Books + internet = even more awesome than books OR internet!

Heard of fan fiction? Ever wish fan fiction could be published as a real book?

Listening to NPR this morning I heard about a new mystery series  called The Amanda Project.  New student Amanda Valentino has brought together three strangers, Callie, Nia and Hal, as her guides when she arrives as at their school. Soon, Amanda has  graffitied the principal’s car, left cryptic notes in her friends’ lockers and disappeared. Why did she lie about her past and why did she vanish? Callie narrates this tale of secrets and confusing clues. And there is a TWIST.

What makes this series unique is that readers create the stories through interacting on a companion website.  You create a character whose collaboration with others on the Amanda Project website help form the story lines for the books.  As you delve deeper into sub plots and intrigue while solving weekly mysteries, the books’ creators reap your material for the books. Here’s a question. Do you get credit?

Book one, Invisible I, will be available in our library sometime in January. Look for the second book, Revealed, this spring!

Submit your writing!

Poetry, short stories, song lyrics and more!

Would you like to see your writing published in this blog for all to read? 
In the spirit of promoting NaNoWriMo, (the annual global boot camp for aspiring writers) we’ve added a submission form on this blog for your writing! There is also a tab in the top green menu you can use. 

Oh, and there is also a Young Writers Program for NaNoWriMo !

NaNoWriMo

People from around the world will be trying to write a short novel during the month of November for NaNoWriMo.  National Novel Writing Month is described on the NaNoWriMo website as “Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!”  Doesn’t that sound like fun to you writers out there?  You can sign up on the NaNoWriMo site and join the supportive community of writers embarking on the task, or just write on your own.  Or just lurk. . . and think.

During the upcoming weeks we’ll be sharing resources for helping writers write and get published.

Teen Ink is one resource we like a lot where you can submit your writing and artwork.  If your work is chosen to be published online, people will be able to view, rate and comment on it.  You can also create a profile and share items directly from Teen Ink to Facebook.

One Stop Teen Site?

Student.com is a huge site dedicated to teens and what they have to say. You can make your own profile page, play games, write poetry, make journal pages, chat, give and receive feedback on teen writings, look for jobs… (you know at some point.)
Need some trash talking ideas? See here. Find advice columns for everything from fashion and gaming, to bigger topics like sexuality and health. One of my favorite things in the site is Busta-A-Rhyme where you add a line to a collaborative poem made by many teens.

Student.com is made for 13 year olds up through college, so don’t be surprised to find some folks in their 20s there.

Check it out and tell us what you think. Is it easy or confusing to use? Is it really a cool place for teens? Or is it too many things rolled into one?