Question by Colby N: i have been trying to write a story and i need some feedback?
this is what i have so far:
Xia was a continent of pure green forests, untouched by landscaping or factories. They had pure clear lakes. The people were kind to one and other. They used flying machines that had no electricity. They were just a pole with handles and a propeller, when they ran with the devices the, propeller got faster until they where lifted off the ground. The continent was in the Sevantium Sea. There was also one girl who was about to start the adventure of a lifetime.
At age thirteen Carrisa was very mature for her age. As she was walking through the woods one evening she spotted something. It was a small piece of gold, which was strange to see. Gold was of the rarest metals in Xia. It usually had to be imported overseas. Suddenly she heard the ground shake. Then, Carrisa the fell through a hole in the ground. Then, shortly after, she blacked out.
When she awoke, she was in a place she hadn’t been before. It appeared to be a shrine of some sort. On the polished plaque there was strange writing that she didn’t recognize it looked something like this.
??????????????????????????????s. That writing gave her a strange feeling inside. She felt that she shouldn’t be there. She saw the hole that she came through and left right away.
As soon as she got home she couldn’t wait to tell about what happened. Her father said that it was about time he told her the terrible truth. As is turned out there was a terrible beast in the land 100 years ago. It was made of pure darkness. Then one day a great hero came to face the beast. He drew his sword and prepared for battle. The swordsman knew he could not defeat the beast with brute force so he made a spell. He bound the beasts soul in a cavern, and sealed it up. That meant Carrisa broke the seal and unleashed the beast!
The fact that Carrisa unleashed a beast of pure darkness crept her out. She knew she would have to do something about it, but what?? She was just a girl. How could she save the world from evil. For one she was shy. Second of all she wasn’t that strong, and she didn’t know magic. This was one that she would have to think about.
The next morning she decided to take a walk to take her mind off of unleashing a beast that has the potential off destroying the world and all of existence. It didn’t seem to help much.
Then, she heard a noise. It sounded like somebody breathing heavily. She also heard movement. The footsteps where to light to be animal. That must only mean one thing, it must be an elf . They where well known for their magic and sorcery. And sure enough that elf popped out of the bushes. Elves where as tall as humans but they’re so full of magic that it make them lighter. It said to Carrisa that it knew what her problem was and could help her. Carrisa had a funny feeling about this.
The elf handed her a large staff with a glowing blue orb in it. It had strange writing on it that glowed purple when she held the staff.
She could tell this was an old artifact by the writing on it. The staff must have been from one of the Seven Great Wars of Ivantium.
The wood felt cold on her hands. The elf said that this staff was filled with the magic that was put in it by the warrior that sealed the magical beast in the first place. The elf had silvery gray hair and shiny silver eyes. He was taller than Carrisa , but he was shorter than a adult human.
Carrisa a asked him his name. He hesitated but he finally told her his name, Tavaris.
She knew that she had heard that name somewhere but she couldn’t pinpoint where. All she knew was that his name sounded Ivantian. The elf beckoned her to follow him and he showed her to a small shack deep in the east Xian forest. Inside he showed her a very old book. It was a story of a woman named mercury. The woman who many years ago led the Ivantians to victory. The story also told of the twisted rage that sadly overcame her. The one thing about her that stood out though was her glowing twin swords.
Tavaris then told her that the only way to defeat the beast was to somehow retrieve those swords and use them against the beast.
Carrisa asked how this was possible. Then Tavaris said “We’re going to Ivantium”.

Later that night Carrisa wrote a note to her parents explaining everything. The beast, the elf and the journey that she was about to depart on. Writing that note was the hardest thing she had to do. She knew she would be back after she retrieved the swords and defeat the beast. After she left she met up with Tavaris and they were about to cross the two seas that separated the two countries of Xia and Ivantium. They were going to get to Ivantium by the Xian flying machines. They then started running faster and faster, until they were off the ground.
After about thirty minutes all they could see were the seas of Sevantium and Sky.
After about five hours they could see land in the distance.

Best answer:

Answer by Muse
remember, you have to stretch this stuff to fit a novel. there needs to be a lead up, more of a climax, what with the releasing of the creature, and then some more time drawn out. lengthen it with dialogue and personal thought from Carrisa.

other than that, it’s got potential. i like your idea, i really do!

Mine? maybe you have some input? thanks

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=A0WTZX5y1JZLSRkAygQazKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20100309145424AANI9su

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by Paul G: Could this financial meltdown been avoided if people were not taxed to death and thus saved more money?
It sure seems to me that when I struggle to get ahead and take care of my family there is always times when a washing machine needs a part, the car needs a major repair or my daughter needs ballet lesson money. I can handle these but when taxes are due on top of this it really puts me in a bind. If people did not borrow so much, payed less, not more in taxes, and we had less not more ineffective social programs wouldn’t't it negate the situation we are now in financially as a country? Are taxes really suppose to impoverish the giver or are they just meant to be extra money that you can easily do without?
I really think most people just want to pay their bills and have a pleasant life. No one I know is bankrupting themselves on expensive boats, fancy vacations or top shelf furniture. When i saw lower taxes I mean much lower like half, and going back 30 years. Government does not need to be so huge and wasteful. The essentials of government are but a small portion. Government incentives and grants do little good overall and take from productive peoplewhether in business or privately..

