YWP for 4th Quarter: due Fri, May 28 by 11pm
Post the title of your piece here. Also name and paste the full prompt, and paste a link to your piece on the YWP website. For options, see https://youngwritersproject.org/challenges20.
If you attended a lecture, reading, or discussion—online is perfectly fine...(Last day to attend is Mon, May 31)
Name the title and setting of the lecture. Describe the experience and what it was like for you. What did it make you think about? (minimum 250 words) (Skip a line between paragraphs.)
TITLE: An Unkown Reflection
ReplyDeletePROMPT/CHALLENGE:
Switch Write about a character who switches bodies with someone else, much like the mother and daughter in "Freaky Friday." What has made this possible? If it was a conscious decision, who did they switch with and why? How do the two characters come together, if at all? Are they switched back?
LINK to YWP SITE: https://youngwritersproject.org/node/40614
One day my life changed. It was not one of the changes that come about subtle, spurred by small actions and decisions. Eventually, enough time passes that you see the ramifications of one seemingly inconsequential decision or action, like one day folding and flying a paper airplane for the first time, and then finding yourself in 20 years majoring in aerospace engineering. On the day that I speak of, it was not a subtle change, but one on a scale so large it was previously unimaginable to me. I looked in the mirror and saw a face that was not my own.
I had been washing glue, primer, and paint off my hands after working on bringing some of my new miniatures to life. As I was rubbing my hands under the cool water everything around me changed. The bathroom was larger, the walls now a deep shade of red, the sink larger with a black faucet. The seconds it took me to realize these changes were tangible as the water still poured onto my two hands, which under further inspection were a different skin tone. I was wearing different clothes, and I turned off the sink and looked around the room I felt something draped across my shoulders and around my neck. When I looked up into the mirror I saw a feminine face, framed by silky black straight hair. I stepped back in shock as it began to become apparent to me that I had become someone else.
Upon leaving the bathroom, in complete and utter bewilderment I studied the strange place I had come to find myself in. Plants sat potted in the corners and as I continued to explore I heard a voice calling out in a language I could not understand or recognize. A man stepped out from around the corner and looked at me with a puzzled expression. He continued to talk at me but I just shook my head gently until I finally said “I can’t understand you!” in a high-pitched voice so alien to my ears. After that, he switched to accented, but understandable English.
I learned his name, and what he thought mine was. I tried to explain that I was not his girlfriend, but an aspiring comic book illustrator making his way through high school. He was similarly astonished at this concept and believed me because of my fluent English and hysterical shouting.
My life became a flurry of calling my parents, flying home, meeting myself who was not really me, my family moving, and assuming a new identity at another school, maintaining a connection with my old friends through forms of social media, video games we would play online together, and the pretense of my parent moving so that I could attend a high school that would better support me and improves poor academic performance. Yes, it sucked that my friends believed that my grades were so bad my parents would move to another state, but they still relied on me for my pop culture knowledge, and video game knowledge.
That is my story, just an average teen rocketed off of their life course through some twist of fate. I have learned to live my new life as first, a girl. Second a transfer student. And third, a product of a clouded destiny I am yet to discover.
---------------------------------------------------Minnor Gramatical Fixes------------------------------------------------------
DeleteOne day my life changed. It was not one of the changes that come about subtly, spurred by small actions and decisions. Eventually, enough time passes that you see the ramifications of one seemingly inconsequential decision or action, like one day folding and flying a paper airplane for the first time, and then finding yourself in twenty years majoring in aerospace engineering. On the day that I speak of, it was not a subtle change, but one on a scale so large it was previously unimaginable to me. I looked in the mirror and saw a face that was not my own.
I had been washing glue, primer, and paint off my hands after working on bringing some of my new miniatures to life. As I was rubbing my hands under the cool water everything around me changed. The bathroom was larger, the walls now a deep shade of red, the sink larger with a black faucet. The seconds it took me to realize these changes were tangible as the water still poured onto my two hands, which under further inspection were a different skin tone. I was wearing different clothes, and when I turned off the sink and looked around the room, I felt something draped across my shoulders and around my neck. When I looked up into the mirror I saw a feminine face, framed by silky black straight hair. I stepped back in shock as it began to become apparent to me that I had become someone else.
Upon leaving the bathroom, in complete and utter bewilderment I studied the strange place I had come to find myself in. Plants sat potted in the corners and as I continued to explore I heard a voice calling out in a language I could not understand or recognize. A man stepped out from around the corner and looked at me with a puzzled expression. He continued to talk at me but I just shook my head gently until I finally said, “I can’t understand you!” in a high-pitched voice so alien to my ears. After that, he switched to accented, but understandable English.
I learned his name, and what he thought mine was. I tried to explain that I was not his girlfriend, but an aspiring comic book illustrator making his way through high school. He was similarly astonished at this concept and believed me because of my fluent English and hysterical shouting.
My life became a flurry of calling my parents, flying home, meeting myself who was not really me, my family moving, and assuming a new identity at another school, maintaining a connection with my old friends through forms of social media, video games we would play online together, and the pretense of my parent moving so that I could attend a high school that would better support me and improves poor academic performance. Yes, it sucked that my friends believed that my grades were so bad my parents would move to another state, but they still relied on me for my pop culture and video game knowledge.
