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Typo Alley~A: Part One

by r4p17


A Part One

Racen wandered around. She had just popped up in a random building without any warning. It was rather strange. She had the knowledge of an adult and yet he was only a few seconds old. She felt the presence of someone behind him. He spun round and saw a fat, midget standing in front of her. What in the world! Of all people why did I have to get thrown in this place with him? He looks so...ugly. Yuck!

"Hello," the short creature said. "My name is RP417. I am a dwarf in case you didn't guess."

Racen could hardly contain herself from laughing. He is hilarious. His voice is soooo deep.

"Um...ok. Do you have any idea how we got here or not, because I certainly don't?"

"Ah! I think I know the answer to that. The Author, the man who created this world lives upstairs. I talked to him through the speaker system. His secretary, Ginger the tabby cat, is up there now." What! Racen couldn't believe that she was being ruled over, at least in part, by a cat! That was crazy! She was an elf!

"I cannot believe that the author would do anything as mean as that!"

"What do you mean? You think it is mean that his secretary is a cat?" RP417 rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. It was made up square, glass tiles that were lit up by silvery lights. Racen followed his gaze and saw the form of a orange striped tabby cat sprawled out on the glass floor. Aside from that he couldn't see anything.

All of a sudden some form of external light invaded the room. Racen turned to see the Author walking into the room with a rectangular silvery item in his one hand and a black briefcase in the other hand. Racen didn't know why, but she felt some force pulling him toward the Author.

"Hello," the author said setting his briefcase on a desk that came up from out of the ground.

"Hi," Racen replied. "I have a question. What's that silver rectangle?" Racen watched as the author moved his lips as if he were saying the word until the realization dawned on him. Racen was talking about his iPad. The author chuckled and cleared his throat before answering her. She started growing impatient. Just hurry up already!

"This is called an iPad. I use it for writing, reading and some other things like that." Racen stared blankly at the Author. Does this guy think I know what what all these things mean. "An iPad is an electronic device. But you don't need to know about that right now."

"I would like to ask you a question. Why in the world am I ruled over by a cat?" The author raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat before addressing Racen.

"Ah ah ah! Ginger is just my AE (Alter Ego) who calls himself a secretary. He is really more of a...oh what's the word...an advisor." Racen chuckled silently. This Author can't even figure out the right words to use. He must be a terrible writer I hope he doesn't turn me into a fool!

"I can tell you are very opinionated!" the Author said reading Racen's thoughts. She fumed.

"What? You can't read my thoughts!" Racen said clambering to reset the world's settings.

"Oh no you don't. I as the Author can do anything I want in this story. Now you come back to this very spot or else I will take away your ability to change the settings. You need to learn to behave or else I will have to lock you up in that closet Racen.

"Alright—but what am I supposed to do with a boring oaf like that stupid RP...dwarf...punk?"

"Hey! That isn't very nice! I told you to behave. You might just want to ask him, not RP dwarf punk, a few questions about where he is from. You could even ask him how he got his name."

Well, I suppose that isn't all that bad of an idea. The only problem is it comes from the Author who seems to tell me everything I should do! Racen eventually made up her mind and walked over where RP417 was sitting on a wooden stool chewing on some beef jerky and sharpening a pocket knife. I wonder how in the world he came by that stool and a pocket knife. He may have had the knife in his pocket, though I know that, that stool wasn't there a minute ago. Strange!

"Where did you get that stool?" Racen asked brushing some wisps of hair out of her eyes.

"Ginger threw it down here because it was too uncomfortable for him. But it is fine for me!"

"I see. If you don't mind my asking, how did you come to get a name like RP whatever it is?"

"Hahaha! Funny you asked. You see, the reason this is called Typo Alley, is because at one time someone thought the Author's username, for the writers society he is on, should be RP417. That was how I was named. You also came about because of a typo. Every user who has a misspelled name is sent here. Speaking of which, I think I see some newcomers heading here right now." With a whoosh, an elephant and a wolf appeared in Typo Alley! And thus the plot began to thicken!


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ChieTheWriter wrote a review...



Ok, I have no idea why that didn't work. Who cares.

Hey Arfour! (It's OK if I call you that right?) Anyway, I reviewing this...or at least trying to. Whatever.

It was great! I love original stories like this. It takes someone really creative to take random things like typos, usernames, droids, elves and iPads, and put them together in a neat story. I see how you based this off some sort-of-real things like a username miss-read and the like. I like original stories, and this one was exceptionally...original. I loved it.




