3. literary longevity

I feel like in the case of old Greeks like Euripides, one of the major factors for their work's success is the fact that there just weren't many publications back then, so each new one became well known relatively quickly. When they survived the dark ages, the fact that they were so old and survived for so long kept them as popular as ever. In the case of Jane Austen, one of the reasons her books have lasted is probably because she was a woman writer in a world of men writers, and her language was very clever and artful (though her stories were pretty lame). Other classics I think were very original in their style or content and with the help of some luck, got onto the classics train.
I think these days it would be very hard to create a classic. There's something like 3000 new publications every day, and the chance that one of those would be read and stick out from the rest is very small. Not to mention reading has become a much less popular pastime in this hectic world of television, movies, and video games. It seems the really popular books are like the Da Vinci Code that keeps people on the edge of their seats. Popular books these days need to be noticed and talked about until the media covers it and a movie is made about it and then it will survive, for a couple years anyway.
While it would be fun to be a household name as a famous author, with more books and less readers it just seems to me like it would be nearly impossible.

2. Advice

If I gave advice to a ten-year-old, first I would try to put myself in his shoes. I would ask if he had any problems that he was concerned about, whether in his social life or at school or in his family. Then I would try to look for solutions to those problems to help him get through it. Then I would explain to him my general philosophy that I try to follow. In general I find that life is easier and more enjoyable when I don't worry too much. A little worrying is necessary to get by, but minimizing would be the best option. It's good to try to take it easy and be relaxed, especially in moments high stress, because then they can be handled calmly. I also like to solve problems using logic and being reasonable to come up with a solution that hurts the least amount of people possible. If someone is upset, while you should keep in mind that they're just having a bad day and don't want to be bothered, you should generally look for the source of displeasure so that it might be removed. Using these guidelines should help get you on the right track for a good life.

1. Reflection

I enjoyed writing my play. I'd never done anything like it before. I'd only read the plays or seen them on stage. Earlier in the year, when I was in AP World Lit, we read Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. It was one of the few things we read that I enjoyed. It had existentialist and absurdist themes and ideas. I tried to incorporate some mood and feelings from it into my play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is another absurdist play that I read in the past. I liked the kind of humor that both of the plays use, and I decided to go that route. It ended up being pretty unique and I think solid too. I enjoyed attempting to fit the story onto the stage and include the audience in some of the action. I definitely think that I'll write more plays in the future.

3. Conflict ideas

I will now proceed to use my imagination to come up with some potential conflicts.
In the Old West, two gold miners give up on their search for wealth and decide to band together and steal gold from others. They get rich but then one betrays the other and takes everything from him. Conflict!
A businessman gets fed up at work and decides to murder his boss. Then he has to deal with the grief and stress and hiding the crime. Suspense!
A family gets in a car crash and suddenly they're in a strange land, trying to survive and find out what the heck is going on. Confusion?
Two guys in school realize they're living in a world that repeats itself. They do the same things everyday and whatever they do, they can't escape it. They freak out. (possible ending- one dies?) Repetition!
A boy has an imaginary friend. His parents play along until it gets too serious for them. When they try to tell him to forget his friend, the friend becomes more and more real until the boy can't get rid of him. His parents think he's insane. He tries to escape, but the imaginary person begins to take control of his life and soon becomes him. The boy is gone and the imaginary person is happy to have a body to live in. Schizophrenia!
There's some solid ideas!

2. My Theme

I haven't had much of an opportunity to consider what I'm going to write about in my play, but I'll write a couple theme ideas here.
If I put my play in a school setting, I see a couple of possibilities. I could go the "life is cyclical" route and show the endless routines that kids go through in a day. I could make it sort of absurd, with kids thinking "what's the point? We work all day, go to bed to late, wake up too early, work all day." And if I wanted to end it on a dark note, I could suggest that the only thing that ends the cycle is death. Another possible theme could be to look at human nature, maybe how someone tries to change in a way to please others, but in the long run she can't change her nature.
I don't mean that those themes are always true, but I've experienced them before (not the death part) and I feel that they could provide nice play substance.
Another idea that I could talk about is that death isn't the end. Maybe it's just the beginning and crazy stuff starts happening when we die.
I'm not obsessed with death or anything, but it's always intrigued me.
So there's some original brainstorm material from Devin Stone, I hope you enjoyed it.

1. The Theme

I think whether or not there is an intentional theme in a work depends on the writer's purpose for writing. If the writer starts out with a good idea, then they might say, "Hey, that's a good idea for a theme. I should write a book/poem/play/whatever about it." On the other hand, he might have a cool idea for a plot, and then he might start expanding that plot and as he creates characters and motivations, a theme might grow from them. A theme is always nice for a work to focus on, but it's not necessarily required.
However, I feel like it would be very difficult to make a piece of creative writing without a theme or central idea. Every piece of writing began for a reason, either to convey an idea or even just to write random things. Depending on the mindset and personal feelings of the reader, a theme could be there even if it's unintentional. If the writer tries to make the piece meaningless, he indirectly creates a possible theme right there. Maybe it's that life is meaningless and absurd.

3. My Inspiration

One example of a piece of art that has inspired me is The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It's a popular movie, but I read the book before I saw the movie and I liked the book much better. There are so many things I like about the book: the characters, the plot, the themes, and especially the writing style. The characters are all unique and thrilling in their own ways. Inigo Montoya, the best swordsman in the world, obsessed with tracking down the six-fingered man that killed his father; Westley and Buttercup and their love that never dies (I've always been a sucker for true love); The guy whose name I forget that loves killing and torture. It's not only a great plot that includes romance, adventure, revenge, fighting, and poison, but the way Goldman weaves the story is unlike anything I've ever seen. He fills it with side comments and personal stories as if he abridged an old classic novel that his father introduced him to. He creates both the story plot and a plot about how he adapted the story plot from another author (who, I found out to my surprise after reading it- that's how convincing it was- doesn't exist). I'll always remember this novel as a great work written creatively and filled with important life themes.

2. My Beef with the Political System

Politics. When some hear the word, adrenaline starts flowing and they get excited. It's a broad topic, and I have some issues with it. I understand the importance of democracy and how we should all have a say in who leads the country and makes decisions. I just don't like the separation that the party system creates. Most of my friends are Democrats, but my dad is a Republican. I therefore get exposure to many sides of the political spectrum. The thing I don't like is the hate that people get inside of them. I see Democrats regularly mock Republicans in general, saying things like "they're so stupid" or "I hate them all" and they don't understand that that sort of attitude doesn't help progress in this country at all. Then I hear my dad telling me all the things the liberals are doing and how they aren't fair.
Well, this response is getting kind of long so I'll wrap it up. Basically, everyone needs to realize that everyone believes in different things so we should all listen to others' justifications and rationalizations before we judge them according to what group they belong to. I consider myself a moderate, by the way, and I have no idea who I want to be president.

1. Reading and it's Importance to a Writer.

I agree that it's important for writers to read. They can pull all sorts of ideas and inspiration from others' works. Reading a variety of styles contributes to a writer's understanding of their options for style. Characters and their actions can spawn new ideas in the reader's mind. Events in the plot can spark memories of exciting events in the reader's life. The reader can then synthesize all these ideas for style, characters, and plot and use them to write something epic. Sometimes a writer's mind gets worn out and they just don't know what to write about, and that's when they need inspiration that they can get from reading. Any sort of reading can inspire new things, from children's books to collections of poetries to classic novels, to nonfiction articles. Even just reading the newspaper could do it. Reading is important to make progress in one's writing.