Goblin Secrets

"Quite right," said Thomas. "As with a charm or a chant, the world might change to fit the shape of your words. Your own belief becomes contagious. Others catch it. You believed yourself a giant when you spoke as a giant, and so you became one. Your audience regarded you as one. They knew better, but they believed it anyway."

 "I got taller?" Rownie asked.

"Everyone thought so," said Thomas, "so please don't declaim anything at all while wearing another face - most especially anything about yourself. Don't say any lines Semele did not write for you. And remember, always remember, that curses and charms have consequences. You set yourself apart from the world by changing the shape of it."

 

Goblin Secrets by William Alexander.

Sometimes a book comes along that you hear is going to be magic and it lets you down. That is not this book. I had reservations, but this book moves along at a river's pace. It doesn't explain things to you, it shows you and knows you'll be clever enough to learn on your own how to swim. It sweeps you along and you forget to question it, but learn to live it.

The story of Rownie and his quest of discovery is one many teens can relate to. This book is of special interest to anyone with an interest in acting. The fantastical is beautiful, but the power of actors is so strong that it can fill anyone with the passion to pursue acting and learning to make your mark in this world.

Figment

Social media has become the way to share ideas. Facebook keeps us in touch with the daily lives of our friends, Pinterest gives us a place to collect bookmarks in a fun new way, Tumblr shows off all the great things we find the moment we find them - no more forgetting to share a picture later!

Social media websites to share writing have existed, but never in so bright and fun a way as Figment.com currently offers. In the past websites, like sister sites FictionPress.com and FanFiction.net, have provided a place for anyone to share what they have written in a very efficient manner, but websites that provided a place to share and a cozy and fun atmosphere have been lacking. Figment.com, however, is changing that, one young writer at a time.

Figment.com looks like how one might imagine a teen-based coffee lounge would appear. Many writers on the site are tweens, teens, and young adults, and reading works by your peers and sharing your own work with your peers seems to have made a boom in the writing world.

Encouraging writing in any form - be it nonfictional essays for school or fantastical fiction on the side - improves language skills at any age, and Figment definitely knows how to make it fun. Add to that their daily offerings of inspiration and idea springboards and a multitude of writing contests, and there's little that Figment can't do to encourage people of all ages to write every day.

There's a Samma Lynne on Figment.com! I'll slowly be sharing writing from all stages of my writing career under that username, if you would like to explore my little worlds, or share with me any of your own stories!