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= Cliffhangers =

Cliffhangers Welcome to Cliffhangers!

Hey there! Welcome to Cliffhangers! I'm Carolyn. In this column, after an interview, I'll be writing a cliffhanger with a monthly guest writer. You'll get to vote on your favorite story each month and find some writing prompts here too! I hope you enjoy reading our story, and don't forget to leave feedback!

This month's writer is... *drumroll* Caleb Muhling! Don't forget to check out his Creative Writing folder and leave feedback on his writings!

Q&A with Caleb

'''Carolyn:''' Woo okay, I just realized you're my first male collaborator. How ya feel about that? U_U

'''Caleb:''' O_o Yikes. That's a lot a pressure... normal I guess.

'''Carolyn:''' Lol. xDD -- '''Carolyn''': How long have you been doing creative writing, and what do you like most about it?

'''Caleb:''' I have been doing creative writing for ah... 3, 4 years, although not very consistently. It was mostly off until I started NSA and then I started doing it more consistently.

'''Carolyn:''' I see, cool! So NSA changed you. I'm glad. U_U

'''Caleb:''' In a sense, yes, because I got a Creative Writing folder... someone said I should, so I did, and now I do creative writing more consistently. :D -- '''Carolyn''': Do you write stories, poetry, or both?

'''Caleb:''' Both, but mostly only stories, I'm not much of a poem person.

'''Carolyn''': Aha, sad. You should try more poetry. -- '''Carolyn:''' Have you ever collaborated with someone in writing before?

'''Caleb''': NOOOOOOOOOPPPPE.

'''Carolyn''': @_@ You shall now today, then! -- '''Carolyn:''' Have you done any writing contests, workshops, classes, or training of any kind?

'''Caleb:''' I'm taking Language Arts 9 and I had to write a short story for that, so yes. -- '''Carolyn:''' Do you have any writing tips (it can be anything!) to give to other writers that you've learned with your experience of writing?

'''Caleb:''' Hmm.... when you write, just write! Don't worry about grammar or spelling at first, just let the ideas flow out, and you'll be suprised! You can go back and edit it later, but when you are first starting, it's good to just start writing and go back and fix and edit later. Don't worry about how the story sounds at first either! You can always fix it later :D

'''Carolyn:''' That's some pretty good advice. Thanks!

'''Caleb:''' You're welcome! -- '''Carolyn''': Have you ever thought of writing for the Nav? ;)

'''Caleb''': Nope. Thanks for inviting me Caro. U_U

'''Carolyn''': Wow. What can I say except you're welcome, am I right? U_U

'''Caleb''': XD Yea, thanks again! -- '''Carolyn''': And so now... the cliffhanger. Ready?! >8D

'''Caleb''': Yaaaaahhhooooooo!! (As in, yes!! XD)

'''Carolyn''': Aweeesooomeeee!!

'''Down'''

"Please make sure you have your seatbelts on. Ma'am? Could you please put your bag under the seat in front of you? Thank you."

The young girl next to me quickly placed her backpack at the appropriate spot. Since we had boarded the plane, she had looked a little afraid. As I sat next to her, I came to realize that she looked quite afraid. "Hi," I said. The girl jumped. "Sorry if I disturbed you, but I just thought you looked kinda scared. Is this your first time flying?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound like a creep. The girl blinked at me. Then she seemed to relax. "Oh, um... yes, this is my first time flying. Yeah, I'm a little scared. Is it scary? Especially during takeoff?" I smiled and shook my head. "Well, you'll feel a little rush, but it's for a short moment. Actually, I think it's rather exciting," I said. "Then we'll be flying steadily in the air... unless we have some turbulence, but it shouldn't be too bad." The girl heaved a sigh of relief. "Okay. Thanks, that helps to know," she responded. "What's your name?" "Nathan," I replied. "And what's yours?" "Victoria, but you can call me Tori." Victoria flashed a big smile and learned forward to stick her hand out. I returned the handshake with a smile. "Nice to meet you." The airplane was on the runway now, getting ready to take off. Suddenly there was the loud whirring sound, and the airplane accelerated.

"Whew, it's coming," Victoria muttered. Her hands clutched the armrests tight again, her knuckles turning awfully pale, almost white. I pressed myself against the back of my seat and smiled -- this was my favorite moment of the flight. Then the airplane's nose slowly lifted off the ground and we began to ascend into the sky. When we were flying steadily, Victoria said, "Whoa, that was exhilerating." "That wasn't too bad, was it?" I asked. "Nah, not really. It was pretty exciting," she admitted. "Yeah, I really like taking off. Landing is my second favorite part." I grinned. Victoria chuckled. After a few minutes, Victoria's head drooped, and she fell asleep.

An hour passed as the plane flew closer towards our destination. Victoria was reading a book. I was comfortably snuggled up in a blanket with a cushion, gazing out the window and staring at the clouds.

Suddenly, Victoria leaned forward and turned to me. "Y'know, I keep thinking that something's going to happen to us and this plane. I know, it's weird," she said, shrugging. She relaxed against the back of her seat again. I raised an eyebrow. I said nothing for a second, then managed to mutter, "Oh." I wasn't sure what to think. Victoria was probably just anxious, this being her first time flying. Yet, her words stayed in my mind. I shrugged it off and yawned. In a few moments, my eyes closed, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

Boom! I opened my eyes to hear my heart thumping. I felt a vibration going through the airplane. Next to me, Victoria had woken up with a start. "Whoa, did you hear that?" I asked. "Yeah, that was awfully loud," Victoria replied. "I wonder what happened." A few minutes passed with the entire airplane chattering and whispering. What had happened? Were we struck by lightning or something? Surely it wasn't good. Then the seatbelt sign sounded.

The intercom came on and the captain's voice rang loud and clear:

"This is your captain speaking. Do not panic. Brace for impact."

'''Voting Arena''' It's time to vote! Every month, readers will vote their favorite between the current month's and the previous month's story. This month, you'll be voting between: this month's story "Down" with Caleb Muhling, and last month's story "Him" with Ariel Martinez. To do that, head to the Navigator Jabber, find the "Cliffhangers" thread posted by me, and just type an X down the story you like the most!

'''Writing Challenge!''' Haivng writer's block and need some suspense in your writing? Head over here for a cliff-hanging prompt! Here's your prompt this month:

You've always had a deep, dark secret about yourself. One day when the inevitable happens, you are forced to let your secret out into the open.

Have fun using the prompt! Email me your story, and you could get featured in the next article!

That's all for this month! I hope you enjoyed reading the cliffhanger. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, let me know in FirstClass through email or by posting in the Navigator Jabber. I'd love to hear your feedback!

Stay tuned and see you next month!

- Carolyn

Special thanks to Caleb Muhling, Nastassia Naskov, Cody Johnson, and Ruby Maxson for making this article possible!

[[Category:Navigator Articles]]
[[Category:Nav 17-18]]

Cliffhangers 18/4/25 - Revision history

Obehrens: added article