Writing Scribblenauts: The True Story (Updated with Chapter 2)

Kingdra King

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Scribblenauts: The True Story



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Chapter 2


Chapter 1:

“If your notebook is so interesting Maxwell, then why don't you share it with the rest of the class.”

Maxwell looked up from his notebook to see Mr. Robinson, his science teacher, staring at him, along with the rest of the class.

“Sorry, Mr. Robinson” Maxwell said and looked down at his notebook. This wasn't anything special. There were only a few teachers who didn't care or at least didn't say anything when they caught him not listening and doodling in his notebook.

Maxwell's notebook was filled with random thoughts and stories that most 14 year old kids don't have. His mom would say that he was special, but he knew that he was just weird. Things had been tough for his mom lately, what with the divorce and all, and he didn't want to involve her in his school problems.

He doodled some angel wings and wrote in big capital letters above them one word: WINGS. Maxwell immediately felt horrible pain coming from his back.

“Mr. Robinson, may I be excused to go to the nurse?”

“Yes, but come back quickly. I don't want you missing any more lessons.”

Maxwell said thank you and rushed out of the class. He turned right, towards the bathroom, instead of towards the nurse's room. He tried to push past some kids who were skipping class in the hall, but was stopped by the biggest jock in the school, Matt Howard. Matt was the star of the school's football team and every girl's dream. He was Maxwell's worst nightmare.

“Where do you think you're going, Maxwell?” Matt said and pushed him up against the lockers.

“Come on, Matt. This really isn't a good time.” Maxwell was in some serious pain now.

“What's the matter, nerd? Rushing to the science lab?” Matt and his friends all laughed at this one, though Maxwell found it quite lame and, as a matter of fact, stupid.

“I actually just came from there. Could you let me go now, please?”

“What are you? Some kind of smart mouth? You can go now, but meet me after school for your regular beating.” Matt said and threw Maxwell on the floor.

Maxwell picked up his backpack and dashed down the hall. He burst into the restroom and got in the first stall.

“What's...happening...to me?” he whimpered in pain.

He took of his shirt and burst out of the stall. What he saw in the mirror was horrific and at the same time amazing. White angel wings had sprouted out of his back and were now flapping back and forth in the air. Maxwell looked at the floor and saw his open notebook. He picked it up and saw his doodles from science class. There was one word that stood out on the page. One word in bold capital letters:

WINGS.

Maxwell ripped the page out of the notebook, crumpled it, and threw it in the nearest toilet. The moment he flushed the water, the pain stopped. Maxwell looked back up at the mirror and what he saw amazed him even more. The wings were gone, and in the place where they flapped was just plain air.

He picked up his shirt, put it back on, collected his things, and started to walk back to class. Lucky for him, Matt and his pack of bullies were currently being led to the principle's office by Mrs. Rodriguez, his spanish teacher. Matt looked back and saw Maxwell staring at him. He mouthed the words “after school” and slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. Maxwell made sure that they were out of site and made his way into the science lab.

“So nice of you to join us again, Maxwell”, Mr. Robinson said. “Please return to your seat.”

Maxwell walked quickly past his classmates and sat down at his seat at the back of the class. He opened his notebook and tried to understand what had just happened.

He decided to do an experiment. Maxwell took out his pencil and wrote down another word, this time something that couldn't cause him pain in any way possible. He wrote down the word PEN, in bold capital letters, just like before. In front of him, it seemed like the air was shifting. A couple of seconds later, a black ball point pen, that seconds ago hadn't been there, dropped from the air onto his desk.

“Amazing” he said to himself.

“What was that, Maxwell?” Mr. Robinson said, though Maxwell didn't understand how he could hear him from all the way upfront.

“Nothing, sir.” Maxwell said.

“Come here please, Maxwell.” Mr. Robinson said and some of the students started chatting and giggling.

