Improving Your Stories: Part One

Hey guys!

Today I’m writing about books and stories, more specifically how to write them WELL. There are so many different aspects to this, so I’ve decided to do it in a multi-part way, although I have no clue how many parts there may be!

You must have a fairly even mix of action, thoughts, dialogue, and description. 

There are four main types of paragraph within a story: action, thoughts, dialogue and description. The key to writing a good story is getting a good balance of each, so as not to make it boring. I'll go over each one.

Action
This is basically just what happens - the main plot, all the drama etc. It is generally quite fast moving, so it doesn't matter too much if you have more of this - sometimes, if it is something really dramatic, it is best for the action not to be interrupted. However if it is just a small romantic event with your OC's significant other, it works better if you break it up with some other attributes.


Thoughts
This only really works if the story is written in 1st person. It is the narrator voicing their opinions and thoughts on what has happened / is happening / will happen. As I said in the last one, in small pieces of action, it is used to show the OC's affection or peace with the world. It is also very effective when a massive bombshell is dropped, if they find out something important, because they may not tell everyone exactly what they are thinking. In addition, it is a good way to end a story/chapter/section of the story as an alternative to a cliffhanger: ending with the narrator explaining in detail what they think of an event or situation really builds tension and makes the reader want to know more. This is shown quite frequently in The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

Dialogue 
This is fundamentally speech, or conversations between two or more characters. Of course, it is essential to have long conversations every so often, but is it really needed to explain everything through speech? There are much more imaginative ways to tell the reader things, involving showing, not telling and reader deduction. I'm not saying not to include dialogue, it is really useful and it would be unrealistic to have a story without any speech, just don't overdo it because you will bore the readers.

Description
It is all just as well to have your action, thoughts and dialogue, but sometimes your readers just want to know what things or people look like! Here you can kind of go crazy - pull out all your best descriptive techniques to paint the perfect picture in the reader's mind. You could leave a few gaps for the reader to fill in if you want to, but some readers prefer to have it all there for them. All I will say about this, is not to make it last too long: one paragraph is alright, possibly two, but you will soon bore your readers if you just list everything around in minute detail.

I hope this helped you to get a better grip on the content of your story! Remember if you have any stories that you want me to read, review and promote, just comment on this blog or email me at teenagebloggerette47@gmail.com .

Lots of love,
Teenage Blogger x

Question of the day: What genres do you write about most?
My answer: Fantasy, action, adventure, fanfictions.
What about you? Tell me in the comments below!

The Other SIde Of The Mirror: Chapter 3

Hey!

I won't waste time with an introduction- I just wanted to post another chapter quickly. Anyway.

Chapter Three

I have finished all my work. It's been a really quiet day for me, since my Subject is in this side of the world with me. I check my rose gold watch. 22:00. Yawning, I close my laptop and plan to go to bed. 

I leave HQ and trudge down the stairs into my bedroom, about to climb into my bed fully clothed. Trouble is, there's someone else in in it.

"Get out my bed!" I growl viciously to Brooke.

"Oh, sorry," she says innocently. I clench my fists. "It's a pull out bed - we can share!" We pull out the bed, and I pull my duvet as far away from her as I can, as if she is contagious. I know that none of this is her fault, but honestly I don't want to have to blame myself for it. I quickly fall into a restless sleep. 

In the morning, I wake up to the weekday alarm that Brooke forgot to turn off. I groan, and roll over. 

"Wake up!" she yells in my ear, fully dressed already. 

"It's a Saturday!" I moan. "On Saturdays we wake up at 11:00, not 6:30! It doesn't change now that you're in my world!" She rolls her eyes. 

"No, stupid! It's Friday! I need to get to school!" She protests. I check my phone, which confirms my worst fears.

"Dammit. Wishful thinking." I yawn. "Well there is no chance that I'm letting you go. You are staying right here today!" She looks upset, but doesn't argue. 

"What're we doing today?" She asks cheerfully. 

"YOU are going to find lessons online so you don't miss out on your education. I am going to do my work." I say firmly.

"I don't have a laptop!" She whines. 

"Ugh! I have a spare one! Now go to your room and stay there!" When she obliges, I am probably the most relieved that I have ever been in my life. 

