Briana H. (17)

My love for reading and writing started at a very young age. When I was in second grade, I began reading sixth grade books! I wrote all the time, and have been a competitive dancer since I was five years old. I also love photography. I have a great idea for a photo of a street called “Reading Way.” 

I have read more books than I ever imagined I could. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold immediately caught my attention because of the drama, eloquent language, and deep themes she explores. I’m a massive fan of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Another favorite author is Meg Cabot. I could always relate to her light humor. My friend and I used to act out chapters from all of Cabot’s books.

One thing that always makes a novel irresistible for me is feeling a connection to the characters. Being able to give away my own personality for a minute and being completely engulfed in someone else’s actions and thoughts is SO fascinating.

  Historical fiction: Penny’s Lullaby (excerpt)

Brianna F. (18)

Since elementary school, I have read any book I could get my hands on. Besides reading and writing, I love art and being outdoors.

A few of my favorite authors are Garth Nix, Terri Windling, and Diana Gabaldon. One thing that makes a novel interesting is not merely an exciting plot, but the development of the characters. The more realistically the characters are portrayed, the more invested I am in what happens to them. If the characters seem like puppets merely having their strings pulled, I have trouble getting interested in the story.
 
I love small details in stories, but sometimes there is a fine line between a good amount and too many. For instance, I like to know what the character is eating, but if it takes a page to describe heating up and eating leftover lasagna, the story begins to drag.

In the middle of a novel, new conflicts can maintain or enhance the enticement the story possessed initially.

I really don’t like when novels end too perfectly. It is a letdown because a perfectly happy ending almost always feels contrived. Even though I may feel frustrated, or some other such emotion, if a novel’s ending is not “happily ever after,” at least this kind of ending makes me feel connected to the characters.

In my (as of now) short writing career, I have written quite a few short stories. Also, I got a regional award for a poem I entered in the Live Poet’s Society High School Poetry contest. Currently, at college, I am an Environmental Biology major and English minor. I’m also in a creative writing workshop at school. I am working on a novel and plan to keep writing in the future, hopefully as a career.

Helen-Thea (18)

i love editing novels. being a teenager and a writer, i have a natural outlook on lingo, story line, and general happenings in teenage life. also i love reading. a good story always keeps me entertained...

My soul thrives in expression of all forms. The Visual and Performing Arts have been a pillar of growth and joy throughout my life. 

Not only do I love to read, but I love to write as well. I write poems, plays, short stories, songs, and, of course, literary papers for high school. I feel very free when I write. I love to have something magical in my head, then have it appear before my eyes, from my soul, onto a page.

My main passion in life is music. I will enter college in fall, 2009 and pursue a career in vocal performance (opera). I love all of the arts, but the ones I am most in touch with are those in which I can give to other people. I want to do anything I can to help people express what they have inside. By editing other writers’ works, I hope I can accomplish that goal, and, in the process, grow and learn from the work they give to me.

My favorite books have varied and changed as time has gone by. Some that have consistently stuck with me are J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and, finally, my favorite author, William Shakespeare.

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One thing that really grabs my attention in a novel is, after reading it, seeing what I can take from it, then relating it to my own self. Method Reading I guess would be a good thing to call it. Authors write to try to answer human questions. Whether it is the Hero or the Monster, if the people reading can feel related to something in a book, it will catch their interest. It certainly works that way with me.

I have been writing since I was a little girl. I have had poetry published in journals, grades pre-kindergarten to 12. My most recent achievement is a play titled Those Simple Words. It was chosen to represent my school at our State Thespian Conference this year. In elementary school, I wrote for the school newspaper. I also edit friends’ papers and stories, and give them advice on how to make their writing more interesting or appealing for the reader.

No matter where my music takes me, I will always continue writing and reading.

  Creative “Bio”: Ego Tripping

In this piece for my English class, we had to accentuate our egos...

I am Helen. Woman of the 1000 ships that crossed the Aegean Sea. Loved by the city Troy, where they fought a war over my beauty and elegance. So scintillating, I charmed all races witless with my wonder... Read more. »

Melissa (19)

Salut! I am an upcoming college sophomore, majoring in English. I love books and hope to devour many this summer, since my Honors studies keep me busy during the year. I am also an artist when my schedule allows it. My other hobbies include concert-going, hiking, babysitting, and writing mainly poetry and short stories.

One of my favorite books is The Little Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupery. His ability to capture both adults’ and children’s perspectives and make the story enjoyable for both audiences made the book stand out for me. The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is another of my favorites. King intertwined sci-fi, horror, romance, and adventure all in one, with endearing characters and a beautiful plotline. One book that has become a recent favorite of mine is Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. His stark setting, intricate character relationships, and simplistic style make his novel more like an art piece than a story. 

For me, the one thing that makes a story irresistible is style. Even if the plot is slightly dull, or the characters a bit too flat, style can make all the difference and plays a great part in intriguing the reader. Style helps the reader connect to the author and also sets an author apart from the rest.

I am currently submitting my short stories to literary magazines. I have also performed some of my poetry at a Slam Poetry contest. Mainly, I write poetry to put emotion on paper and short stories to convey a personal truth. A major goal of mine is to become a book editor, or at the very least, a proofreader or copy editor. Currently, I am editing a colleague’s poetry collection.

Editing is my passion. I find great pleasure in helping another artist perfect his or her work. I will continue editing and writing in the future. If a job arises from it, I would be ecstatic.

  Short Story Excerpt: Misunderstandings, or Taking out the Trash

In this story, Kurt wakes up on the floor of his office to find an intern named Evan sitting on his desk. Evan has a mysterious cardboard box next to him. Kurt awkwardly introduces himself, puts Evan to work, and starts to daydream… Read more. »