Calling All Harry Potter Fans

I've been thinking about sentence structure lately, and came across this tough quiz from Academic English Cafe. Writer Beware! This quiz is not for WEENIES. You have to answer a question about simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences, and what makes it interesting (but not any easier) is that every sentence has to do with Harry Potter.
Confession time: I got THREE wrong. Yikes. Time to go back to school.

Try the QUIZ HERE.

If You Like to Write...

...and you like to create a story based on a story starter,
...and you like to write on the computer,
...and you like your choice of topics,

THEN

BoomWriter is for you.
On BoomWriter, you pick a story starter. There are all kinds of choices like Sci Fi, Fantasy, Sports, and more. When you sign up (or when your school signs up. Btw, there are schools from all over the world signed up!), you view first chapters written by authors like *ah hem, drum roll* ME. You add a chapter two and then the fun begins because others may add to that chapter until a book is completed. BoomWriter is relatively new, but books are being created, people! And they are awesome!

Look for my chapter under the heading of Science Fiction. GONE! is about a surfer girl who's sister goes missing during an evening surf session. And because it's Sci Fi, there's an eerie green light present that no one can explain.

Check out: http://www.boomwriter.com/ today and get writing!

The End

Don't you love how NO, DAVID! ends? Everyone tells David, No! At the end, he finally hears, Yes! It's a happy ending, and I happen to love a HAPPY ending.

How about another favorite of mine titled, IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE? The end goes back to what's happened in the beginning. It's a CIRCLE ending. So clever.

In LIBRARY MOUSE, author Daniel Kirk leaves the reader with a MAYBE ending:  And maybe this time, his new friend would draw the pictures. Very cool.

Other stories have a QUESTION ending, like: What trouble will he get into next? (I just made that one up, but hey, it's a great ending!)

How will your story end?

THE END.

Stuck in the Middle

I have a great start to a story; I've developed (or have notes on) terrific leads; I've got a fantastic ending.

HOWEVER, I'm stuck--stuck in the middle!
What happens in the middle?
What will my characters do to get from the beginning to the end?
What is the meat of my story?
UGH.

Lots of writers get stuck. It helps to think of a story like a sandwich--maybe a turkey or a ham sandwich. Without that good meat in the middle, it would stink, wouldn't it? Well, if there's nuthin' good going on the middle of your story, it will stink, too. Just saying.

Once you begin a new piece of writing, and before you charge into the middle,

Write down important details you want to include in the middle. Some authors like to create chapter titles (ME!) because that reminds them of what they want to happen, and in what order. Some authors make outlines. Some merely make a beginning sentence and fill in the paragraphs later.

Whatever you do, make the middle the biggest part of your story.
Make the middle YUMMY!