Back in HQ, I get another email - this time from The Boss. Whatever this is, it can't be good. 

He is telling me to prepare a statement for what has happened and why it did to present to the Council next Wednesday at 09:00. I have pretty much exactly five days (it is currently 08:57). I have ages - I'll put it off until Monday. I resolve to go and find Jay R, my boyfriend, but stop by to check in on Brooke first. 

I push open the door to my bedroom, to find Jay kissing her. 

"What is going on???" I yell. They break apart instantly.

"Oh crap," Brooke mutters. Jay looks at us one by one. 

"This - wait - WHAT? Which one of you is the real Brooke, and which is the Reflection? My Reflection?"

"I'm Brooke R!" Me and Brooke say simultaneously. I shoot her an angry glare. 

"I promise, Jay! She found out, and I had to bring her through. Law of Reflection Protection, and all that..." We both smile in recognition of our inside joke. Brooke looks between us in confusion. 

"Um... haha," she says lamely. 

"Go away! I can't believe that you would kiss my boyfriend! After all I have done for you!" I scream at her, sending her away. A tear drops down my face. "I hate her, Jay, I really do..." He rises onto his tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips. Contrarily to most relationships, I, the female, am taller. I don't mind though. 

"Um... I'd better go and see if the Potion has arrived..." I say, linking arms with Jay and leading him to the admin desk. "Hey, do you know if there's been any deliveries of the Memory Potion in yet? I need it kind of urgently..." I nod in the direction of Brooke, who is now kissing a different boy. The man at the desk checks through his files. 

"No, sorry. I'll let you know when I do though!" He replies cheerfully. Ugh! How can people be cheerful now? This is a disaster! I manage to control myself and not say anything, but it takes A LOT. 

Suddenly, Anya R comes running into HQ, looking flustered. "Brooke R!" She calls, looking for me. I wave. "Brooke! There's a problem: Anya didn't get the message that Brooke was staying the night with a friend, so she thinks that she's run away! She's called the police and everything!" Oh crap.

"Don't panic. Um... Try to tell her again, or contact a Reflection of a police officer - see if you can get them to sort it. Have you tried asking Tyler R to tell Tyler? I can't get her back yet - she hasn't had the Potion and we don't have any in!" 

"Could you put her back without the Potion? It's risky, but we may have to..." 

"Not yet. Try everything else first, but that might have to be our last resort."

There we go! Comment if you like it xx

Lots of love,
Teenage Blogger x

Rape Culture And Feminism Rant

Hey guys! Whats up?

This is my second rant in a row, but I was reading an article about this this morning and it made me so, so angry.

Because of sexism and rape culture, girls can't do what we want to do without being controlled and shaped by society's "norms" and this isn't okay.

Let me give you some examples.

1. One of my best friends was assaulted last week at Scouts. She told the leader and the leader's response was "He was just messing about. Don't worry about it."

2. My friend's 8 year old sister, when she told her teacher at school that she wanted to be a firefighter, was told that "That's a man's job".

3. I can't walk round the corner to the local convenience store without constantly checking that I am being followed and change sides of the road whenever a middle aged man comes close, for fear of being mugged or raped.

I 'm sure that there are countless other examples I could give, but if I tried to list them all, we would be here for weeks. I know there are lots of rumours and made up information going around regarding womens' rights, but I'm here to give you solid info. I've looked into this a lot, and I'm pretty sure that everything I'm gonna tell you is 100% true.

Firstly, I'm going to give you another example. A girl got given 2 days exclusion in my school last week because she had her bra straps showing and told to go to the bathroom to remove it. She was given detention, and then argued with the teacher and demanded that it wasn't a problem, resulting in her getting isolation. Then she proceeded to take her bra off in front of her whole class, arguing that no one could see it anymore. Because of this, she was excluded.

Can we just talk about this for a moment? The school punished her for wearing underwear. And then told her to leave the lesson to remove it. Excuse me, but when the boys have their jeans hanging down below their butt because it's "trendy", I don't see you telling them to remove their boxers for goodness' sake! By making her leave the lesson, the school is teaching her that it is more important to not have a bra strap showing than to have an education. The same school that doesn't allow nail varnish or mirrors because it "interferes with learning" and "distracts pupils from their lessons". Just a tiny bit hypocritical, no? And the girl. So brave, to say the least, to stand up to her teacher like that (and may I just note that it was a MALE teacher!!!) but also because she isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes is right, which is a trait I think everyone should have. I saw this post on pinterest from twitter the other day:

"being taught that my clothes have a voice more powerful than my own & that even when I say no my clothes can say yes 4 me" - from @jociiii_ on twitter. I won't go into this, but I could not agree more.

