"Dan in Real Life" (Which Dan?)

Today I'm going to be a bit snappy as to be honest I'd quite like to read my newest book ("Magonia" by Maria Dahvana Headley... It's a strange mix between John Green-esque writing and fantasy fiction. It's quite good although nowhere near being the best) so I'm not going to elaborate a whole lot.

1). I believe we tend to write about what we know, but every now and then it's good to write about what we're not sure about, especially in fiction. We sometimes need to stretch outside our comfort zones and write about something we're not knowledgeable about or don't know how to write for. If you always write about your life, than write about a made-up person for once. If you're always making things up, write about yourself (something I've yet to do in this class). Write about what you know, sure, but don't JUST write about what you know.

2). The three tips I would give about teenagers? Remember how it was to be a teenager, and make sure you understand we make mistakes, and we make a lot of them. A little forgiveness for losing control and snapping back every now and then wouldn't hurt. Remember, understand, forgive.

3). I wouldn't want to write for a newspaper because I like for what I write about to sit for a few days so I can come back and go "Oh, that could be better, let's change that and improve that." Raw writing like I'm doing right now can be good sometimes but, frankly speaking, your best work always comes when you finish it then come back later and realize all the things that you didn't see the first time you finished. I'm still going back to poetry I wrote years ago and seeing all these places to improve. I never change the meaning, just how I portray it. Newspapers are almost always raw writing. Maybe not quite like this, but you typically don't get any time to have it sit in the back of your brain. Newspapers also have deadlines. Writing doesn't.

4). Dan did in fact want his kids to follow that age-old saying at first, and that's the wrong thing to do. Kids look at their parents for knowledge, advice, and guidance. When a child sees their parents doing something, in their heads it's the right thing to do, because their parents are doing it. Parents always have to remember that what they do is far more impressionable than what they say. Actions speak louder than words, right?

5). Age isn't important with love or dating. It's maturity. It's about being careful and wise about your decisions. A thirty year old could be too immature for a serious relationship and a fifteen year old could be wise beyond their years. Age has no claim on love. Emotional maturity is a different matter, something that doesn't grow with the body but rather with the life and memories. Wearing a thong might be something more attuned to physical maturity, but the concept is the same. If you're not mature enough, it doesn't matter how old you are. Our society puts way too much emphasis on age. In some cases it's vital, in others it varies far too much from person to person.

And that concludes today's questions. Yay. Bye.