Maxwell got up and walked towards Mr. Robinson's desk. On the way he heard some students giggling and saying things like “What do you think will happen to him?' or “I heard that the last kid that Mr. Robinson called to his desk was...”. He didn't hear the end of that last sentence, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to, either.

“Yes, Mr. Robinson?” Maxwell said as he reached his desk.

“Stay here after school, okay? I need to have a conversation with you.” Mr. Robinson said and handed him a slip that had the time he wanted him to be there, but also something else. On the back of the note were eight words in Mr. Robinson's handwriting; “I need to talk to you. It's urgent.”

Maxwell didn't fully understand, but he didn't really care as well. A meeting with Mr. Robinson meant no meeting with Matt, and no meeting with Matt meant no getting pounded and no worrying his mom.

The bell rang which meant school was over. Students rushed out of class and headed towards their freedom, but Maxwell just got up and walked over to Mr. Robinson's desk.

“You wanted to see me, Mr. Robinson?” he asked.

“Yes, Maxwell. Please take a seat.”

Maxwell grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Mr. Robinson.

“You see, Maxwell. I think something happened today that caused you to run out of class like that. Just so you know, I saw you walk out of class and turn right towards the bathrooms, instead of going to the nurse's office. I was the one that called Mrs. Rodriguez so Matt Howard wouldn't bother you on your way back.”

“Well, I guess I should thank you.” Maxwell said, still not fully understanding what was going on.

“You're welcome but I wasn't finished.” Mr. Robinson said. “For some time I've been working on a project. The main goal was to see if the human mind could control things. I don't know if you've noticed it, but sometimes when I see you really concentrating on something, unexplainable things happen. For example, one time you were writing something in that notebook of yours, and suddenly the window broke.”

“I remember that.” Maxwell said. “I think I was drawing a baseball field, and just as I finished writing the word baseball, the window broke. Maybe a baseball hit it.”

“Maybe.” Mr. Robinson said. “Maxwell, I'm not sure how, but whatever you write in that notebook comes true. Can you tell me what happened today?”.

“I was just doodling a pair of wings, and suddenly my back started hurting like crazy. I rushed to the bathroom and when I took off my shirt, I had wings on my back. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.”

“So what happened to them?” Mr. Robinson asked in excitement.

“I was so amazed and scared that I ripped the page with the doodle out of my notebook and flushed it down the toilet. The second that the page was gone, so were the wings.”

“Simply amazing. What about what happened in class? I saw something fall on your desk.”

“I wanted to check that I wasn't crazy or something, so I wrote something else.” Maxwell said and leaned down to take something out of his bag. He took the notebook out and opened it on the page where he had written PEN. “I wrote down the word “pen”, and the air in front of me started shifting or something. The next thing I know, a pen appeared in the air and dropped on my desk.”

“Are you sure someone didn't throw it at you or something like that?” Mr. Robinson asked.

“I'm completely sure and I even have proof.” Maxwell pulled out the ball point pen and put it on the table.

“Do you think that I can see the notebook in action?”

“I think so” Maxwell said and started writing something down.

“What are you writing?” Mr. Robinson asked.

“I'm going for something small, so nothing dangerous happens. You'll see it in a second.”

A few seconds later Maxwell finished writing and the air above the desk started moving just like in class. A shiny coin appeared in the air and fell onto the desk. It rolled around for a few seconds until it finally came to a stop.

“I don't know what to say. I've never seen anything like this in my life.” Mr. Robinson said.

“Oh shoot!” Maxwell said and started getting up.

“What happened?” Mr. Robinson asked.

“I was supposed to be home right after school. I don't want my mom to worry. Do you know what time it is?”

“No, but I have an idea. Try creating a watch with the notebook.”

“I hope it will work.” Maxwell said and started writing.

A few seconds later a watch appeared on Maxwell's wrist.

“How did you get it to appear on you wrist?” Mr. Robinson asked.

“I don't know. I just thought about it.” Maxwell said, still I in a hurry to get home.

He looked at his brand new watch and saw that he was already late for lunch.

