the world would be open to receiving it. She cracked out her typewriter and a few sheets of paper and started racking her brain of ideas of what to make her first story about.

     Should I write about my experience in Neopia Central first? That is a pretty neutral topic, but it might be a bit boring. An investigative piece on the different hotels maybe, like a review…No, everyone does reviews. That isn’t EXCITING. Come on, Amy, think!!

      Writer’s block was starting to set in, and she was doing all she could to keep from getting frustrated with herself.

      Exciting, what is the most exciting. Huh, maybe I don’t want my first piece to be the most exciting thing that has happened to me. I want to save that for later. What if I start with a story about my experience at Meri Acre Farms?

      She started to type away on the page, wanting to craft the perfect story.

      Meri Acre Farms is really cool. It is in Meridell. I lived there for a month. I learned how to grow vegetables. They were yummy.

      Ack, that’s no good! How do the people do it? How do I make this sound interesting?

      Amy was starting to realize her sentences were just sentences. Plain, boring, without life or zest.

      There is no way this would get published in the Neopian Times. No one wants to read that.

     She ripped the page out of the top of her typewriter and crumpled it into a ball, tossing it into the corner of the room. She was trying not to get too frustrated with herself but it was difficult not to. This is something she wanted so bad and she was seemingly failing before even getting to begin.

      How do I become a good writer? What is the secret here? Maybe there is someone I can go talk to or a book that I can read.

     Amy got up and decided it would be a good idea to head to the library.

     To be a good writer, I have to be a good reader.

     She threw on a jacket and headed out into the whipping storm outside. As she walked, the wind cracked against her fur, snowflakes getting stuck and coating her eyebrows. She wandered down the busy streets, past houses and small shops where people were out buying groceries and trinkets and new clothes. At the end of Main Street was the small Terror Mountain library. She stepped inside, shaking off the cold from her body, and started to browse.

      A voice rang out.

     “Is there something I can help you with?”

     “Oh, yes, I’m wanting to write. I’m an aspiring writer, I was hoping to find something here that would help me with that. A guidebook to writing, or a book by a really good author that could inspire me.”

     Amy was speaking to the librarian.

     “Ah, yes, that is something we have in abundance.” A Yellow Chia with big glasses came scurrying around the corner to greet her. “Come come, this way.”

     Amy followed the Chia through endless halls of books. The library was so much bigger than it had seemed from the outside. The walls were packed floor to ceiling with different books, signs hanging everywhere to indicate what genre was where. There were a section and subsection for just about anything you could want.

     “Here here, here we go. This is our section for writers,” the Chia was thumbing over a few books. “Let me pick a few out for you.”

     The librarian Chia picked out five different books and stacked them up for Amy.

     “How to Write Like A Pro”

     “A Hero’s Journey”

     “Mastering The Hooks”

     “Poetry & Prose”

     “Describing A Landscape: Making The World Come Alive”

     “Each of these books holds a different lesson in it for you,” explained the librarian. “They will make you a better writer. The first is obviously a how to, a guidebook. The second is one of my favourite tales, and by reading it you will learn more about the structure of a story. In the third, you will learn how to draw in the reader's attention and keep them coming back for more. In Poetry & Prose, you will learn the basics of poetry and how to squeeze ideas into concise pieces. And in the last book, you will learn how to make the world come alive with your words, describing the scenery in a way that that reader will be able to see it exactly the way you do, in vivid detail.”

     “Thank you so much for your help, this is all so amazing. I’m going to put these books to good use,” Amy was excited to start reading them and applying their techniques.

     “Some day I want to add your book to the collection I give new writers, do me proud.” The librarian was smiling to Amy as he scanned the books for her to check out.

     “I will, mister.” Amy took her books in her backpack and headed back out into the storm for the long walk home. She was walking lighter than before, feeling confident that these new books would show her easily what she needed to do. She didn’t realize just how hard the work ahead of her would be.

     To be continued…