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Wed Mar 25, 2015 3:27 pm
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Pretzelstick says...



Heya so I know that you have never read my reviews(you said so on pretzelsing thread) so I will review your novel. I will read it from beginning to end but I have a 5- policy(meaning that if there are five or less reviews I will review it-if more than I think that you have enough advice ;)) Anyways I will read this and go onto the next chapter ;D




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Sun Feb 22, 2015 3:38 am
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Noelle wrote a review...



Hi there! Noelle here for a Review Day review!

I've been promising myself that I'd review your novel. What better time to start than Review Day? :D

Disclaimer: I haven't read any of the other reviews so if I repeat anything just ignore my ignorance ;)

She had just popped up in a random building without any warning.

I totally understand what you're trying to say here, but it's a bit informal the way you've said it. You're saying that she doesn't know what building she's in, yes? Wouldn't it be better to say something about how she wasn't aware of her surroundings? Saying "a random building" is simple.

Side note. I totally remember all of these conversations in chat and I'm so happy reading about it all again. It's making me laugh xD Good memories.

I feel like your characters are being introduced a bit too quickly. First off we see Racen. Not long after we meet RP. Then not long after he's talking about the Author, the Author shows up. It's all moving so quickly and I barely have time to process it all. Slow it down a bit and really help us learn more about your characters. We know certain things about them, but not enough to really understand them yet. That's something that you can do across the next few chapters, but it's always important to introduce your characters well.

Racen is probably my favorite character! Yes, I've chosen one already ^_^ it'll change at least four times because I'm so indecisive She's sarcastic and funny and her comedic timing is great. She even has a certain voice to her that I can really point out. I like when writers can do that with characters. It really makes them come alive.

This is definitely different than anything that I have read on here, or anywhere really. And that's totally cool! It's definitely not formally written and leans toward comedy rather than anything else. I like that, it makes it original. It also gives you so much leeway. There really doesn't seem to be any limits here and there might not ever be. There's so many places that you can take this and I can't wait to see what you've done with it!

Keep writing!
**Noelle**




r4p17 says...


Hey Noelleee! Thanks for the review! <3

This chapter was very comedic. I might end up getting rid of it, or totally reworking it, but thanks anyways!

I'm glad you like Racen. I actually switch to FP Present Tense back in B or C upon Wold's recommendation. ;) I need to change the VP in this later on. :P



Wolfare1 says...


Noelle o.o You're following so many novels, why are you putting yourself with another one??



Noelle says...


Psh, I can totally review all the novels. I have plenty of time >.>



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Mon Jan 05, 2015 10:54 am
Burrow says...



man this, is so well thought-out and funny, you have a big imagination and huge comedy R4. I cant wait to read more of this :D




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Sun Dec 21, 2014 7:10 pm
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PickledChrissy wrote a review...



Heya, r4! Chrissy here for a review!

A couple nitpicks, that's all.

I as the Author can do anything I want in this story.


It's supposed to be...

I, as the Author, can do anything I want in this story.


See what I mean? It's funny to correct someone for something that you just fixed in your own writing! :)

You need to learn to behave or else I will have to lock you up in that closet Racen.


You forgot the comma between Racen and the rest of the sentence. Cool name, by the way.

I think you are having to much fun, r4! A elephant and a wolf? How did that happen? I love it! I definitely will be reading the other ones.

Until the next one!




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Wed Nov 26, 2014 9:41 am
ChummyJinx wrote a review...



This is certainly random, as you had advertised it, but I find it intriguing. I’m pretty excited to see what’ll come next.
Overall, I liked how quickly things moved along in this. It kept me engaged.
There were some parts I thought could have done with more “beefing up;” more description. I don’t mean long, monotonous descriptions, but more specific words to bring the reader into the world of your story how you want it to look and feel like.

Below are just some technical things I had issues with:

"She had the knowledge of an adult"
You have an opportunity here to elaborate or to be more specific. An adult is a pretty broad noun; there are all sorts out there. What does she know?

"What! Racen couldn't believe that she was being ruled over, at least in part, by a cat! That was crazy! She was an elf!"
In being consistent with the previously italicized inner monologues, this should be in first person. This is Racen’s voice, not the narrator’s.

"It was made up square, glass tiles"
It was made of square, glass tiles

"All of a sudden some form of external light invaded the room."
This allows the reader to use his/her own imagination. I, personally, would prefer to know more about this light. A blinding one? An ominously red one?