“I really have to go, Mr. Robinson. Can we continue this tomorrow?”

“Okay. Now hurry up and get home.”

Maxwell got out of the chair and dashed out of class. Lucky for him, his apartment was only a few blocks away. They used to live in a big house at the other end of town, but ever since the divorce, they had been saving money and so they moved to a smaller and cheaper place here. This forced him to change schools, which didn't really matter since he didn't have any friends at his old school anyways.

He reached his apartment building and went inside. There was no elevator so he started walking up the stairs. When he finally reached their apartment on the fifth floor, he knocked and his mother immediately opened the door. She had probably been sitting close to the door since she got home from the diner. Before the move, she hadn't worked since his dad made quite a lot of money. Now though, she had to work at any place that would accept her. She only got an hour for lunch break which she used to get home and make them some lunch, so he felt bad for making her waste most of it.

“Where were you? Are you out of your mind? I was so worried!” she said and hugged him.

“I'm fine mom, really. Mr. Robinson just needed to talk to me after school.”

“What would he need to talk to you for? Is something wrong?”

“No, mom. Everything's fine. I promise. Can we just sit down and eat?” he said.

“Okay. I brought us some sandwiches from work. I hope that you'll like it.”

She took two sandwiches out of a brown paper bag and handed one to him.

“I got you your favorite. It's a meatball sandwich!”

“Thanks mom.” Maxwell said and took the sandwich.

She probably used a big part of her paycheck for this, and Maxwell was sorry for that, but he was proud of her as well for working hard.

“So how was school today?” she asked.

Maxwell thought about telling her about the notebook and his talk with Mr. Robinson, but he decided not to worry her.

“It was okay. Same as always.” he said. “Can I go outside, please? Just to get some fresh air?”

“Okay, but if you're not back and I have to leave, I'll leave the key under the mat.”

“Okay mom, thanks!” he said and left the apartment.

When he got outside, he realized that his back still hurt a little because of the wings, and he really didn't want to walk around right now. As he thought this, a kid passed him on a bike, and that gave him an idea. Maxwell took out his notebook and wrote one word: BIKE. A few seconds later, a brand new green bike appeared in front of him.

“Now that is cool” he said and got on.

As he was riding his new bike down the street, he heard a woman yelling.

“Please, someone help me! My baby climbed on a ledge and she will fall if someone doesn't get her down from there.”

This gave Maxwell another idea. He quickly stopped in an alley so no one would see him and pulled out his notebook. He wrote down the word LADDER, and a few seconds later, a steel ladder appeared. Maxwell grabbed the ladder and ran to the lady. He leaned the ladder on a wall and climbed up to the baby. The baby climbed into his arms happily and they both returned to the ground.

“Here you go, miss. You're baby is safe now.” Maxwell said.

“Oh, thank you so much. I guess it was fate that you would be here with your ladder.” she said.

“Yeah, I guess it was fate” he said and smiled.

The woman left with her baby and Maxwell went back to his bike. He couldn't ride a bike with a ladder in his hand, so he crumpled the paper and threw it in the nearest garbage can. The ladder immediately disappeared. Maxwell smiled. He was starting to get the hang of this. He got on his bike and rode home.

He got to the apartment and tried to open the door, but it was locked. He checked under the mat, and the key was there. He picked it up and opened the door. When he got in, he put his bike in his room so his mom wouldn't see it, and took of the watch. He lay down on his bed and opened his journal. As he flipped through the pages, he saw doodles and words from earlier in the year. He wondered if those had been created as well. For now, all he could do was rest. He couldn't wait for the next exciting day.
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I realize that this story is long. Any new chapters will be linked in the first post.
 

HolyMackerel

been here forevs yo
Member
RE: Scribblenauts: The True Story

I like it, I think it's kind of rushing that he didn't even have to train really to make big things, like ladders and such, but you know, it's your story, maybe training just wouldn't be a good idea.
I look forward to more from this!
^_^
 

Kingdra King

User experience may vary
Member
RE: Scribblenauts: The True Story

Thanks! I didn't really see a ladder as a big thing. It's going to take some time until he makes helicopters and dinosaurs. I'm glad you like it!