Moving on. Someone told me the other day that they were a feminist, but didn't like to make a big fuss of it because they were afraid of what people would say. How wrong is that? They are too scared to stand up for their gender, which is 49.6% of people in the world. Half the world's population, not given fair rights because of their gender. And people like the person who told me that, who won't do anything about it because they don't want to be bullied. Does that not seem wrong to you? That is the whole point of feminism! That EVERYONE, regardless of gender, should be given equal rights and be able to say what they want to without fear of being cut down! This really isn't fair, and I want to do something about it.

Just to round this post off, I want to say something about abortion rights. I found another amazing, beautiful post on pinterest from tumblr the other day, and I just want to share this with you. 

"So if we have to show women what the baby looks like in the womb and tell them how the process works before having an abortion, does that mean we should teach our soldiers about the culture of the lands we're invading, and explain to them that the people we want to kill have families and feel pain, just like us?" - from @fairlylocaloddparents on tumblr.

I'll just give you that to think about. 

Finally, I need to say this. 

I am a feminist. I am proud. I will do whatever I can to raise awareness of this issue, and I will do anything in my power to make womens' and mens' rights equal. I am not afraid to stand up for what I believe is right.

Thanks for reading this guys. I get really passionate about topics like this :P Also on controversial rant posts like this, I am open to and welcome comments agreeing OR disagreeing with what I write, and feel free to have arguments with me or each other. I must say though, please don't say anything offensive or prejudiced. If you do I will have to report you. Very happy note to end on.

Lots of love, 

Teenage Blogger x

Question of the day: Do you believe in gender equality and equal rights?

My answer: HELL YEAH READ ABOVE

What about you? Tell me in the comments!

Selfish Rich People And Terrorism Rants

Heya again.

I need, and must say something about this issue. It has been bothering me for ages, and when would be a better time to post about it than now? I promise you guys that I will do something a bit more positive next time. Also I was thinking - maybe I should start doing slightly more personal posts too? Let me know in the comments if you'd like that!

Anyway.

One of  the things that disgusts me the most in this world, (and yes there is A LOT) is that there are loads of people that have so much money that they're doing nothing with, and then on the other side of the world there are starving, dying people with no help at all. 

I find it awful when people clutching purses, or with a handbag over their shoulder, buying lots of expensive stuff, walk past a homeless person without giving them a second thought. Can you not spare one of your millions of pounds for a dying, lonely and starving person who has nothing? I heard a fact the other day - half of the world's money is owned by 8 PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. The other half is owned by every 7 billion other people. 8 SINGLE PEOPLE OWN THE EQUIVALENT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO 7 BILLION. THATS RIDICULOUS. Who could be so stupidly selfish?? This makes no sense to me! Yes, you may earn it, and yes you may deserve it, but it just isn't fair on the world!

First rant over.

The second one is that, in the current situation (terrorism threats) there are young kids growing up to know fear. 

That's what it is. They are growing up, spending their first years in the world having to avoid busy places and watch people get killed in the news on TV. I'm a teenager and this is probably affecting us as an age group massively too- lately I've had to refuse four invites to birthday meet ups in town, shopping centres or pther busy places due to my parents being worried for my safety. This shouldn't be happening! I should be going out at the weekend, having fun, enjoying myself and not having to suspect that every stranger I walk past is a bomber!

I could go on and on, but you're probably bored now so I'll stop. Sorry.

Anyway that's just a little insight into a couple of things that annoy me about the world at the moment. Maybe I'll do more posts like this... I definitely have a lot of things that annoy me!!

Question of the Day: What is your pet hate? Answer in the comments below!

Lots of love,
Young and Enquiring x

Cyber Bullies: Why???

Hiya again!

In this post I'd love to talk to you about something that I really don't understand, and something that's happened to me VERY recently (as in about an hour or so ago!). And this something is bullying.