That is my story, just an average teen rocketed off of their life course through some twist of fate. I have learned to live my new life as first, a girl. Second a transfer student. And third, a product of a clouded destiny I am yet to discover.
Eldon, this is extremely well written! Your choice of words were obviously carefully selected, and they just got better. Your word choice made the reader able to not just read your passage, but to feel the emotions, like seeing the red walls, feeling the glue on the hands, speaking in a foreign voice, and living in a new body. This looks like it was well thought through, and you clearly spent time developing your short story. I love how you made that airplane comparison in the beginning: “...like one day folding and flying a paper airplane for the first time, and then finding yourself in twenty years majoring in aerospace engineering.” This was a great comparison between the blatant opposite and sudden change that happened to your main character. Personally, I find it hard to wrap shorter stories up, but you did an excellent job at this! I like how you transitioned by saying “My life became a flurry of calling my parents, flying home, meeting myself who was not really me…” and then went into smaller details to leave your reader with the emotions that you clearly put into the writing yourself. Overall- really good job and excellent word choices!
DeleteTITLE: Summer Vacation
ReplyDeletePROMPT/CHALLENGE: Nice. End a poem or story with this inspiring quote from late author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.: “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”
LINK to YWP SITE: https://youngwritersproject.org/node/40615
The bell rings at 3:00pm.
The hallways fill with the sounds of gleeful laughs and excited chatter.
All the students rush outside.
No more:
Homework.
Lectures.
Stress.
Instead:
Beach days.
Campfires and s’mores.
Trips with family.
Ice cream.
Sun burns.
Total fun for two and a half months.
If that isn't nice, I don't know what is.
Madi, your YWP named Summer Vacation speaks to every students heart. No matter how much someone values their education, summer feels like a beautiful dream. I think that you did very well answering the prompt, writing a poem with a final line of "If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.", which is a line a really like. They way you format your poem with an introductory, two comparing summer to school, and a concluding paragraph. I agree with how with now homework or lectures my life feels much less stressful and fun activities like campfires and family vacations. I agree that if "Total fun for two and a half months." isn't nice, I don't know what is.
DeleteMadi- I love the simplicity of this poem! In brief poems like this, it is often hard for the author to convey the message that they are trying to get across, but you executed this perfectly! I love how you started this off by painting that last-day-of-school scene with excitement and adrenaline. You were able to give the reader this feeling without saying “they were excited”, and that can sometimes be difficult! I also liked how you made those little comparative lists between the dreaded stress, lectures, and homework, and the exciting beach days, campfires, trips, ice cream, and sun burns. You were able to also sum this poem up by calling summer vacation “Total fun for two and a half months.” which I like because of it’s blatant accuracy! And on top of this, you made this poem fitting the conditions of ending the poem with the quote “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” I wouldn’t have known that this poem was created under this challenge if it wasn’t in the bio. Nice job!
DeleteMadi, this held some great depth for the size of the poem, it really used imagery quite well to illustrate a scene that was in front of you and make it stand out. The vivid language usage and the general flow of the piece really contributed to that out-of-school feeling, quite well done. I really enjoyed how to turned to reference something outside of school, as a better alternative, it was quite relaxing to envision. I think you really put effort into this and it really has shined through in the simplicity and depth of this poem, overall, really well done and thank you for sharing, well done with fitting in the "If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is" quote as well!
DeleteTITLE: Road Trip
ReplyDeletePROMPT/CHALLENGE: general poem
LINK to YWP SITE: https://youngwritersproject.org/node/39715
Staring out as the world whizzes by
It all blends together if your eyes stay open long enough
All the colors become indistinct blurry blobs
With your forehead pressed against the cold glass you picture
Not an arborous green landscape,
with sagging power lines that trace the sky,
But tall skinny buildings, pressed close to make room.
Laid out in blocks, seemingly inches from overflowing
Skyscrapers--as you look up.
With your head thrown back, facing the horizon, you slowly spin
But you can’t see what is happening a few blocks away
You can’t close your eyes and inhale crisp air--it’s all old, stale, reused.
You can’t feel a breeze not produced from exhaust pipes
You can’t just lay in the grass and feel the earth breathe
But your eyes open
You see the familiar blooming colors sprouting from the rich, fresh earth
And yet the world still whizzes by
Jada, I really liked your YWP poem titled, "Road Trip” and to me, it felt very relatable. I think that you used great detailed imagery. For example, your choice of words: “cold glass,” “arborous green,” “crisp air,” “old, stale, reused” all contributed to a very vivid image in my mind. I could really picture what you were describing--something I myself have experienced before. I remember taking road trips when I was younger, and leaning my head against the cold car window, hoping the car ride would go by just a tiny bit faster. I always found it mesmerizing to, as you describe in your poem, “staring out as the world whizzes by.” If my mom caught me, she would always tell me that I was leaving a “smudge” on her clean car window!
DeleteJada, this is truly stunning. I am thoroughly impressed, really vivid language and good use of your telling of the environment, it really holds a deep meaning under it that rings true in my mind from my past. You illustrated that feeling perfectly, from your forehead against the glass to the inhale of crisp air. I do enjoy the fact that you included some issues regarding climate change as well, I thought that was very neat and well thought out, it gave a subtle message without taking away from the poem. I can imagine this poem in great detail, thank you for sharing this, really amazing work.
Delete