"a rectangular silvery item in his one hand and a black briefcase in the other hand."
a rectangular silvery item in one hand and a black briefcase in the other.

"Racen didn't know why, but she felt some force pulling him toward the Author."
Again, “some” is very vague. You have an opportunity here to describe (briefly, even) what kind of pull.

"the author"
Sometimes the “a” is capitalized, sometimes it isn’t. You should pick one or the other and stick with it.

"Does this guy think I know what what all these things mean."
End this with a question mark.

See you next chapter~




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Sat Aug 23, 2014 9:14 pm
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Deanie wrote a review...



Hi r4p17!

First off, I am so sorry for it taking so long for me to get here! And I don't even have the excuse of having started school again... um, let's just say life is crazy and hectic and sometimes I am a bit slow on getting around to doing things >.>

When I picked this story up, I had no idea what it was going to be about. I never expect authors talking to characters and cats who are alter egos and secretaries. Really, I don't know how the idea couldn't have passed my mind ;) I don't know where this came from, but I love it and wonder what type of story this is going to morph into. There is just so much you can do with it! I don't know if you have ever seen this movie, but it kind of makes me think of Ruby Sparks. Or the Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch, because of the light hearted humor in here. It's a great style of writing to have.

Racen wandered around. She had just popped up in a random building without any warning. It was rather strange. She had the knowledge of an adult and yet he was only a few seconds old.


Oh wow! This is a really weird opening because it's so sudden, and yet it gets downplayed! I feel like this should be something important that occurs in the chapter because well, it's the beginning. How does it feel to suddenly appear somewhere. Does she stumble around and try to get her footing? Does she have any recollection of a past life or earlier moments than this? I wonder about her suddenly having the knowledge of an adult as well. Does everything whirl in her head as it tucks itself away in her brain, is she confused for a few moments before everything clicks again? I feel like there needs to be more drama around her sudden "birth" if you can call it that. It's something that shocks the reader from the beginning and clearly says this is not any story. So, show off in what ways it's different! Make a big show of it!

She felt the presence of someone behind him. He spun round and saw a fat,


I think these were the typos Elinor Brynn was referring to but I feel the need to point this one out specifically because it needs correcting for me to kind of get what is going on. You switch from she and her to him and he. Immediately I just assumed it was a mistake and you were actually talking about a different character. So make sure you keep the right character with the right gender ;)

He is hilarious. His voice is soooo deep.


Hm, I thought you said she had all the knowledge of an adult? Because this doesn't really make her sound like she is an adult. Maybe in that case, make her have all the knowledge and actions of a teenager instead? Because of the way she acts, impatient and the way she speaks, I think having her be a teenager would be more realistic. And better suited to her character.

"Um...ok


This is really a pet peeve of mine, but it should be corrected anyway. When it comes to an ellipsis, always make sure there is a space between the dots and the second word. If you don't have that all important space, the words are actually connected. Which means this says umok, which doesn't make sense. We need that space in there!

Does this guy think I know what what all these things mean


Wait a sec... I thought she had the knowledge of an adult? That way she should, technically, know what all those words mean! How does this fit into the picture? Also you doubled up on the word 'what' in this sentence.

One other nitpick is that you kept switching between the word author and Author. Both are correct, but sometimes you capitalize it and other times you don't. I suggest you choose one and stick to it. Author makes it a name, but author makes it just a job.

You need to learn to behave or else I will have to lock you up in that closet Racen.


Here, you need a comma after the word closet. Also, you forgot the closing speech marks.

This was a brilliant beginning to a story that could go in any direction. I best keep reading so I know which direction it actually does take. Keep up the good work ;)

Deanie x




r4p17 says...


Thanks for the review. Pointing out all the minor errors helped. ;) I should probably go back and fix the errors in this. :P



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Sun Jul 27, 2014 9:36 pm
Elinor wrote a review...



Hey,

So, this was cute and definitely an enjoyable read. It was definitely a nice mix of fantasy and modern day reality. I don't know if this what you were going for, but I got kind of a Harry Potter vibe from it, and I'm always curious about stories that break the fourth wall, with the introduction of the author as a character.

One suggestion I'd have when you revise this is to proofread it before you post- while I was reading, I noticed several typos that took away from the reality of the story. I'd also look up how to use commas properly- there are commas where there shouldn't be and and there aren't commas where there should be. It takes practice, but you'll get the hang of it. I'd also like to see more of the author, but so far your characters are well thought out.