Let's start with a story. I'm on this open website called Quotev, on which you can share stories and quizzes etc, and read each others. I am part of an online magazine on it, in which yhere are multiple authors contributing articles. Today someone hacked into our main mag account, and deleted/edited some of our posts, posted an article on porn (if you don't know what that is, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T GOOGLE IT. ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU MUST KNOW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.), and commented some really horrible things that I won't mention, before deactivating the account and therefore losing all our data, followers, and account. Meanwhile giving several people panic attacks and reducing a lot of us to tears.

My question to you is: Why would you do this? Why would you be so absolutely VILE that you would give someone anxiety and ruin a group of people's hard work? Why? What possible motive could be behind this? I mean, I know about the tragic backstory theory and all that, and I do sympathise, bur is there not any other way of getting rid of your anger than sabotaging a group's work, and mentally injuring anyone who read the post? Stand with me if you agree! #saynotobullying

UPDATE 19/08: Now the hacker has deleed all 115 of our posts, and has been sending messages to the other authors lying about who they are. They sent a message to my friend Maddie saying that I was the hacker, and sent one to me saying that someone else was. Congrats hacker, you didn't do your job though - this has just mase us pull together as a team, get to know each other better and work together to sort this out. And also gained us a few followers too :)

UPDATE 20/08: They have just posted an article named 'How To Rape A Nine Year Old'. Couldn't be more angry, or upset! Of course we've deleted the post, but we still don't know who it is and they keep blaming other people. We have now started a new magazine. Well, I have. None of the other authors are online at the moment. Couldn't feel more alone in this battle.

Lots of love,
Teenage Blogger x

Question of the day: Have you ever been cyberbullied?
My answer: Yes, sadly more than a few times...
What about you? Tell me in the comments!

How To Tell If Someone Is Lying!

Heya guys! 

Today my article is on how to tell if someone is lying. 

I'm sure that you have all wondered at some point if you are being lied to, and now you can find out!

Face and Voice

1. Look for micro expressions.

Micro expressions are emotions that flash up on a person's face when they are trying to conceal the truth. It is usually distress - their eyebrows join together and lift, with creases along their forehead.

2. Look for eye movements.

If a person is making something up, they are likely to avoid eye contact. A right handed person's eyes will move up and to the right, and vice versa for left handed. Liars tend to blink more and rub their eyes, but just because they do this doesn't always mean that they are lying - people do this for other reasons as well. 

3. Listen for voice changes.

Liars usually talk faster and in a higher pitch, and also stutter or quaver. 

Verbal Responses

4. Pay attention to exaggerated details.

If the person appears to be adding too much information, they are often lying. Too many details can tip you off to their desperation for you to believe them.

5. Be aware of impulsive emotional actions.

If they answer a question too quickly, it could be because they have already rehearsed the answer so that it sounds believable. They can gloss over facts, and not tell the whole truth - in contrast to the last one, they may be relatively vague.

6. Pay attention to their reaction.

Liars feel the need to defend themselves. They will repeat things over and over, rather than tell more. If they weren't expecting a question, there can be a delay as it will take a minute to come up with a convincing answer.

7. Pay attention to usage of words. 

If they repeat your exact words or ask you to repeat a question. Using the words 'basically' or 'what happened was' or 'it depends what you mean by' means that they are stalling while they come up with an answer. In addition losing track of the conversation and pausing for a minute, while they think. They don't use contractions, eg 'do not' rather than 'don't'. Not making sense. Not finishing sentences. Using humor/sarcasm to avoid the question or subject. Answering too quickly with a negative to confirm a positive. 

8. Notice when they repeat sentences.

When they make up a lie, they will use a certain few phrases that they have already rehearsed and perfected. When asked to explain again, they will use the same words.

9. Notice a sentence jump. 

Liars may suddenly switch mid sentence to say something else - commonly a compliment or question to someone else, to take the attention off them.

Body Language

Check for:

- sweating;

- trembling;

- blushing;

- difficulty swallowing;

- fidgeting;

- nodding/shaking head;

- less mirroring your movements: leaning away or not copying you;

- gulping/swallowing more;

- breathing faster;

- stiff/limited body movements.

