Rockett Talk/March 2000

The 411
Okay, listen up Moon Girls! This is Sharla Rae Norvell talking here and the board is now mine! Since I like poetry, I'll probably be puttin' some poetry on here. But for now, here are my statz:

Birthdate: September 6th, Virgo

Parents: Divorced. Mom Loretta runs a bowling alley; dad Emil is who-knows-where.

Sibs: Sister Janine, 10

Upside: Strong, tough, independent; can take care of herself; good thinker, though she rarely uses this for school; very loyal to friends. Hides a wonderful creativity and awareness, which shows through her poetry.

Downside: Acts like a martyr, is suspicious too quickly, can be deceitful.

Loves: Moody music and poetry; drama; letting people think she's tough and not to be messed with; taking risks; defying rules and political correctness; animal print clothes; amusement parks; fast cars; thunderstorms.

Hates: Authority; living in a crummy trailer park; frilly girly clothes; corned beef hash, canned veggies and mayonnaise; having such pale skin; her dad not being around or coming to visit.

Fave Colors: Charcoal, Black, Maroon, Neon Green.

Fave Music: Hard rock

Best Bud: Bo Pezanski

Secret Crush: Her English pen pal, Nigel Holcombe.

Dreams She'll Be: Living far away in a beautiful place, writing a moving best seller about her life.

Ask Sharla
'''Hi, Sharla! I love poetry, too! I'm a poet myself, but I like never get on the site. I'm good cuz all my friends at school like my poems and friends on the site do, too! Can you give some ideas, please? --glowfairy11'''

OK, here's the scoop on this: Purple-Moon.com gets, like, hundreds of poems from girls every week. And lots of them are good, right? But maybe one is too long. Or maybe it's got a great idea but the writer hasn't thought it all the way through yet, so it kinda falls apart. Or maybe The Whistler is all about winter or Easter or something and your poem is all about summer or Halloween. Or maybe it's intense and about drugs and blood and harsh stuff like that -- which is righteous, but not always cool for the paper. Just cuz you don't get in doesn't mean your poetry isn't any good, no way! So here are some tips:

-- Don't make it too long! Take a look at the poems that make it in and see how long most of them are. One long poem would hog everything and no one else would get in...

-- Write and rewrite it. Polish up those words and ideas until it all makes sense and hangs together. If you're rhyming stuff, make sure the rhymes work. Feel the rhythm of the lines and make sure they are like consistent throughout the poem. It's kinda like writing a song.

-- Think about when you're sending it in. What edition of The Whistler are you shooting for? What themes are they likely to be interested in? Lots of good books don't get published, not because the writer or story stinks, but because the publisher isn't looking for that kind of book just then. Life's tough, huh?

-- Keep writing. Ms. T. reads ALL the poetry. And she likes them, even if she doesn't use them. Lots of poems get written about the WPJH kids and those are cute, but they don't usually get used. The Whistler's looking for poetry about other stuff.

-- Be patient. With so much poetry, it's hard to use everything. But special Treasure Troves get made sometimes, and some poems get used long after they're sent. Like maybe even here!

Psst...
To Emil00: I can't stand whiney chicks! When she throws a tantrum, you and your buds should walk off and give her the Big Time Out until she decides to be human. Tell her you're not goin' for any more hoo-hah.

To ThatOne05: Sounds like Ohio is the perfect place for this cheater to be. Why do you miss him, anyway? Blow it off and find a better guy. Bet you deserve one.

To Horselove00: Even though I don't like kissing up to anyone, if you wanna hang with people who are Pokemon crazy, then you probably need to learn a little about it so you don't look lame when they start yammerin' about it. Then you won't be left out.

To Oceanbrat11: You can't do nothin' to force a guy to like you or go out with you. All you can do is be nice around him and hope he has a half a brain to appreciate you for it. You know, there are lots of guys less visible than Mr. Popular there...have you thought about trying to get to know one of them? Less competition.

To LuvBug09: If he just broke up with another girl, he's not good material for new love yet, probably. Anyway, WOW or not, you should probably wait for him to make the move. Try being buds instead.

To Horselady68: All you girls with the asking 'em out stuff...cheez, did ya never hear about HIM askin' YOU? If he likes you, why doesn't he, huh? Then again, you risk nothin' if you ask him and he sez uh-uh, because at least you'll know the truth. But me, I'd rather keep the egg off my face and wait it out.

To Nibs2000: Girl, that is NOT your best friend if she's hittin' on your guy all the time and making you look like a monkey! Tell her to back off. And if your guy can't tell that you like him, he must be dense.

To LittleReni: Does she have a reason to hate guys? Or is she just yankin' your chain? You don't have to prove her wrong, you just have to live your life the way you want to. Let her believe whatever. And keep your friendship or let it go, depending on what your heart says, not what you look like to others.

To Mystic10: Here's a tip from someone obviously wiser than you: when young guys act like big dopey teases around you, it's usually because they like you but don't know how to show it. He sounds a little immature, but if you like him, take it as a compliment.

To Juliet93: Maybe what you did wasn't cool but your heart was in the right place. Only the price you pay is your friendship with this wild child. You should probably find some new friends and let her sort herself out.

To Bladefan2000: Girl, NO ONE calls Sharla the B word! Just forget about it and don't hang with the jerks. Don't make them your mirror.

To Abbymon89: You're in 5th grade, how can you be askin' anybody out? Just curious. If this guy liked you a couple weeks ago, why would he stop? Just be a cute kid and be nice to him and smile and laugh and be a girl. That's your responsibility. His is to notice and talk back. You got lots of love to come in your life, lil sis, so be cool.

To Cecily's Bud: Yo, girl, put your name on the message next time, OK? You and Leo and Cecily have got a prob, you said. So here's my word on it: Friendship is not always like a pie that you can split three ways. Lots of times it's like a sandwich, with two halves. Sometimes you share the sandwich with one friend; sometimes with another. The big thing is to tell both buds you really love them and will do whatever you can to be fair sharing stuff with them, cuz you don't want to lose either of them. Maybe you can change who's the boss of decision-making now and then so everyone gets a chance to try. If the CSGs can do it, so can you girls! GL.