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Capstone: Cartoon Cam

The goal of my project was to make a working cartoon camera from scratch and I have succeeded. The project in terms of feasible goals for a year's worth of learning and doing for this capstone was indeed a success, though the project itself standalone is not yet done. This capstone was definitely beneficial to the completion of this project. However so, it’s functionality as a cartoon camera for me and my specific wants for specified functionality of a grander project; this more so helped me see the flaws in the way I was going out in completing this task.

The major flaw was in part my lack of knowledge on the subject, and taking a year to understand how coding worked for the needs of this project specifically was extremely beneficial. Without doing it the way I have done it so far, by translating an input image to an output image based on a set of rules I created, I wouldn’t have the skill required, nor the insight to recognise what the next step was. While currently code is a set of rules is basically a filter that during the process of making this I constantly experimented with and changed to get it as perfect as possible in most situations, depending on lighting (a hard one) and colors; I don’t think it will ever be perfect the way that I want it by examining the image myself and creating a set of rules based off of what I see and what I think will happen by adding or changing a value. The amount of arbitrary rules that I would have to solve would take years and not to mention the fact that I would need the knowledge base of an online code dictionary to get this done. This brings me to the conclusion of creating something in which the computer (having an infinite amount of online knowledge) would create the rules to.

The next step, or the more reasonable approach to a cartoon cam is to make a program that uses batch learning or machine learning. This would not be an easy task either, but it is a much less impossible task. The original vision for this project (not just the capstone) was to create a website where people could upload their own code to have a massive database of selectable cartoon cams for a physical cartoon cam viewer. The rout I am thinking about now, more feasible to myself and the average future consumer of such a project is to have code that takes on two videos. The first video takes in a real life scene, and the second video is an artist's translation of the scene. The code will examine the two and recognise the difference and then create a set of rules for how to translate video from there on out. Not only does this eliminate the need for the user interface to require users know how to code, but it also adds a level of calculation from artists and a level of calculation from a computer that I would never be able to achieve on my own. This capstone allowed me to recognize this for moving forward in continuation of the project. The evolution of this thought \was in my opinion the most successful part of the capstone.

Timeline of code for project:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mbFksdmPfIC2YdsT_rkrfCW58LXOGRpFzaLMoxAnXzw/edit?usp=sharing

Cool Pictures of The Three Finales

I had to get permission from the principal to start this program. She thought it was an amazing idea, this was something that the girls needed. Following this meeting I made permission slips that would go out to the parents of the girls giving them a overview of this mentoring group. I wanted the girls to have a safe environment to talk freely and not feel judged. I had girls interested in the program & if they decided they wanted to join they could.

Each week on Wednesdays I would meet with the girls. Each week there was a new topic to be discussed, followed by a lesson plan. When the girls came I made them write in their journals with different journal prompts every week. We would sit in a circle and have group conversations about our weekly topics.

After 13 years of swimming with Jim Ellis and Tracy Freeland, fro PDR which is now SAKA (Salvation Army Kroc Aquatics) I have acquired my water safety skills then the average person. As result in the summer I found a job that would best suit me! I would work for the City of Philadelphia Department of Recreation as a Lifeguard. Due to the fact I wanted to be a lifeguard, I had to take a Lifeguard certification class. This was a 4 week course, going to Lincoln High school’s pool to train. The purpose of this class is to help prepare me in a case of emergency, at work. We trained in 3ft of water and 12 feet of water (which is called a tank). I was taught how to rescue a patrons in shallow water and deep water. I was also taught how to properly perform CPR. As well as how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

During my second year working at Lonnie Young Rec. Center. I had a to save a 2 year old baby! It scared the crap out of me .. Literally! It was at that moment I asked myself, “Why doesn’t he know how to swim?” I also thought how did he get so close to the water with out his parent knowing. I decided to make capstone on the importance of water safety. I choose this because kids and adults too, are scared of the water or don’t know their limit.

Aleccia, Jonel. "Teens More Stressed-Out Than Adults, Survey Shows - NBC News." NBC News. NBC News, 11 Feb. 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/teens-more-stressed-out-adults-survey-shows-n26921>. This source shows that students are just as stressed if not more so than than the adults around them. The article also stresses the importance of breaking the cycle of stress for students, stressing the importance of students receiving better support in their school and home environments. The article also talks about the idea that social media bring students more stress, since that follows students around everywhere relentlessly. Many students also have the stress of performing well in their classes and extracurriculars, the combination of all the pressure put on students leads to depression and anxiety. A large issue with this is that student are not taught how to properly manage and control their stress levels.

