My husband is on the board of our local Tech Council and he knew they were offering free laptops to high school STEM kids in public schools in the next county over. All they had to do was be in 10th grade, write a 300 word essay about how a brand new laptop would help further their education, and fill out an application. Apparently this effort is too much for most kids in public schools around here.
Well, we got the go ahead for Storyteller to apply anyway, even though she's not a resident of that county, even though she's in 9th grade, not 10th, even though she's homeschooled and not in public school, and even though she wants to be a writer, not pursue a tech career. Because apparently, even though they've had hundreds of computers to give away, only a handful of public school kids have bothered to apply!
And so, she wrote her essay (with an EXTRA 550 words!) in one night and submitted her application a day or so later. The next morning she got a call saying she could come pick up her new laptop! And just like that, she has a brand spanking new laptop! She's so excited!
And, they told her that her essay was THE BEST essay BY FAR that they have received! They said most of them are "I could really use a new laptop to help me with my schoolwork". But not Storyteller! She wrote about her dreams of becoming a writer and creating worlds for kids to escape too! If any kid works hard enough to deserve a new laptop, it's her! I'm so glad they gave her one!!!!
I can't seem to upload this as a .pdf file...so here's a copy of her essay:
A Young Writer's Fantasy
In the pages of a story, people with impossible abilities live incredible lives,
majestic places exist, and magic is not only possible, but normal. Witches and wizards live
in communities, magical creatures roam in preserves, and humans with supernatural
abilities fight super villains to save the world. I want to be the person who lets their
imagination run wild and inspire others to let theirs do the same.
I've read Harry Potter three times. The first time, I was in it for the thrill, the
second time, I was in it for the story, but the third time was different. I fell in love with the
writing. I analyzed the descriptions and paid attention to how each character developed.
Since then, I’ve fallen in love with the art of putting pen to paper and creating an entirely
new world. I’ve started rewriting the last three Harry Potter books as a fan fiction for fun,
and I've finished eighteen chapters, consisting of two hundred and seventy-two pages, and
started eighteen more. I enjoy fantasy and adventure novels, but I love layers like romance
or mysteries on top of the main story line.
My passion is for writing and has been for years. I love telling stories, and even
though I’m focusing on fan fiction for now, I still occasionally write my own story ideas.
Writing is almost all I do in my free time, and being an author is all I can imagine doing
with my life in the future.
As terrible as it sounds, I’m constantly reading books, and thinking about how the
author could've described something better or how they use the word “said” too much.
Every time I read simple adjectives or verbs that could've easily been replaced with more
descriptive words, I cringe. I’ve written close to a whole book, then came back to it after
several months, and scrapped it because of how terrible I thought my writing was. The
story was fine, but I couldn't stand it because of how dull the wording was.
My deepest wish is to change lives for the better through writing, because I
believe the world as a whole could use a little more magic. A new laptop would help me
put my stories out into the world to inspire others and make my dream become more of a
reality. There are so many websites where aspiring writers can post their work and get
great feedback from others. At the moment, I'm using a ten year old E netbook that was
my mom's. It's really slow and the internet connection is sluggish at best. I can't use
Dropbox or Free File to save my writing on the internet, and I’m worried something will
happen, and all my hard work will be gone forever.
Here are a few paragraphs from my fan fiction. The point of view is through the
eyes of one of my characters: Sabbrina Snape. She grew up at Hogwarts known as the
Potionmaster's daughter with her twin brother, Shawn. She's in Ginny Weasley's year and
is best friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione. In her fifth year, she got the Dark Mark and
became a spy for Dumbledore. She and Shawn had to help Draco Malfoy with his mission
to kill Dumbledore, but in the end, they failed to stop Draco from finishing the deed.
Sabbrina and Harry started going out halfway through the year. (Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore's Funeral)
I wish the warm and beautiful weather were less perfect. It seems to mock our
grief. Harry guides me into a row of pristine seats on the perfectly manicured lawns. The
lake's surface is smooth as glass, and there's not a single cloud in the blue sky.
It starts with a single tear, but soon silent sobs shake my entire body. All my pain
surges up from where I shoved it deep down over the years. I think of Mum. Her loving
smile, her eyes, her encouragement. I think of Sirius, who I tried my best to save. His
barking laugh, the sparkle of mischief in his eyes, his arms embracing me, assuring me that
everything would be fine. Then finally, I think of Dumbledore. How I failed him, how it's
my fault he's being buried today. And of course thinking of all that brings up Dad. I hate
him with everything I have. I despise him.
That only brings up more pain. The kind of agony that cripples you and makes
you want to give up, even when you know you can't. The kind that makes you want to
wake up from a terrible dream, a wicked dream. The kind of dream you never forget and
paralyzes you with terror whenever you recall it.
Harry silently pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around me and letting me sob
into his chest. My thoughts suddenly derail and I’m overwhelmed with memories of Harry.
All those long walks around the lake at night. All those stolen moments only we knew
about. Those kisses in cupboards or closets or on the far side of pillars. All those times he
has stood by my side. I listen to the sound the soft breeze makes as it rustles through the
trees and the birds chirping their happy little songs.
We can't see what's happening at the front, so I concentrate on my friends. Harry's
eyes are closed and a half smile tugs at the corners of his lips. Shawn is gazing at the lake,
watching the merpeople who have poked their heads out of the water to listen. Ron is pale
and looks shocked. Hermione is crying nearly as hard as I am, her eyes trained on her
hands resting palm-up on her lap.
So this is who will save the world? Five upset teenagers who are on the very edge
of being broken beyond repair. At least we're trying. And at least we'll have each other, no
matter what. A warm feeling enters my chest as I consider what the future holds. Yeah,
we're the ones who will save the world, but we can't do it alone. We're in this together.
