Concord Chronicles

Day of Reckoning by Kai Strand

Predictive Text and Writing

In the age of cell phones, most of us have used – or are at least familiar with – predictive text. It’s a program that predicts the next word you might choose in a text message based on what’s commonly chosen by other text users as well as your own word patterns from previous texts.

Whoever wrote the program for predictive text must have been a writer and they decided to go against everything they’d been taught to do in writing. For example, authors are often cautioned to:

1.) Avoid clichés. You want to find a unique way to present an idea, not the same old string of words.

2.) No run-on sentences. Be concise.

3.) Don’t use slang. Current slang puts a big ole timestamp on your work and makes it feel out of date quickly when that slang becomes passé.

4.) Watch your tense. Don’t hop between past and present.

Whereas, predictive text excels at all of those.

But predictive text has its benefits too. You know how people on social media give you a story starter and ask you to finish it using predictive text? Well, what a great way to find an unexpected twist in your story. Let’s say I’m writing a story where my main character has to slay a dragon. Look at all the different ways it could happen:

Give yourself a deadline: I will slay the dragon by a couple of days before my birthday.

I will slay the dragon by tomorrow night.

And a reward: I will slay the dragon again tomorrow and then go get some rest.

Let’s say I wanted to write something empowering: I will slay the dragon by the way I am

Or maybe a romance: I will slay the dragon by my heart.

How about something metaphorical: I will slay the dragon by musical song

Or literary: I will slay the dragon by the moon and then again and again.

Predictive text can be a great way for an author to find the next unexpected twist in her story, but maybe not the best tool for editing.

About Day of Reckoning:

Not only does twelve-year-old, Terra, learn she’s a Nature’s Spirit destined to serve the peaceful underground city of Concord, but she also finds she is named in a prophecy as the only one who can thwart the leader of the death tribe.

The Trepidus are the death janitors of the Underworld. They’re responsible for the termination and cleanup of Concord’s beings. When their leader, Blanco, learns Terra is the one who can derail his day of reckoning, he does everything he can to get rid of her. Including, dispatch a “Bringer” to complete the ultimate of death janitor duties.

Not only does Terra want to stay alive, but she hopes to complete her training and discover her Spirit talents too. So, Frank, a Spirit of Security, is assigned to protect her. Together, they undertake a secret investigation of how to defeat Blanco. But with the future of Concord and Terra’s very own life at stake, will they find the answer in time?

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About the author:

Award winning Kai Strand, author of The Super Villain Academy series, is often found exploring hiking trails and snapping pictures of waterfalls in her Oregon hometown. Mother of four, Kai uses her life experiences to connect with young readers. With middle grade works such as Save the Lemmings, and The Weaver Tale series, and emotional YA adventures like Finding Thor, and Worth the Effort, Kai has written compelling stories that tweens, teens, and their parents love.

Kai has given numerous presentations throughout Oregon about her work and the writing process. She loves interacting with teens and gaining their insight on their latest reads as well as what they would like to see in future stories.  

To find out more about Kai, please visit www.kaistrand.com.

Day of Reckoning by Kai Strand

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