Benedictus, Leo. "Sick Cities: Why Urban Living Can Be Bad for Your Mental Health." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/feb/25/city-stress-mental-health-rural-kind>. This source compares stress levels between people who live in the city and those who live in the country. A group of people were put into stressful situations -solving difficult math problems, rude instructors- and their brains were scanned for their levels of stress. The two sections of the brain that deal with stress were shown in the scan. Compared to country dwellers people living in the city had considerably higher stress levels. Even compared to those living in a small town, city dwellers had the highest level of stress by far. I wanted to use this source to highlight how utterly stress people living in the city are, even if we do not realize it.

Borchard, Therese J. "6 Ways Pets Relieve Depression." World of Psychology. Psych Central, 19 May 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/05/19/6-ways-pets-relieve-depression/>. This source gives the detailed run down about how dogs and cats help with depression. Though it only gives six reasons, they are all valid. The source gives reasons as to why owning a pet is a positive thing. It highlights what I want people to know about having a pet, and brings in a lot of the physiological reasons that have been left out in previous articles. It gives the physiological benefits of each category. Things like unconditional love and acceptance and giving the owner responsibility all have positive impacts. I feel that if more people knew how beneficial it is to own a pet, there would be fewer animals in shelters and more in loving homes.

Falcone, Alissa. "Drexel Becomes First University to Host a Permanent Therapy Dog in a Recreation Center." Drexel Edu. Drexel, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Feb. 2016. <http://drexel.edu/now/archive/2014/September/Drexel-Therapy-Dog/>.I chose this source because it shows the direct benefits of a therapy dog with students. Even though my event will be held outside of Science Leadership Academy, students will have access to the event. Also, since it will be held in a public place there will be a more diverse group of people than just students. The article talks about the long term plans they have for the dog and how students will be able to access him. Though this source does not talk directly about the benefits of having a therapy pet on campus, it shows how more schools are moving forward with the idea of using pets to lower stress.

Jayson, Sharon. "Teens Feeling Stressed, and Many Not Managing It Well."USA Today. Gannett, 11 Feb. 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/11/stress-teens-psychological/5266739/>. This article goes into teen stress statistics. The source goes in depth of people being extremely stress at a young age and how it carries over into adulthood. The article states that teens with high levels of stress are more likely to have a shorter lifespan. It goes into the reality of what it is like being a teenager trying to balance everything. I wanted to have this article as a source to show the reality of teenage stress and how negatively it impacts us. It shows how stress is directly linked to depression and anxiety among teens. It highlight the fact that teenagers under severe stress now are more likely to have severe illnesses later in life.

Kahler, Susan C. " Unmasking the Shelter Dog." Unmasking the Shelter Dog. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/150401a.aspx>. This source talks about the stigmatism surrounded by shelter animals. A large part of the article is spent dispelling various myths about shelter animals. Animal behaviorists are working to dispel the remaining myths about shelter animals. Studies are being done on animal aggression and food guarding. I wanted to use this article in my sources to show that there is a stigmatism of aggression in shelter animals. Since that myth is a reason many shelter animals are left unadopted. The article also shows that the new owner’s interacts with their pet has an impact on the animal’s behavior. The article also talks about euthanasia versus putting an animal in a shelter.

"NYU Study Examines Top High School Students' Stress and Coping Mechanisms." NYU Study Examines Top High School Students' Stress and Coping Mechanisms. New York University, 11 Aug. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2015/08/11/nyu-study-examines-top-high-school-students-stress-and-coping-mechanisms.html>. NYU research on student stress. Similar to the other two sources written about stress, I chose this source because it seems the most reliable. Like the other articles, this source discusses student stress and coping mechanisms . This source also compares stress levels between males and females. A lot of this stress comes from wanting a tangible reward and the pressure put on student from their parents to receive those rewards. The article states that a good education is not tangible, but a degree from Harvard or Yale is, so teens are feeling pressure to receive the tangible awards. This source also talks about teens often go to substance use to relieve stress.

