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This week: Happy Birthday Writing.com Edited by: Prosperous Snow celebrating  
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Happy Birthday Writing.com!
Seventeen is an auspicious number,
almost old enough to vote
old enough to have certain legal rights
you didn't have at sixteen
(this depends on the state
and part of the world you live in).
Happy Birthday Writing.com!
May your maturing years
increase you creativity,
wisdom, and joy.
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Birthday traditions vary across the world, and across families. Some of the traditions are weird, while others are scary. As science fiction and fantasy writers, we need to investigate these traditions in order to enhance our stories and make our characters more human. I can testify, from personal experience, that a birthday tradition can cause trauma that last the rest of the person's life, unless the person finds a way to deal with it.
When I was growing up, it was a tradition to give a child a swat on the bottom for every year of their life plus one to grow on. Oddly enough, it was not this tradition that caused me the most trauma. The family tradition that caused me the most trauma, had to do with the date of my birthday. I was born on Christmas Eve, and one of the traditions in my family was to allow my siblings to open one Christmas present after I opened my birthday present. At 70, I know my parents were just attempting to be fair to all four of us, but sometime attempts to be fair to everyone backfires and causes "birthday" issues.
When you create a character look at their birthday, and the traditions of the culture. The birth date of the character can help you identify two things. First, their astrological sign can identify some of their strengths and weaknesses. Second, the birthday traditions of the culture or the family could indicate a traumatic moment in the character's childhood that they are still dealing with. This could be something the character has to overcome in the story.
A few interesting and weird birthday traditions from across the planet. First, nose grease, in this tradition, the birthday person is ambushed and their nose greased with butter. Second, consume a plate of long noodles for a long life. (I might try this one on my next birthday.) Third, ambush the birthday person and coat them with flour, this is called antiquing. Fourth, (which is my favorite) a Piñata filled with candy. For more birthday traditions Google "Birthday traditions across the world". What is your favorite or least favorite birthday tradition in your family or culture?
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Excerpt: The enemy had thought us beaten. Our cities had been razed, our lands glassed, our ships pounded into orbital debris. And how could we not be beaten, with their soldiers rooting out and crushing the last remnants of our militaries? They had left a token force of merely a few dozen million to watch over our worlds, and brought the rest to fronts unknown in some far-flung part of the Galaxy. It was obvious that they thought of us as ants - how could they not, when they were so large, and we so small?
"Chapter 1"
Excerpt: Captain Scott startled awake by the sound of the alert klaxon blaring. The lights snapped on forcing him to squint in pain. Lieutenant Wilkes’s voice blared over the general all-ship intercom. “General quarters, general quarters. All hands, man your battle stations. This is not a drill. Captain Scott, please come to the bridge.”
Excerpt: A witch called Wendy Smith
lived far from any town
inside a cabin deep within the woods.
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Excerpt: Theia watched as Rijken sat by himself on the far edge of the cliff, on the other side of the blowhole. Silhouetted against the muddied line dividing sea and sky, stars spilling over from one side to the other, the under-dweller appeared no more than a stony outcrop, so still was he.
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Excerpt: Vanya was filled with excitement. She was already running round their small apartment filled with excitement. Meanwhile Sophia was trying to get herself organised. For her long life she had been preparing, she knew, for this day. Her young charge, Vanya, had shown a great deal of aptitude already and she was convinced that today the social beaurocrats would also recognise the gifts in Vanya and she would be selected to be promoted through to the next level. It would then confirm that she would be on the pathway to the ultimate governance of the place.
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Excerpt: One day at the library I found something so cool.
So cool, I took it home, today I brought it to school.
I wandered into a stock room, by ways of a wrong door.
There sat a robot on a stack of books upon the floor.
Excerpt: I flickered back into existence, each time I went out, it hurt like hell. After I was fully formed, I stayed on the ground for a second. To stand up right away, would give those hunting me the knowledge of my location, and my bones a chance to ache again. When I heard no sound, I stood up. I was at least 5 miles from where I had been shot and killed.
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The bald writer  writes: I am also a participant in got. The reviewing is scary for me. I never felt myself a fair reviewer. Being in the game gives me a chance to Review and and hopefully improve. The other thing I have difficult in is self editing. Another type of reviewing. Hpefully improving in one will assist me in the other.
dragonwoman  writes: Thanks for including my first attempt at steampunk in the newsletter, so excited!
You're welcome! Prosperous Snow celebrating
QPdoll is Grateful writes: Hi, Neva.
I am a proud member of The Paper Doll Gang and us as a group does reviews, but not just reviews, they must provide quality over quantity. We pride ourselves on the fact that we provide strong reviews. I've learned to give quality reviews from this group.
I've also taken The Keys to Dynamic Reviewing through the New Horizon's Academy. I would recommend the class to anyone who wants to learn to give better, quality reviews.
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Fantasy: September 06, 2017 Issue [#8481]
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