Have you played the game?
 

Kingdra King

User experience may vary
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RE: Scribblenauts: The True Story

Thanks! I'm hoping to get the next chapter up today since I won't be online for the rest of the week.
 

Kingdra King

User experience may vary
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RE: Scribblenauts: The True Story

Chapter 2:

Maxwell woke up to the scent of pancakes, something he hadn't smelled in a while. He got out of bed and went to the kitchen.

“Good morning. I hope you want pancakes.” his mom said.

“Thanks, mom” Maxwell said and sat down.

He looked around the table for maple syrup, but it was nowhere to be found. They just didn't have enough money to let themselves enjoy these kinds of things.

“Mom, can I go to the bathroom?”.

“Of course. Just make it quick so the pancakes don't get cold.”

Maxwell got up and walked to the hall. He checked to see that he was out of sight and went into his room. His notebook was open on his bed. He spent the whole night doodling and writing, checking what he could do with the notebook. His pen was also there, so he picked it up and started writing two words: Maple Syrup. He waited for a few seconds, but nothing seemed to happen. Maxwell stared at the notebook for a minute or so, but everything just remained the same. Maybe he was crazy after all.

He left his room and returned to the kitchen. His mom was standing and staring at the open fridge.

“Is everything okay, mom?”

“I don't remember buying any maple syrup, but here it is anyways.” she said and took it out of the fridge.

“Well, I guess this must be our lucky day.” Maxwell said while trying to hold back a smile. He must have been thinking about the kitchen when he wrote the words. It was starting to get pretty easy to choose where the object will appear.

Maxwell finished his pancakes quickly and got ready for school. He put his notebook and pen in his backpack and headed out. When he got downstairs, he had an idea. He took out the notebook and wrote down LIMOUSINE. Nothing seemed to be happening, so he thought that maybe it would take some time to get here.

After a few minutes, he realized that it wasn't coming. He looked at the notebook and saw something that he hadn't seen before. There was some sort of meter located at the top of the page. At the bottom of was the number zero, and at the top the number three. The meter was a bright red color. This gave him another idea. Maxwell ripped out the page and threw it away. The meter immediately dropped to zero and was now the same color as the paper.

A few seconds later, a black limousine appeared in front of his building.

“Now, that is cool” he said and got in.

The limousine was amazing. There was a small fridge in every row. Maxwell opened it and his eyes lit up. The mini fridge was filled with candy and energy drinks. It was every kid's dream. He sat back and relaxed. The seat in front of him opened up and a television screen came out. This was heaven on earth.

After a few minutes of riding in style, the limousine arrived at the school. Maxwell got out and started walking towards the school building. All around him, kids were whispering and staring in awe at the limousine and at the kid who came out of it. Maxwell didn't get this much attention every day, and he kind of liked it.

He was just about to enter the school when Mr. Robinson stopped him.

“Did you enjoy your ride to school, Maxwell?” he asked and looked at the limousine which was still parked in front of the school.

“It was pretty nice.”

“Now come with me, please. I have something that I need to show you.”

Maxwell followed Mr. Robinson back to the limousine. They both got in, though Maxwell didn't really understand what was going on.

“Make it take us out of the city.”

“I guess I can try.” Maxwell said.

He concentrated as hard as he could, and a few moments later, the car started to drive itself out of town.

“Where are we going, exactly?” he asked. Maxwell had never been out of the city. He was kind of nervous.

“You'll see.” Mr. Robinson said.

When they passed the sign that said “Goodbye, have a nice day.”, Mr. Robinson asked him to stop the car. Maxwell concentrated again, and the car stopped. Mr. Robinson got out, and Maxwell followed.

“I've seen what you can do with your notebook and pen, Maxwell.” Mr. Robinson said. “You can do extraordinary things. Today I'll teach you how to master your “powers” and how to use them to help others.