Best of luck! Catch you on the second part very soon!

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r4p17 says...


Thanks for the review, Elinor!



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Sun Jul 27, 2014 2:23 am
Kelpies wrote a review...



Hello r4p17!

I could barely contain my laughter when I realized what was going on. It's a great plot! I can't think of any place where it came from, other than your imagination, unlike my stories which always have an origin somewhere in mythology. I also really like the part about Ginger being the advisor, it's a hoot! However, though this is called typo alley, I could only find two pieces that lived up to it's name!


"Why in the world am I ruled over by a cat?" I think you mean"Why in the world I am in ruled over by a cat?".

"Racen eventually made up her mind and walked over where RP417 was sitting on a wooden stool chewing on some beef jerky and sharpening a pocket knife. I wonder how in the world he came by that stool and a pocket knife. He may have had the knife in his pocket, though I know that, that stool wasn't there a minute ago. Strange!"

Above, this section is in italics. I do not think you meant it as such.


Otherwise, It's perfect!

~Kelpies




r4p17 says...


Thanks for the review, Kelpies. The Typos originated in the YWS chatroom, though the rest of the story did come from my head...mostly. Anyhow I am glad you liked it!



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Sun Jul 27, 2014 12:40 am
AdmiralKat wrote a review...



Hello! KatyaElefant here for a review! Happy Review Day! Let's catch 'em all and start reviewing!

I have no complaints against this story so I will be just talking about everything that I love about it. The narrator is so true to my heart. Just I want this to happen! Why is that and how are you doing that? I can do ANYTHING because this is MY story! MUHAHAH! I think that in the end the author should be the villain that they try to take down! That would be a great mission that is almost impossible for these mortal and deformed characters XD I love the end of this part where an elephant and a wolf appear. It's great because I know that this is me and wolf and that is awesome when you are included inside a story! :D The imagery is great. I could imagine this scene inside my head. You might want to later explain the elephant and the wolf's characters. Like what kind of fur does the wolf have? How big is the elephant? Stuff like that. I just realized that I am making a block paragraph! Ughh! *tries to ignore it* This is labeled under the right place. This story is just so original and only people that are on YWS will understand it! When I read this, I want more and more and more! Please try to move your bottom so that I can read this. Be sure to tell me when another one comes out (I will be sure to read your other stories). Keep calm and keep writing! Have a nice review day! :D

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r4p17 says...


Thanks for the review! I am glad you liked this. Unfortunately the author will probably just pop in and out of the story and not be a main character. But I am glad you liked him!



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Mon Jul 07, 2014 11:08 pm
r4p17 says...



Just to let all of you who were confused by the thoughts not being in italics, I fixed that.






Enjoying this much more with the italics, I now definitely want to see where this is going!



Thewriter13 says...


I had no idea you actually started writing a story about it! XD Oh that was a great chat room day :D



r4p17 says...


Yes! I know.



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Mon Jul 07, 2014 10:22 pm
unpublishedperson wrote a review...



Hello, unpublished-person here to review!

Overall I felt that this worked well as a humor piece, once it was clear to me that this was intended to be a humor piece.

The concept of the Author as a central character is interesting, not to mention amusing, and he very much made the piece worth the read. The character of the dwarf, however, did not seem as developed or interesting, and was not compelling in the way that the author was. I feel that you are going to need to do some more development of him, maybe give him more time in the story.

The big thing here to fix, and also the easiest, is just to italicize the first person POV sections of this! I liked them, they really were the only thing that really showed me what type of character
Racen was, but you need to indicated that the text in the first person is her's! That is what tells me, the reader, why I should care about Racen, and without it, this chapter is simply not as interesting, so please italicize that!




r4p17 says...


I tried to italicize her thoughts once though for some reason it didn't work. I am still trying to work on that. Thanks for the review!





Ok that makes sense then. Sorry if I missed anything about that.



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Fri Jul 04, 2014 1:21 pm
happyface wrote a review...



Well... I did liked your fast - Lining story... But, I think there were too many words. Or a sentence of contary. And... I kinda think that your intro was too sudden. Now that kinda ruined the story for me. Other things, I have to say that I really liked the story about this one. Is it suppose to be a sci fi? If it is, is it going to be a steam punk? Or is it going to be just a normal Arthur C Clark type novel?

I'll Be looking forward to read more of your awesome stories!
From. Daniel. :)




r4p17 says...