Interrogation 

Some tips when you are interrogating them:

- Be careful not to misread them;

- Look at the big picture and the context;

- Don't show signs that you think they're lying;

- Find out how they behave when they are telling the truth and find the differences;

- Spot deflections: not directly responding;

- Ask them to repeat the story;

- Use silence;

- Follow through and check the facts;

- Repeat it to them wrong and see if they correct you.

I really hope this helped y'all, I found this really helpful! I love to know if people are lying or not!

Credits: I got most of the information from wikiHow, took notes and copied it out in my own words, adding some original ideas too.

Lots of love,

Teenage Blogger x

Question of the Day: How often do you lie, and are you any good at it?

My answer: I lie as little as I can, but sometimes I don't tell the full truth, which is kind of the same. I'm pretty believable actually!

What about you? Tell me in the comments1

The Other Side Of The Mirror: Chapter One And Two

Hey!

One of my main hobbies is writing. I don't post about it much because I simply don't really have any stories that I want to share! However:

Recently I started one called The Other Side Of The Mirror which I love the idea of and really want your feedback!

The Other Side Of The Mirror is a story based in modern day England, but in an alternate reality where your reflection has a body, mind, soul and personally too. Brooke R (short for Reflection) is a reflection for Brooke, (I know - confusing! But it has to be this way) Brooke finds out about the Other Side and so Brooke R has no choice but to bring her through, give her the Memory Potion and send her back with no recollection of their world. Simple, right? Wrong! No more spoilers but they face many challenges along the way to returning Brooke back to her side and keeping Brooke R's job.

Sound interesting? Here's the first two chapters! I will try to update every week or so. This will also be a good incentive for me to finish it :)

Chapter One.

I watch my other half brushing her hair, singing along to her favourite music as she does so. She actually has a pretty good voice! I mirror all her movements exactly, except any noise I make, she can't hear me through the reflection. Because, by my other half, I don't mean girlfriend. And when I mirror her movements, I mean literally every tiny detail that she does. Yup, you've probably guessed it: I'm her reflection.

Brooke is the other side of me. She doesn't know that I exist, but she can see me whenever she looks in the mirror. I am a part of her, and whenever she looks in the mirror or sees her reflection, I am there. Straightaway. Without a moment's delay. Because this is my job! If I got one tiny movement wrong and she noticed, she would either go crazy, put our entire company at risk, or both.

Brooke finishes brushing her hair, and starts applying her makeup. This is always the bit I hate the most, seeing as I'm not as good as her at makeup - I haven't had as much practice - so if I do it badly it will make her think she looks bad herself. While applying mascara, I smudge some underneath my eye. I almost curse out loud, but stop myself just in time as she frowns at me and dabs at where she thinks the smudge is. I try and get rid of it as quickly as I can. Eventually she moves away from the mirror, and I can actually get a break! She's been here for about 40 minutes now...

~~~~~~~~

Double checking that Brooke is no longer at the mirror, I grab myself a coffee and swing into a seat beyond her bedroom. "Hey Elijah!" I call. Elijah is Brooke's brother, and we spend most of our time hanging out together, sometimes with her sister Rose, too, although Rose is only 3 years old. I have to say mean things to Elijah a lot, because non-mirror Brooke and Elijah don't get along very well, so I try to make up for it off duty. As soon as I sit down, however, I am transported back to her room. Only for a split second, as she checks how she looks on her way out the door, and finally I am done for a bit. Hopefully. 

~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day drags on slowly. I don't have much to do, seeing as Brooke is in school, and there aren't any mirrors at school, although occasionally she catches sight of herself in the glass. When she gets home, she doesn't bother looking at me much, just once or twice as she plaits her hair and brushes her teeth. Not the most eventful day. 

But neither of us are in any way prepared for the drama to come tomorrow....

Chapter Two.

I am woken up wayyy to early in the morning, by being rushed to the mirror. Brooke is yawning  and fluffing out her hair. She checks her watch. It's 2am. She yawns again, and I mirror it. Haha. We sigh in unison. I think she tries to go back to bed, and can't, so she reads for a few hours in her bed. Finally it gets to a reasonable time in the morning, and she starts doing her hair. I am so tired right now - I can't help it. I yawn. 

Startled, she looks up at me and looks me right in the eye. She lifts her hand, waves it around a bit, and goes back to her hair. All would have been fine. But I yawned again. This time she knows. "Hello?" She asks, confused. She taps the glass, but my sleep deprived brain is too slow to respond quickly. I am too slow. Her frown turns into a grin. 

"I knew it! Can you hear me?" She asks. I give up pretending. I nod. Suddenly she goes bright red. "Oh no... So you've seen everything that I've done? I must still be dreaming... Please tell me I'm dreaming!" She pinches her arm, and winces. "Ouch! Nope, not dreaming..." At that moment, I get a message on my phone. It's from my boss. Oh sh*t... Brooke looks at me, worried. "What's wrong?" I show her the message. "Oh God... I won't tell, I promise! If this is real..." I sigh. 

"You'd better come with me," I mouthe, and gesture for her to step inside the mirror. 

"Really? Omg, this is so cool!" She exclaims, and I pull her through the mirror into my world.