Best answer:

Answer by lemontree
What a novel idea!

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by butterfly: Which might be said of you: “Oh, what he/she might have been” or “he/she made the best of his/her life?
Samson: A weakness for women

Samson, the strongest man of his generation, was tragically unable to control his lust. When he saw an attractive woman, he wanted her. He first fell for a young woman, he saw in a Phillistine village just across the valley from his home. His parents tried to dissuade him, since her religion and culture were unacceptable, but he would not listen. Desire was his only rule. The marriage ended in a matter of days and resulted in dozens of deaths. Delilah was at least the third woman who was with Samson, according to Judges. She like his first love, was a Phillistine living near his home. Where thousands of men had failed to overcome Samson, a mere woman succeeded. Thanks to her, he was captured, blinded, and set to work pushing a grinding machine. His final triump was ironically fitting. Blind and bound, brought out like a display for a hooting crowd’s amusement, he destroyed himself while wreaking vengeance on the crowd.

Needed a leader: When you think of what God meant Samson to be, his life appears particularly tragic. Israel desperately needed a strong, confident leader, for the phillistines were moving in as masters, judges, only Samson was announced by an angel before he was born (13:3). He was assigned to thatt special class of people known as Nazirites whose lives were specially devoted to God. Nazrites never drank wine,went near a dead body, or cut their haor.
Samson never lived up to his promise. Rule 3 was probably the only part of the Nazrite vow he kept it required little self-discipline to let hair grow.

Despite all of Samson’ weaknesses, God used him. He is mentioned int eht bible “Hall of Fame” (Heb 11:32) as a hero of faith along with Gideon, Barak, and Jephthah, all from Judges. Barely conscious of what it meant to live for God, and given to fits of lust and tmeper, Samson still had great physical strength, which came supernaturally from God. With it, he pushed back the Phillistines more by accident than by intention-and kept Israel intact.

Best answer:

Answer by roxanne k
God works in mysterious ways. And I’m doing the best that I can.

What do you think? Answer below!

It sure seems to me that when I struggle to get ahead and take care of my family there is always times when a washing machine needs a part, the car needs a major repair or my daughter needs ballet lesson money. I can handle these but when taxes are due on top of this it really puts me in a bind. If people did not borrow so much, payed less, not more in taxes, and we had less not more ineffective social programs wouldn’t't it negate the situation we are now in financially as a country? Are taxes really suppose to impoverish the giver or are they just meant to be extra money that you can easily do without?
I really think most people just want to pay their bills and have a pleasant life. No one I know is bankrupting themselves on expensive boats, fancy vacations or top shelf furniture. When i saw lower taxes I mean much lower like half, and going back 30 years. Government does not need to be so huge and wasteful. The essentials of government are but a small portion. Government incentives and grants do little good overall and take from productive peoplewhether in business or privately..

Samson: A weakness for women

Samson, the strongest man of his generation, was tragically unable to control his lust. When he saw an attractive woman, he wanted her. He first fell for a young woman, he saw in a Phillistine village just across the valley from his home. His parents tried to dissuade him, since her religion and culture were unacceptable, but he would not listen. Desire was his only rule. The marriage ended in a matter of days and resulted in dozens of deaths. Delilah was at least the third woman who was with Samson, according to Judges. She like his first love, was a Phillistine living near his home. Where thousands of men had failed to overcome Samson, a mere woman succeeded. Thanks to her, he was captured, blinded, and set to work pushing a grinding machine. His final triump was ironically fitting. Blind and bound, brought out like a display for a hooting crowd’s amusement, he destroyed himself while wreaking vengeance on the crowd.

Needed a leader: When you think of what God meant Samson to be, his life appears particularly tragic. Israel desperately needed a strong, confident leader, for the phillistines were moving in as masters, judges, only Samson was announced by an angel before he was born (13:3). He was assigned to thatt special class of people known as Nazirites whose lives were specially devoted to God. Nazrites never drank wine,went near a dead body, or cut their haor.
Samson never lived up to his promise. Rule 3 was probably the only part of the Nazrite vow he kept it required little self-discipline to let hair grow.

Despite all of Samson’ weaknesses, God used him. He is mentioned int eht bible “Hall of Fame” (Heb 11:32) as a hero of faith along with Gideon, Barak, and Jephthah, all from Judges. Barely conscious of what it meant to live for God, and given to fits of lust and tmeper, Samson still had great physical strength, which came supernaturally from God. With it, he pushed back the Phillistines more by accident than by intention-and kept Israel intact.