This is supposed to be fantasy happyface. I changed the genre.



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Fri Jul 04, 2014 1:15 pm
SpiritedWolfe wrote a review...



Hello R4P, Wolf here for a review.

So this is what the chatroom was going on before...? Interesting. Aright, so I have a few grammar issues with this, and then I'll discuss plot and content.

First off, I get really super confused on who's narrating. It switches from third person to first person and then I just got lost. After re-reading that part, I realize that there is no narrator switch, it's just from third to first person. Try to avoid doing that. You start off I third person, so you need to stay in third person.

Also, you seem to have a confusion on what Racen's gender is. In the beginning you start off with 'it' (saying that cause I have no idea what it's supposed to be) as a male, instead of female like Raven actually is. Then you start switching back and forth between the two and finally, in the end, it is settled for female. Just pick one and stay with it!

I'm not really sure I like this. There are quite a few grammar mistakes throughout this (so you should go back through and read this super carefully with a fine tooth and comb to catch those), and well there is too much dialogue. Try to allow Racen to explore more around the place. Find things out on her own. Sure it's nice to have a guide here and there, but don't over do it.

Anyways, I'm still kind of interested where this will go, so good luck with it. Keep Writing,
~Wolfare




r4p17 says...


Sorry for the confusion about the gender. That was my fault. I am so used to writing with male characters I tend to say he automatically. But Racen is female.

I don't know why but people seem to think I write first person even though I am not. I reread this, and it was all in third person.

Just to let you know, I will literally be "delving" into this story. Hehehe. That is the fun thing about dwarves



r4p17 says...


Sorry for the confusion about the gender. That was my fault. I am so used to writing with male characters I tend to say he automatically. But Racen is female.

I don't know why but people seem to think I write first person even though I am not. I reread this, and it was all in third person.

Just to let you know, I will literally be "delving" into this story. Hehehe. That is the fun thing about dwarves



r4p17 says...


I didn't mean to post that twice. I am not quite sure how that happened. But just to let you know, I think I figured out why you thought this was first person. That was the character thinking, not narrating



Wolfare1 says...


If it was her thinking, you should turn put that in italics so it's not S confusing.



r4p17 says...


I do in Pages, but YWS doesn't agree with that. It would be pretty hard to change all the thoughts into italics.



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Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:18 pm
MaryEvans wrote a review...



Your beginning is too sudden. You might want to set up things a bit better.

Your tenses slip, pick one type and keep the entire narration in it, either past or present.

Your dialogue is too wordy, and too expository. Read it out-loud to see if people would actually talk that way. And the bits with exposition, I am sure you can present better, maybe through action and narration. In general try not to put exposition in dialogue.

“iPad” there are iPads in this universe? Also I’d advise against using trademarked objects in your fiction, it can create issues if you decide to do anything more with it.

Oh… it’s that kind of comedy. Why elves then?

I don’t really find this funny, to be fair. Maybe it’s all the inside jokes. Or maybe because it’s all dialogue and nothing much happens while they talk. For a comedy show that would be ok, but in writing you need more to immerse the reader. You need settings, and mood, and pacing, and character development, and all the other vital elements, even if this is meant to be an ironic/parody piece.




r4p17 says...


I do see what you mean by the dialogue. I will try to work on that.

I did change the genre by the way. This is not fiction or comedy. At first I thought it was going to have humor because this whole thing started because of a couple of typos in chat. But it isn't going to be.

Just to let you know, you will soon find out why there are Elves and Dwarves.

Finally, the instances where you thought I was writing in two different tenses were Racen's thoughts. The story is written from here POV.



MaryEvans says...


You shouldnt really sporadically write in different POVs. Either stick to one or make sure the divides are clear.
It would have worked as humour with few adjustments but ok, if you want it to be just fantasy, that works too.



r4p17 says...


I didn't write from differen POV's. I wrote from Racen's perspective the entire time.



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Fri Jul 04, 2014 11:38 am
r4p17 says...



Just as an authors note I would like to thank RavenMoonStone for inspiring part of this story ish. This whole story came about because I misspelled her name onc. So we'll see where this goes! In future chapters KatyaElefant and Wolfare1's typos will be mentioned so I would also like to thank them. Enjoy!




Wolfare1 says...


*cough* There's a typo of my name there *cough*



r4p17 says...


Hehehe! I fixed it.




Who knows anything about anyone, let alone themselves.
— Hank Green