~~~~~~~~

I drag Brooke through the mirror, and place my hands on her shoulders. 

"This is probably going to take a while, so you'd better make yourself at home. You know where everything is, of course, seeing as you put it there. This is your room, after all." My mirror twin looks around in wonder.

"So this is my room... backwards?" She asks in astonishment.

"Yup. Look, I really have to go..."

"Wait - one last question for now. Are you... me?"

"I'm you backwards. We were born at the same time, by your mirror mum. Call me Brooke R, or just R, to save confusion and time." I open the door leading to their hallway. 

"Where are you going?" She calls me back. I sigh.

"To the HQ in the attic. No mirrors there, so you can't see it all. It's the HQ for all the Reflections on this road. We've extended it so we can all fit. Now please stay here: do whatever you want." 

"What about my parents? They'll worry!"

"I'll sort it," I reply impatiently. I shut the door behind me, and rush towards the attic.

---

Now in HQ, I slide into my seat at my desk, sip my coffee and email the secretary for Reflection&Co, the company that is in charge of all the Reflections in the world. My mum, Anya R, comes over and asks what I'm doing. (A/N all reflections are called *their name* R) 

"I thought Brooke was looking in the mirror!" She exclaims. 

"Um... there's been a slight problem. Tell Anya that she has gone out somewhere."

"On it," Anya R replies, striding back to her desk.

An email notification pops up on my laptop. With trembling hands, I open it.

Miss Brooke Brown (Reflection) 

It is most unfortunate that your reflection has discovered our world. You must follow these steps exactly:

1. Bring subject through the mirror;

2. Tell any house sharers a reasonable excuse for the subject having gone; 

3. Email a higher up member of staff;

(these should have been done already)

4. Lock the mirror again;

5. Find your emergency memory potion and administer it to subject;

6. Let the subject back into their world;

7. Meet with boss and discover your fate.

As soon as you reach stage 7, contact us again immediately. 

Kind regards,

Miya White 

Secretary and Problems Advisor

Reflections&Co. 

Okay. Okay. Lock the mirror again. Not too hard. I open the right app on my laptop and lock it, making sure that Brooke is still there. She is, thank goodness. Find the memory potion and give it to subject. Okay. Where is it? I vaguely recollect my first meeting as a trainee Reflection: being told that there was emergency potion in my drawer, so I open my drawer to find it. It isn't there. 

Frantically, I search all my drawers for the small, purple glass bottle, without any luck. "Anya! Elijah! Tyler! Can I borrow anyone's memory potion?" Tyler R, my dad, looks over at me sympathetically. 

"Sorry, honey, they took all the potions away for improvement. Did your subject find out?" I confirm, frustrated. As quickly as I can, I shoot another email to Miya White, explaining my situation. She replies back within seconds. 

Dear Brooke Brown (Reflection), 

Oh dear. Your subject will have to stay the night seeing as we will not have any available potion until tomorrow. Please try to not get too emotionally attached to your subject in the meantime. 

Kind regards,

Miya White

Secretary and Problems Advisor 

Reflections&Co.

I rock back in my chair and sigh. One whole night of looking after an annoying lookalike who asks way too many questions? Fun. And as soon as I can let her back into her world, I have to meet with my boss and possibly get fired. Even better. What do Reflections even do when they are fired? And how do they find a replacement? I've never known anyone even have to use their Potion before, let alone get fired! My best friend Luca R had a close call once, but Luca was convinced that he made it up - it was only a small cough anyway! 