Pancake, Soul. "Kitten Therapy: The Prescription for Stress." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Nov. 2014. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35T8wtmTbVg>.

This first source was my initial inspiration for the project. Though I know my project will not look exactly like this, it is the general outline of what I want it to look like. Originally I just wanted to have an adoption even to get animals adopted, but through this video I decided to try and gauge other’s stress levels. This gave my capstone the goal to try and help lower stress levels of others. Because of this video I will now gage with the participants asking them about their stress levels before and after the event. Perhaps, if there is a nice turn out, I will film it and make a small video.

Rovner, Julie. "Pet Therapy: How Animals And Humans Heal Each Other."NPR. NPR, 5 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/03/09/146583986/pet-therapy-how-animals-and-humans-heal-each-other>. The article shows that there is a mutual benefit between humans and their pets. Not only would the even help people in the short term, but it may also get some people to adopt. That would help both parties in the long term. It helps us distress, and lower our blood pressure, and it puts animals in a more social situation. Playing with pets has the health benefits of exercise for both parties. With this event I would like to highlight the mutual benefits of having a pet, and adopting. I selected this source because of how well it highlights the benefits shared between people and pets.

Weaver, Jane. "Puppy Love- It's Better than You Think." Msnbc.com. NBC, 08 Apr. 2004. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4625213/ns/health-pet_health/t/puppy-love----its-better-you-think/>. This article goes into depth about dogs help with our mental health. It goes into specifics highlighting the fact that saying your own dog will lower your blood pressure. The benefits are seen clearly in owning a dog versus an unfamiliar dog or even a robotic dog. It shows that after about a half an hour both your and the animal’s blood pressure will drop considerably. The writer of the article compares it to the benefits of eating chocolate. It is also noted that this behavior is wired into how humans work, it is not something we learn over time. Exposing children to pets at a young age also helps lower their chances of having allergies and asthma.

When we first introduced the project to the principal at Wagner Middle School she was more than happy to let us have the mentor program their and to help us. We choose Wagner Middle School because Amirah’s mom works there. A permission slip was sent home to the girls who were going to attend the program, so that their parents know and are okay with what we were going to be talking about with their daughters and taking pictures for evidence. We had girls in sixth to eighth grade. When the girls first walked in they had food, snacks and drinks waiting for them.

I wanted to do a mentor program because I know that I am a good role model for young girls and can teach them the importance of having morals.

Bibliography:

http://chronus.com/how-to-start-a-mentoring-program

"How to Start a High-Impact Mentoring Program | Chronus." Chronus RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2016.

This is a website that helps people start their mentorship program. It gives them a sense of how to start the program and what they are starting it for. Guidance was needed to start the mentor group so that young girls know the ways of life. We had to make a permission slip for the girls, so that their parents were okay with what we were going to be talking about and if they’re okay with their child being photographed for our project.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/hiv/stdfact-std-hiv.htm

"STDs and HIV – CDC Fact Sheet." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Oct. 2015. Web. 18 May 2016.

This site gets to the nitty gritty of how serious sexaully trasmitted diseases. It talks about how some stds can turn into HIV. And that’s something you can die from. We had to teach the girls how serious catching sexually transmitted diseases is. It informs about the treatment if something do happen. This information is to not scare the young girls, but to show them how consequences work if they are not practicing safe sex.

http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/understanding-stds-basics

"STD Facts, Causes, Types, Transmission, and More." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 18 May 2016.

This site is informing visitors about sexually transmitted diseases. They inform people about the most common sexually transmitted disease. It show what you can do to not contract an std by wearing condoms and practicing abstinence. It shows people how to contract and sexually transmitted disease. It example the breakthrough of sexually transmitted diseases.

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/

"Planned Parenthood | Official Site." Planned Parenthood | Official Site. Web. 18 May 2016.

This website was used to teach girls on how to handle what they need to handle. By handle I mean if they were to contract and STD. Or to become pregnant. Of course they would have to tell their parents, but this is a place that they should know to go to if they need anything if they don’t want their parents to know.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/grilled-chicken-sliders.html

"Grilled Chicken Sliders : Ree Drummond : Food Network." Grilled Chicken Sliders Recipe : Ree Drummond : Food Network. Web. 18 May 2016.