“Okay, but what do I have to do.”

“Just follow me.” Mr. Robinson said and started walking towards a nearby forest. Maxwell followed him. This day was getting weirder by the moment.

When they were pretty deep into the forest, they stopped.

“I want you to make some sort of fire.” Mr. Robinson said.

Maxwell took out his notebook and pen and wrote down the word TORCH. Moments later, a flaming torch appeared in his hand.

“Excellent. Now, give it to me.”

Maxwell handed the torch over to Mr. Robinson.

“Now, put it out.” Mr. Robinson said.

“Put what out?” Maxwell asked, pretty confused,

“This.” Mr. Robinson said and threw the torch onto a nearby tree. The tree immediately caught fire and flames started climbing up the bark.

“Are you crazy?” Maxwell shouted. “We might burn down the whole forest. What do you want me to do with this?”

“Like I said, put it out.”

Maxwell quickly took out his notebook and started writing. A few seconds later, he felt a drop fall on his head. Rain started falling and quickly put out the miniature forest fire that had started.

“What did you write?” Mr. Robinson asked.

“I just wrote the word WATER. I didn't really care where it came from.” Maxwell said.

Rain drops hit the notebook and smudged the word that Maxwell had written only seconds ago. The rain stopped and the meter quickly dropped from one to zero.

“Very good.” Mr. Robinson said. “Now, come with me. I have one more thing to show you.”

Mr. Robinson started walking deeper into the forest and Maxwell followed.

“Where are you taking me?” Maxwell asked.

“You'll see.” Mr. Robinson said.

They finally reached a clearing, and Maxwell was amazed by what he saw. In front of them stood a huge building, three stories tall. On top of the building stood a big sign. On it was written in big, bold, black letters: Scribble Inc.

“What is this place?” Maxwell asked.

“I told you that I was researching your “powers”. This is the main facility where I do my research. Come inside, there are many things that I need to show you.

Maxwell followed him inside. They entered some sort of lobby. It looked like any boring office building.

“Good morning, Dr. Robinson.” the women sitting behind the counter said.

“Good morning, Alicia. This is Maxwell.” he said and put a hand on Maxwell's shoulder. “I think you know who he is.”

“Of course, Dr. Robinson. Dr. Shay is waiting for you upstairs.”

“Thank you, Alicia. Come on, Maxwell.” Mr. Robinson said.

“Wait a minute. Who's this Dr. Shay? Are there other people that know about my “powers.” Maxwell asked.

“There are many people who know exactly who you are, Maxwell.” Mr. Robinson said. “We have been studying you for a long time.”

Maxwell really didn't like the sound of that. He followed him into an elevator. Dr. Robinson pressed the number three, and they headed up to the third floor.

The elevator doors opened and Maxwell's jaw dropped. There were rows of hi-tech computer which were flashing with photos of him and his notebook. Glass chambers that looked like they were made for testing people were lined up against the walls. Maxwell wasn't so happy to see those.

“Come with me, Maxwell. There are some people that I would like you to meet.” Mr. Robinson said.

He led Maxwell to one of the computers. The screen was showing a picture of him coming out of the limousine which he had created. It was taken just this morning.

“This is Dr. Shaw. She and I are the main researchers on this project. I believe she has been waiting to meet you for a long time.”

Dr. Shaw got out of her chair. She was pretty tall and her blond hair almost reached the floor. She had glasses, but this only made her look smarter and more beautiful.

“Nice to finally meet you, Maxwell.” she said.

“Nice to meet you too, Dr. Shaw.” Maxwell said. He really hoped that he wasn't blushing.

“Can you come with me, please? I want to do a little test. I promise you that it won't hurt at all.”

“Sure.” he said and followed her to one of the glass chambers.

The door opened with a small hissing sound. There was nothing in the room except for a chair, a computer, and a small metal box.

“Please sit down.” Dr. Shaw said and pointed towards the chair.