A tall figure appears in the doorway, looking  about my height and shape. I groan inwardly. Brooke. She spots me, and runs over excitedly. 

"This is all so cool!" She declares. "Why can't I stay here in HQ instead of my boring bedroom? This is so much more exciting!" 

"You can go and play with the babies, if you would like... Here we have the Reflections of all the inhabitants of this road, unless they have been called out on duty." As if on cue, a red light flashes up on someone's computer, and they sprint through their mirror portal to get to the glass. "Don't you need to go back to bed anyway? You've been awake since 2!" I ask hopefully. Much to my disappointment, she shakes her head. 

"No, I'm not tired. I still find it creepy how you know everything about me!"

"Even your thoughts..." I say eerily, smiling at the horrified expression on Brooke's face. "Seriously. I have a log of every thought you've ever had! All your daydreams about Mike Wester, all of the... Well, it doesn't matter. More importantly I get the transmittions from your brain to your limbs, so I know what you are going to do and I can copy you." She still looks shocked, and a little green. 

"I'll go play with the babies..." She says faintly, wobbling dizzily over to where they're playing.

I hope you liked it! I will post updates every so often. 

Lots of love, 

Teenage Blogger x

Question of the day: Do you write stories? If so, what genre? If you send me a link to them then I will read and review :)

My answer: Yeah! I write loads, but I have never successfully finished one yet...

What about you? Tell me in the comments!

Top 10 Items In My Wardrobe!

Heya guys!

Today I'm gonna talk to you about essential wardrobe items. 

This is really important, especially if:

A) You go to a non-uniform school;
B) You see people lots out of school;
C) It's the weekend/holidays.

Most people hate to be wearing the same or similar things every day, so it's vital to have a vast range of different clothes and outfits! Here's a few of my favourite items, to give you some inspiration!

1. Pale blue Zara jumpsuit!
Best worn with: any colour plain top, black leggings, any shoes, choker/necklace.

2. Grey GAP roll-neck batwing jumper! 
Best worn with: long sleeved top, jeans, trainers.

3. Blue checked front tie shirt!
Best worn with: jeans, trainers, white cardigan, choker. I'm wearing this now!

4. Dark navy/black undervest!
Best worn with: more transparent tops and anything else. These are so, so useful! I have way too many vest tops that are too transparent to wear on their own, so putting one of these underneath covers up any bra pattern, marks and your belly button! Also you can find these really cheap.

5. New Look brown leather boots
Best worn with: any dress if you're wearing them formally, or even just jeans for a normal day!

6. Black leather choker
Best worn with: a colourful oufit - not too much black! This can make you look kind of gothic... of course if that is the look you are going for then that works too :)

7. Blue floral playsuit!
Best worn with: leggings, boots, choker. Personally I don't like wearing dresses, and my playsuit can look formal or informal depending on the context, so this is what I wear for any special occasion or a meal out.

8. Jack Wills burgundy oversize hoodie!
Best worn with: jeans, trainers, any top. I love this, it goes with pretty much anything and is always my go-to jumper if I am leaving the house quickly! Also great to snuggle up with in the evenings or at night.

9. Pale blue denim jacket!
Best worn with: any tshirt, jeans or shorts, choker. This could possibly be my best find EVER - it goes with any top, any bottoms, any necklace/choker, and lasts forever without wearing out - mine used to be my mum's!

10. Temporary tattoos!
Best worn with: ANYTHING! These aren't techically in my wardrobe, but they are something I wear most days. In my country I  too young to be legally allowed a real tattoo, and I've always wanted one, so I put these on instead. You can find a MASSIVE range of styles, they're usually cheap, and depending on where you put them, tend to last for a few days at least. Hands and feet are probably the worst places (in terms of them lasting) and shoulders, collar bones and the tops/insides of arms are the best.

I hope you found this useful!

Lots of love,
Teenage Blogger x

Question of the day: What is your favourite clothes brand?

My answer: Zara maybe, or GAP? I like New Look too XD

What about you? Tell me in the comments!

Homework Hacks!

