Mount Hood

How to write a winning story

Five tips to help aspiring authors refine their writing

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

Writing is a learned and actively practiced skill, just like playing an instrument or sport. For writers who have dreams of being published in the future, completing a working manuscript is the imperative first step. Here are some tips for aspiring writers to kick their stories up a notch. 

  • Find an original voice. Gathering inspiration from other authors and stories is great; they are professionals, so there is much to be gained from reading lots of material. But in the end, nobody else can write the exact story that is in one’s own mind. Tell a brand new story in a unique way, and let the passion and enthusiasm shine through in every page. 
  • Put aside anything distracting when sitting down to write. Do a favor for the story: give it full attention until it reaches an ending. If writing a novel, try to finish a full chapter or scene all at once. Conversely, try timed writing: write anything that comes to mind without stopping for, say, twenty minutes. It will be much less intimidating to continue working on it in the future if the pages aren’t blank.
  • Learn the rules, but don’t follow the rules. What this means is that the rules of writing can’t be broken, twisted or meddled with if the rules aren’t known to begin with. Take the time to master formatting, grammar and a standard plot structure, then play around with them to make the story unique. 
  • The best advice I ever received was from my high school English teacher: “Kill your darlings.” It is all too easy to get attached to one’s own characters, scenes, settings or piece as a whole — I know from experience. However, readers and editors will have a different perspective than the author. Keep this in mind when editors suggest revisions: they are trying to help the story come across better to the audience, which sometimes means changing or completely deleting the author’s favorite parts. 
  • Keep writing and don’t give up hope. Building and completing a manuscript is just the first step to getting work published, and it can be a very difficult process trying to get a story accepted at a publishing house. Let passion and commitment to the story drive the journey, and always keep working to present the best possible piece. 

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

How to hack your makeup routine

Hacks and tips to make applying makeup easier

Rylie Horrall | Managing Editor

Makeup can be a fun and creative way for a person to express themself, however some may find it difficult to do — I personally still struggle to make my winged eyeliner even on each side, and I’ve been practicing for months. For anyone that has grappled with their own makeup skills or wants to shorten their daily routine, try out some of these tips.

Love the winged eyeliner but can’t seem to make it work? One option is to take a bobby pin, and draw on one end with a liquid eyeliner pen. Line up the end of the bobby pin with the curve of the eyelid and gently press to transfer the line onto the eyelid. Take the eyeliner pen and trace over the line to darken, then drag down across the eyelid to complete the wing.

An alternative and potentially easier option for winged eyeliner is to first take some tape — I recommend body tape for easier removal — and place it on the side of the eye, where the bottom of the wing would be. Line the eye with the pen as normal. For the wing, swipe down at an angle towards the lid ⏤ drawing on the tape if necessary ⏤ to fill the entire wing, then remove the tape.

For quick and easy contouring around the face, first apply foundation as usual. Take a contour stick and draw a “3” from the top of the forehead down to the jaw. The middle section of the shape should fall on one’s cheekbone. Blend away the harsh lines with a makeup brush or beauty blender.

To make one’s lashes look longer without feeling as if there’s a ton of mascara coating, try taking the mascara wand and gently dabbing at it with a tissue before use. This can remove any excess that may cause clumping when applying. Alternatively, scrape the wand against the lip of the container, if worried about wasting the mascara. Apply as usual; the lashes will still have the elongated look mascara gives, but with a lighter amount covering the lashes.

Want bold and colorful eyeshadow? To make the pigment really pop, first apply white eyeshadow or other light color to the entire lid before applying desired color. Apply and blend eyeshadow as normal, and the color should stand out more.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Creating custom bath bombs

Destress with DIY bath bombs

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

What better way to wind down after a stressful day than with a hot bath? Elevate bath time with homemade miniature bath bombs made in an ice cube tray or other silicone mold. Customize the scents, colors and decorations — like dried lavender or sprinkles — as desired. 

DIY BATH BOMBS

Start to finish: 1 day

Yields: 6 medium-sized bath bombs

1 cup baking soda

½ cup citric acid

½ cup cornstarch

1 to 2 teaspoons water or witch hazel

10 drops essential oil of choice

OPTIONAL

Food coloring

½ cup Epsom salt

2 tablespoons coconut, almond or olive oil

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl, melt the coconut or almond oil if using, then combine wet ingredients.

While continuously whisking, very slowly drizzle the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients. The wet mixture may also be poured into a spray bottle to make combining easier. The outcome should be similar to a dry, crumbly sand with no clumps. If the mixture gets too wet, the bath bomb will fizz too soon.

Tightly pack the mixture into the ice cube tray or silicone mold. Let set for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and let harden on parchment paper for 24 hours. Finished product will still be somewhat fragile.

Store in a mason jar or package in cellophane for gifting.

Recipe from 100daysofrealfood.com

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

Five resolutions to revel in this new year

Kick off 2021 with these New Year’s resolutions

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

The start of 2021 brings about a new sense of determination in the form of New Year’s resolutions. Though some may be just for fun, this time of year is also a great opportunity to think about trying some practical self-improvement resolutions. Here are five New Year’s resolutions to consider adding to the list and a few tips to help achieve them. 

Get more sleep: According to Georgia State University, getting enough sleep — approximately nine hours for college students — is important to improving concentration and memory, rejuvenating energy and strengthening the immune system. In order to get a better night’s rest, healthline.com says to create a sleep schedule that involves going to bed and waking up at around the same time every day. Set a recurring alarm on one’s phone, and be sure to plan ahead for school projects that may otherwise take away from sleep. If sleep is difficult, try turning off electronics at least 30 minutes before bed, avoiding caffeine in the evening or taking melatonin. 

Start saving money: Whether it’s for a house down payment, retirement or a rainy day fund, saving money is a great habit to start as soon as possible. To begin, set up a savings account at a trusted bank or credit union. Then, as thebalance.com recommends, transfer a set amount out of each paycheck into savings; even if this can only be a small amount, saving any money is better than saving no money in preparation for the future. 

Get organized: Decluttering and keeping organized can decrease stress while increasing productivity as stated by organizedmindandlife.com. Start small with just the desk or closet; throw out things deemed unnecessary and use containers to organize like items. Keep things organized by doing a little cleaning every day as opposed to letting it pile up overtime. 

Go vegetarian: According to healthline.com, going vegetarian has health benefits, including lower cholesterol and improved cardiovascular health, and environmental impacts through supporting animal rights and decreasing the need for factory farming. If cutting out meat all at once is challenging, try participating in “Meatless Mondays.” Also stock up on plant-based alternatives to one’s favorite meat products in order to curb cravings. 

Reduce time on social media: Social media is all but an addiction for many of us, yet curbing time spent on social media can be beneficial to mental health says healthguide.org. Set aside a specific amount of time to spend on social media per day — 30 minutes for example — and utilize screen time apps to help. Also try turning off notifications for certain apps and muting or unfollowing accounts that don’t bring happiness. Deleting social media altogether is another option, though depending on one’s attachment to their feed, this may be a goal to work up to.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

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