The young sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Chicken sliders was apart of our lesson plan. The guidelines was giving to inform on how to make the chicken sliders. All of ingredients had to be required and needed to produce what was needed to produce. The girls will accomplish at least learning how to make a food, if there is nothing else to eat. It is a great way to learn something new and it’s fun. The have to learn the ways of being an adult. Their parents is not going to be there for them all the time to make food. It’s also something to can surprise their mom and dad with on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-beef-tacos/426c261d-b2eb-4e22-9cba-0066f3335591

"Easy Beef Tacos." BettyCrocker.com. Web. 18 May 2016.

Beef tacos was needed because not everybody need or eat pork. Tacos and quesadillas were made to teach the girls on how to cook. Making tacos were a fun and is a fun way to cook. It also give them a new taste. Since most of the girls are African American females it gave them something new to try. Tacos are considered an Latina, cultural type of food. It introduces them to new things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHwi_l4sg3o

Mreae. "How to Grill Salmon Perfectly." YouTube. YouTube, 2008. Web. 19 May 2016.

One of the ingredients for the tacos or something that were included in the tacos were salmon. Since salmon is an uncooked food and can be very bad if eaten uncooked can be a terrible thing. The girls were shown how to cook a raw fish. It doesn’t have to be burnt but it can be well done. They have the choice of following something that is very helpful for them and give them options of different sauces to put on the salmo. It gives the tacos a certain flavor that they might like. They would be proud of theirself for cooking something so good.

http://www.pbs.org/parents/parenting/raising-girls/body-image-identity/raising-a-powerful-girl/

PBS. PBS. Web. 19 May 2016.

One of the lesson plans that was for the young girls was to talk about parents. As young girls, you and your parent can tend to clash and “bump heads” a lot. Young girls feel like they know it all and that their mom is being mean for telling them what to do. When in all the mom is trying to help them. They don’t understand that. This conversation was to teach them not everything has to be an argument. They need to know that they can have great relationships with their self and their parents.

http://nypost.com/2016/02/21/how-social-media-is-destroying-the-lives-of-teen-girls/

Dawson, Mackenzie. "How Social Media Is Destroying the Lives of Teen Girls."New York Post. 2016. Web. 19 May 2016.

Social Media is a very opinionated place. Not everybody follow the rule “if you don’t have nothing nice to say don’t say it at all”. People are cruel now and days and everyone has a social media account no matter if it’s instagram, twitter, snapchat, kik and periscope. It allows you to put yourself out there but people need to learn the what side of their self to make public. Anybody can go look at your stuff and know who you are or what type of person you are just by your captions and the pictures you put up. Everything needs to be PG-13 because there are older woman out here not setting the right example.

http://www.youngwomenscollegeprep.org/

"Home - Young Womens College Prep." Home - Young Womens College Prep. Web. 19 May 2016.

The mentor group is at Wagner Middle School, although Wagner Middle School is a good school, it can always improve. Students can always benefit from their school becoming better. The girls need to know that getting degrees is very important and needed in life to have a comfortable living. It’s good to see what other schools talk about or do when it comes to their school. We can do the same thing they do and probably do it better.

For my capstone project I worked with a foster care organization trying to figure out what the needs of the children in the system were. By setting up a gofundme page and receiving many generous donations, I was able to purchase many of the items we came up with together. All together I was able to purchase twenty bags and fill each with a water bottle, a blanket, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a notebook and pens/pencils, as well as an unique item for each child. With the money I had left from the donations I was able to give school supplies for the kids who are traveling around a lot. Throughout the capstone process, a few little lives were made a little easier.

The idea for my capstone derived from my pure and honest passion for storytelling. Having no prior experience in the writing world, I wanted to get my feet wet and gain some experience in a field not many trek. Along with wanting to storytell, I wanted to tell a different type of story. In a market where black characters aren’t common, or non-white characters are practically non-existent, I wanted to plant a seed in it. I wanted to show people that black characters can flourish in genres besides urban fiction. In the very beginning, the process of brainstorming and finding a solid narrative was initially the most pressing quest. The first thing I knew I needed to do was just write it. Everything after that was definitely a learning experience. I learned that a complete, solid, and physical book cannot be completely in a mere 6 months. I also learned that I wanted to take my writing in a different direction, since one of my main goals of this project was to attract an audience, something I had no idea how to in the beginning. In a nick of time, I created a wattpad profile where millions of people could possibly take a peek at my work. Aside from the things I learned in the process, overall, I walked away from this project with a solid understanding of the type of material I want the world to see. I want to influence and inspire people with my words, and this is just the beginning of it all.