Adios, hallo, bonjour, hey! Sorry I'm feeling in a really language-y mood - I just did my German and Spanish homework :P

Back to this article.

So I know that it can be really stressful trying to get all your homework done well, on time and without having meltdowns over it. I'm going to include lots of random homework hacks which will hopefully make it easier! 

Like I say, these will be pretty random, so they range from revision techniques to printing out tricks. Enjoy! Not the homework, of course. No one enjoys homework! Although if you do, I am happy for you :)

Revision
1. Use Flashcards!
I find these the most useful for learning definitions and words, especially in other languages! I make mine myself, simply by cutting up paper and writing on both sides, but there are some apps or websites you can use that do it for you, for example cram.com or crava.com , which are my favourites, although you may find a better one which works for you.

2. Copy Things Out!
Have you ever heard that writing something out is the memory equivalent to reading it seven times? I don't really know why this is true, but it is - probably something to do with your brain processing it better or something. Also if you have all your notes neat, organised and in one place, it is easier to find everything you will need. And also you can condense your notes so that you aren't overwhelmeed by pages and pages of meaningless words - this will make you unfocused and in the wrong mindset to revise.

3. Find A Technique That Works For You!
Everyone learns best in different ways. For example I work visually, so I like things yo be neatly laid out and colour coded. Megan works best with background noise, like music. My sister prefers silence and to be alone so she can focus. Nonw are better than others, you just need yo work out what you are and try lots of different techniques to help you remember things until you find out what works. For example, it may be flashcards, or having things colour coded, or remembering them to a rhythm, or coming up with rhymes... I could go on forever!

Organisation 
1. Use Ringbinders And File Dividers!
Ringbinders and file dividers are two of the most helpful organizational items you can have. I find a pretty ringbinder, as that is what you see on the outside, and then use card white/grey/brown dividers that I can write and draw on to separate the sections more nicely. Sometimes I write a table of contents on the front of each divider for each section, so I know exactly what is in it! Other helpful but not necassary things to buy are a hole punch, which is a lot easier than ripping the paper; hole reinforcers, which make sure that the hole doesn't rip more and your work fall out; and a refill pad, which is basically a notebook that tears out the pages easily without leaving that horrid rip line down it, and has the holes already punched out.

2. Clipboards!
For my desk at home, I found two pretty clipboards which I have nailed up on my wall. One is for any school trip leters, orthodontic letters etc, which are organised in order of how soon they will happen. The other is for my to-do list and timetable. I'll cover the timetable in another section. But these clipboards are so, so useful beacuse I can just look up at them while I am working, and see what is coming up soon, what I need to do and how long I have to do it in.

3. Personal Timetable!
Most people don't do this, just to say. I am weird and I like things to be precise and organised, probably a bit over the top. Basically I drew out a timetable for the week, and marked in the time for school, sleeping and meals. They are all necessities that have a set time each week. Then I move to dance lessons etc, which are extras but again have a set time each week. Then what is next most important? I marked in half an hour per day for homework, and one hour at the weekend; and 1.5 hours of dance practice on a weekday with 3 hours on a weekend. Then times of my fave TV shows. Can I just say now that I don't always stick to this- I would love to say that I do 13.5 hours of dance practise a week, but sadly I don not always stick to that!

Additional Tips
1. Printer Ink!
If you need to print something out but are running low on black ink, simply use a really dark blue and it will print fine.

2. Sleep!
This is one of the most crucial things you can have. You may or may not be aware that when you sleep, that is the time when your brain transfers all your memories into long term, so you are a lot more likely to remember things. Also it is really good for helping get rid of spots!

3. Chew Peppermint Gum!
This technique works well, but is flawed for some people. It has been scientifically proven that peppermint stimulates the brain and helps you remember things, same goes for mandarin. Also it is said that if you chew that same flavour gum when revising as when taking a test, you are more likely to remember things. However some schools, like mine, dont let you chew gum in school in which case this won't work for you.

I really hope, as always, that this article helped! I know exactly what it feels like to be totally unprepared for a test and not to remember anything, however much I revised.

Tschüs, adios, au revoir, and goodbye,
Teenage Blogger x

Question of the day: How much homework have you got this week?

My answer: LOADSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

What about you? Tell me in the comments!