Maxwell sat down in the chair. It was actually pretty comfortable.

“May I please have your notebook?” she asked.

“Okay, I guess.” Maxwell said and gave her the notebook.

Dr. Shaw took the notebook and placed it on some sort of platform. She then went to the computer and pressed a button and shades came down over the glass walls. The room was pretty dark now. Dr. Shaw took out the small metal box that Maxwell saw earlier. She punched in a code and the box opened slowly opened. A bright flash filled the room and Maxwell couldn't see for a few seconds.

“What is that?” he asked.

“This is one of our biggest secrets.” Dr. Shaw said. “This is a Starite.”

In the box was only one small thing. The small thing was shaped like a star and was the source of all the light.

“So what is a Starite, exactly?” Maxwell asked.

“A Starite is the source of your powers. It is why you can do what you can do. We believe that in every place that we find a Scribblnaut, we will also find a Starite.”

“Wait one second. What the heck is a Scribblenaut?”

“That answer is pretty simple.” Dr. Shaw said. “A Scribblenaut is anyone that can create things with their mind. The notebook is only a way of transferring from your mind to the real world.”

“So you're saying that I'm a Scribblenaut. Maxwell said.

“Exactly. Now, one more thing that you should know. Starites can only be found by Scribblenauts. This one was found by a Scribblenaut from New York City.”

“So you're saying that there are other Scribblenauts?”

“We believe that there are many Scribblenauts in the world. Some of our researchers are dedicated to finding other Scribblenauts. They are the ones that found you. We also had help form your teacher, Dr. Robinson.” Dr. Shaw said.

“So what test did you want to run on me?” Maxwell asked.

“Oh, we didn't really need to test you. We just needed to show you the Starite in private.” Dr. Shaw explained.

“Why are the Starites such a big secret? I mean, they're just stars after all.”

“They aren't just stars. The Starites are the source of you “powers”, Maxwell. Without Starites, your “powers” would disappear. That is exactly why we need you. We want you to go out and look for Starites. Dr. Robinson will accompany you on your journeys, and we will tell you where to go according to out researcher's findings on the whereabouts of new Scribblenauts.” Dr. Shaw said.

“What about school and my mom? I don't want her to worry.” Maxwell said.

“We'll take care of all that, trust us. Your mom will think that you went on a paid school trip.”

“Okay, when do we start?” Maxwell asked.

“First thing tomorrow morning. A school bus will pick you up at your house. From there you will head off to your first mission. For now, go home and pack your things. Your mother already nows about the trip. Mr. Robinson will accompany you home.”

Maxwell and Mr. Robinson started walking towards the elevator.

“Don't worry, you'll do great.” Mr. Robinson said.

“Yeah, I guess.” Maxwell said.

They entered the elevator, but were stopped by Dr. Shaw.

“Maxwell, I forgot to tell you one thing.” she said.

“And that is...?” he asked.

“Good luck.” she said. “You'll need it.”

The elevator doors closed, and Maxwell knew that he was on his way to a exciting but probably dangerous journey.
 

HolyMackerel

been here forevs yo
Member
RE: Scribblenauts: The True Story

I don't know..this chapter kind of felt a bit short but you know, what the hey! I'm excited for more!
 

Kingdra King

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It was about 400 words shorter than the first one. Sorry about that. Other than that, did you like it?
 

HolyMackerel

been here forevs yo
Member
Kingdra King said:
It was about 400 words shorter than the first one. Sorry about that. Other than that, did you like it?

Yes, I liked it.
I always enjoy reading works like this, and reading, period, but you know, I feel(this doesn't go for any others...(Zyflair)...) that this could have more description, but thats just me.
 

Bulbabuddy

The King of Gloom
Member
Eh, the plot is enjoyable enough. Your dialogue however is rather simple, and you use the words "said" and "asked" too much. More description, please.
 