Bibliography

1. Bureman, Liz. "The 7 Basic Plots: Tragedy - The Write Practice." The Write Practice RSS. The Write Practice, 04 June 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2016. <http://thewritepractice.com/basic-tragedy/>. I was looking for something to help me with the tragedy part of my novella and this was exactly what I was looking for. It is a website that has basically deconstructed what exactly makes a tragedy a tragedy. It tells about how a tragic story will have a main character that has a serious and intense thirst for something (be it money, power, beauty, youth, anything) and once they achieve that object, life seemingly gets to get better until the walls cave in all around them. There are many classic tragic stories such as Hamlet and Macbeth, and of course, Romeo and Juliet. The website also introduces an option of writing a prompt for the one of the "Dream stages" it describes. I also realized that not all tragic protagonists are anti-heroes. They can be a good person throughout the story and suffer a terrible fate just like bad.

2. "Character Virtues and Vices." W R I T E W O R L D. Tumblr.com, 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. <http://writeworld.org/charactervandv>. In the process of character creating, I knew I wanted to create well-rounded, three dimensional people that would be seen as real. I focused on the vice and virtues this time. Since no one is completely good or bad, I learned how to evenly give life to my characters through these. Overall, one of the main characters in my book are mostly quiet and to themselves. However, this character wouldn't be completely the same throughout the story. I'd want other traits to come out so readers can decide if they want to root for them or not. So in this website, I found those vices and virtues that I could use freely. I picked five of each and then added detail to each; how they made my character act, how they affected their life, and how these vices and virtues would possibly change them by the end of the book.

3. "How to Create a Character Profile." Writers Write. The Lazy Scholar, 1998. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. <http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun98/how-to-create-a-character-profile-6986>. I used this website in order to organize and flesh out my characters individually. It's very long, very text heavy, and it really made me think about how I have free will to make the characters any way I want. I actually spent several days filling this out for each character, as it really makes me think about what I am writing and if the character I've thought of really needs to be in the story or not. But after using this this so much, I was able to mold it into something that I would actually use. I didn't want to take up a ton of time trying to fill out each line so I erased some of the questions and only kept the ones I felt needed to be answered. It saved time, helped me vision my characters better and ultimately made it way easier to mold them to the my story.

4. Grace. "Examples of Themes. Choosing a Creative Writing Theme."Practicecreativewriting. N.p., 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2016. <http://www.practicalcreativewriting.com/what-is-a-theme/examples-of-themes/>. This website is focused on explaining the theme within a story (narrative/ novel). At first, I thought that stories only had one theme, but after reading through this website and thinking of the other pieces of literature I've read, I've realized that stories can have more than one theme. The function of the website how choosing a theme should be personal to you. That I should care about it so that when I write, I won't get bored or feel like I'm forcing something. The site also gives a list of different themes and some short descriptions of it. I think this is very useful to me since I find that in my writing, theme might not be so prevalent or easy to find. This site will really come in handing when forming my story. I think I should start with this first. It is simple and easy to use.

5. "Macbeth Summary." Absolute Shakespeare. AbsoluteShakespeare, 2005. Web. 2016. <http://www.absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/summaries/macbeth/macbeth_summary.htm>. I wanted to look more in different tragedies. Therefore, I revisited Macbeth, another tragedy by Shakespeare. As I read the summary, I saw that Macbeth died at the result of his own selfish actions. He killed many, feigned for power, and ultimately died a death some would say was "just his medicine". I also read further into the site and learned about the different themes and symbols throughout. Even though I already knew most of the things mentioned, I payed attention to how each theme was transpired throughout the story. I think this website is useful in trying to see how different stories with essentially the same themes parallel one another. Even though Macbeth was a majority violent and bloody play, the way each part of the plot connects is what motivates me. I want to do the same as well. After looking through Macbeth, I went on a search for Hamlet.

