Neopian Times Readers Appreciation (NTRA)

[Tiger]

I'll write up a letter or two sometime in the near future...might not get done until around Christmas-ish, but I'll do it =)

As for the highlights section- as of now, at least, I think it highlights a very small range of all the stuff in the Times, and there are so many stories (and so many different interests among readers) that it would be difficult to catalog them all, at least not without regular updates =/

Maybe a better idea would be to link to articles about how to get into the Times? How to write, roleplay, make comics...I'm not sure how feasable this would be, though, or if it would end up seeming more like a tangent to the purpose of promoting the Neopian Times.

[Kat]

Well, we're promoting the Neopian Times by showing people how to get into it in the first place.

I've been putting off writing my own personal guide to the 'Times, which should be on a petpage. Maybe this will encourage me to start on it already. And I've got an idea for an article on how to get ideas. ^^

[Pacmanite]

A how-to section would be a great idea Tiger ^^ And handy, since I also own a comic guide, so I could put a link to it there. I'll see if I can find more guides to writing for the NT on neo, then I'll put up the new section. I think I can get rid of the highlights now. =D

*is also trying to finish another piece of fanart for the fanart section*

[Jade]

I can make some buttons when I have the time; I like this idea, so I'll help as much as I can I have that pic of Ami hugging all those white weewoos that I can use

For highlights, I highly suggest A Different Faerie by Tdyans; it was the first story in the NT I had read, and is what inspired me to create comics for the NT in the first place ;D

[Pacmanite]

Dec 10, 2008 2:20:27 GMT -5 Jade said:

I can make some buttons when I have the time; I like this idea, so I'll help as much as I can I have that pic of Ami hugging all those white weewoos that I can use

For highlights, I highly suggest A Different Faerie by Tdyans; it was the first story in the NT I had read, and is what inspired me to create comics for the NT in the first place ;D

That's awesome, Jade, buttons are such a great help for our page ^^ And thanks for the suggestion for the highlights section, though regrettably, I think I might actually take the highlights section off the page, because it's a bit too much work to keep it updated regularly.

(gosh, I'm so lazy I hardly ever update my awards section on H33lix's petpage, and that doesn't need half the work to keep up as this highlights section would... ^^; )

[Pacmanite]

SPOILER: Click to show

There, finished that piece of fanart I was working on ^^ And now there are two pieces of fanart in the fanart section. Yay! It could be called a veritable collection now! www.neopets.com/~NTReaders#fanart

edit: I also added all the links I could find (is 75 overkill? Lol!) to the how-to-get-into-the-NT section. Phew, there seem to be a LOT of articles written on the subject of writing. And quite a lot less on comic-making xD Maybe comic writers aren't so good at writing long articles.

[Jade]

Here are some buttons!
I hope you like them ;D







I have also written a letter of encouragement for aspiring authors and artists:

SPOILER: Click to show

Salutations, fellow readers!

As I am relatively new to the world of the Neopian Times, I feel that I have no place to offer advice to those who aspire to grace its pages with untold stories of adventure and valor; articles that help broaden our understanding of the Neopian world around us; and comics that touch our hearts and make us smile.

No, my limited experience is not enough to help you cross the threshold of publication. But what I can offer you is encouragement.

If you feel your work may not be good enough to get in the Neopian Times, try. If you work hard enough in anything you do, you will see results, and this is no exception. Get critique, practice your writing or drawing, do whatever you feel would help you improve. Simply making the effort is your first step into being in the Neopian Times, and sometimes it's the hardest step to take.

I remember what started me on my Neopian Writer's journey. I had just read a story called A Different Faerie, by Tdyans. I was so inspired that right then and there I decided that I wanted to submit my work into the Times too! Of course, I didn't get accepted right away, and with each rejection I felt that I simply wasn't good enough to get in; but I worked hard at it and eventually I succeeded. And along the way I met many friendly people who were also Times enthusiasts, and they helped critique my comics and give suggestions on how to improve. I even gained confidence and branched out into writing stories too, something I felt very weak in originally.

My journey is far from over, but I hope I helped you in taking that very first step.

[Pacmanite]

Awww, the buttons are so pretty Jade @_@ And thanks for the letter of encouragement! Sorry about taking a bit of a while to update, I've had my laptop at the IT department for some time ^^

I'll need to put together a list of all the button makers and credit them properly on the page somehow. I think I might make a table for the buttons section, so I can put the names and usernames right next to the buttons they made. It's a bit of a squeeze 'coz I didn't give myself much room in the layout with its "paper scroll" theme... hmm, maybe I shouldn't have put the buttons in a scrolling div then, I'll have more room to fit tabley things if there isn't that scroll bar going down the side. I'll think of something snazzy eventually.