HolyMackerel

been here forevs yo
Member
RE: Scribblenauts: The True Story

Kingdra King said:
“Where are we going, exactly?” he questioned. Maxwell had never been out of the city. He was kind of nervous.
Yah, instead of asked, questioned can always be an option.


Kingdra King said:
“You'll see.” Mr. Robinson stated.
said can be stated...



Kingdra King said:
“Okay, but what do I have to do?
That was just a grammar thing I was annoyed with...


Kingdra King said:
“May I please have your notebook?” she pleaded.
pleaded instead of asked, when a person is asking to have something...



Kingdra King said:
“That answer is pretty simple.” Dr. Shaw started to explain. “A Scribblenaut is anyone that can create things with their mind. The notebook is only a way of transferring from your mind to the real world.”
when a character is explaining something you can just say that they started to explain something, instead of saying they just said something.


Kingdra King said:
“So you're saying that I'm a Scribblenaut?" Maxwell said.
just another gammar thing I was annoyed with...



well, thats it for my thing...
 

Rock Wrecker

I want to be a Pokemon master :-)
Member
I really like this story. Usually, I'll get bored of most of the story's in the writing corner, but this one is great. I loved the game, but there was now story to it. If there was a prequel game this would be a perfect storyline.
 

Kingdra King

User experience may vary
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@aggiegwyn: Thanks! You don't know how long I've been bothered by using "asked" and "said" too much.

I'm glad that you guys like this story. Hopefully, chapter 3 will be up in the next few days.
 

HolyMackerel

been here forevs yo
Member
Kingdra King said:
@aggiegwyn: Thanks! You don't know how long I've been bothered by using "asked" and "said" too much.

I'm glad that you guys like this story. Hopefully, chapter 3 will be up in the next few days.

No prob, writers help out writers yah know?
 

Zyflair

Yes, sir. Of course, sir.
Advanced Member
Member
Ever heard of the suspension of disbelief? It's exactly what it sounds like: holding off a person's disbelief. This concept is crucial in science fiction; because you are introducing a world that we are not (supposed to be) familiar with, it becomes important to make sure we go along with the story rather than crossing our arms and saying “Psh, as if this would ever happen.” Since we know this is sci-fi, we realize that the story might not follow normal logic and principles.

However, despite that, your plot must line up with common sense, even though the world’s logic does not. This fiction suffers an interesting illness that I shall now dub “authorial convenience.” The plot lines up way too nicely and challenges the normal reader (as I gave up by the end of Chapter One to suspend my disbelief) to agree with quite a few coincidences and logical fallacies.

For one, out protagonist, Maxwell, is a Scribblenaut and soon discovers his powers. However, his teacher, Mr. Robinson, just happens to be a secret researcher that is studying him. Any reader paying close attention would just stop and go:

Wait, what? Did I miss something?

Without warning, we are set into a coincidence, which never work in any type of fiction. When the author creates a coincidence, his or her credibility suffers because the reader feels as if he or she has been cheated: for the writer’s convenience, he/she just creates a coincidence to push along the plot. This error is easily solved: explain the coincidence so that it no longer becomes a coincidence. An easy method is the “we have tracked you down and I had begun to monitor your progress by becoming your teacher” explanation. A more experienced writer would hint that Mr. Robinson is not simply a teacher as the story moves along so when he reveals his identity to Maxwell, we go “Aha” and then move on.

Authorial convenience is not only about creating coincidences, but also jumping facts to propel the plot. In your case, it’s making the excuse of “telling the mother that Maxwell is going on a field trip.” I know about going on field trips, and – over here - they require something called paperwork. Even if that is not needed, Maxwell’s mother should have at least talked to Maxwell about this “filed trip,” yet she hasn’t, meaning either they will notify his mother about the trip as they’re talking to Maxwell, or his mother does not speak to him a lot about current events. Either way, something seems amiss.

You’re a decent writer, but do try to slowly consider your facts. Science fiction is extremely sensitive to plot faults, and I am sure you can avoid making it your downfall.
 
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