6. "Romeo and Juliet Summary." Absolute Shakespeare. Absoluteshakespeare, 2005. Web. 2016. <http://www.absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/romeo_and_juliet/summary/romeo_and_juliet_summary.htm>. I stopped by this website in order to get a look at the most classic tragical romance, Romeo and Juliet. I was specifically looking to explore the different themes within the story. I wanted to find out what made it so popular, despite the ridiculousness of both of the main characters. What drove them to ignore their family members despite constant pleas? I was also able to look at the different symbols that are consistent throughout the story, such as poison. What I realized from this explanation was that even the smallest details can change a rather simple story. I also was able to see what exactly the story of Romeo and Juliet was. A narrative of ridiculousness and misinterpretations. Even though the movies dramatize the story, the reality of the situation is that the Montagues and Capulets are fighting over a silly feud that could have been resolved ages ago.

7. "Stephen J Cannell Lecture Part IV: What Is Three Act Structure? -- *Writers Write*." Stephen J Cannell Lecture Part IV: What Is Three Act Structure? -- *Writers Write*. Writers Write Inc, 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2016. <http://www.writerswrite.com/screenwriting/lecture4.htm>. This website became especially useful when looking to create structure within my story. It is called the Three Act Structure. Every story and movie is made up of the "Three Act Structure", as there is a beginning, middle and end. Each aspect of the structure tells a different part the story so that everything will make sense. You'd never introduce the main characters in the middle, but in the beginning, which is what the first act is about. In the first act, main characters and conflict are introduced. The middle is where everything gets crazy and the characters are put to the test to see the conflict until the end. The third act is the solution to the conflict and where everything wraps up. This site was especially useful to me because my story definitely needed more structure. I also liked that the article gave actual examples on what to do.

8. Victor, William. "What Is Plot - How to Build a Story from Beginning to End." Creative Writing Now. William Victor, S.L, 2009. Web. 2015. <http://www.creative-writing-now.com/what-is-plot.html>. This website is pretty similar to the others I've read about plot. However, it is written differently and isn't as simple. It's sort of messy but after reading through, it becomes easier to decipher. The website also gives information the different types of conflicts with a plot. Such as man vs man, man vs nature, man vs self, man vs other. I also learned that all stories would be boring if there was no conflict. People like to read about drama, its interesting. If everyone had a happily ever after, then books wouldn't be popular and literature itself would be lame. That is also a reason that Shakespeares stories are so referenced and beloved. They aren't typical romance stories where everyone lives greatly in the end, it usually ends in blood, leaving the reader in confusion and despair because events occurred that they did not prepare for nor expected in the end.

9. "The Writer's Toolbox - Ask The Writer - Gotham Writers Workshop." The Writer's Toolbox -Ask The Writer. Gotham Writer's Workshop, 2016. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. <https://www.writingclasses.com/toolbox/ask-writer/what-is-a-novella-how-is-it-different-than-a-short-story>. Here, I learned the difference between a novella and a novel. A novella is not as expanded in conflict as a novel, and is therefore, shorter. But not as condensed as a short story. It is around 15,000 words but no more than 100,000, which would be crossing over in novel territory. I decided from this that I wanted to write a novella. It's going to be short, to the point, but rich with content that will have the reader asking for me, hopefully. I also want my story to be a novella because it gives room to possibly have a series and keep it moving. I'll be able to have cliff hangers and torture the reader, which motivates me to keep going. But one thing that the article reminds me is to just keep writing and try my best. Hopefully everything will come together in the end peace fully.

10. "Writing A Novel." The Writing Bureau. WL Yorkshire, 2009. Web. 2016. <http://www.writersbureau.com/writing/planning-a-novel.htm>. This website gives a very simple step by step intro into planning a novel. Even though there aren't a ton of details, it was very useful to me. I think starting from one simple and then adding details later is what will really help when writing my novella. It helped me really ask myself questions about what my story was missing and what it had. I like how it isn't as complicated as most of the websites I've went to when looking for information or plot planning. I've already started writing, but this website will definitely come in handy when editing and making revisions. I figure that if I can answer any of these questions in a complete sentence, then my book will be good and easy to read. Even though this website/ article was designed for novel planning, I can still use it to write my novella. Just I will have to take some stuff out.