In the spirit of chunky crayons and fat pencils, I present the extra-large “young writer” merit badge.
You’ve been making up stories for as long as you can remember. You began putting them on paper as soon as (or maybe slightly before) you had the motor skills.
You’ve endured (or are still enduring) English classes more about checking educational standards off of a list than exploring the rare beauty you know can be found in words.
Even now that you’re old enough to vote, the “grown-ups” call you clever and all but pinch you on the cheek. Then they turn away and start discussing the death of the publishing industry and how no one will ever make a living wage as a writer again.
Still, you keep writing. Because you want to. Because you have to. Because you need to tell how the story ends.
Young writer, I salute you.
This is part of the merit badges for writers series, and may be posted on your site or blog. Have you earned this badge? Will you never earn it? Tell us why in the comments.
6 Comments
I’m going with mature writer instead of this one. But I had to pop in and say that this one is adorable!!
Whew! I’m glad you think so, because there was a point in the process where a bad eyebrow decision had that chick looking downright evil. I almost scrapped the whole thing.
The first time I mentioned my age in a query letter, I got the most overbearingly cute (hey, I’m no adverb slayer) rejection letter back. “Good for you, munchkin, but why don’t you keep trying”? It made me want to stab someone with a spork.
“Munchkin”? Seriously, agent? Wow.
I’ve only started writing down my stories in the past few years but I’ve kept these long detailed ones in my head since I was tiny. I kept them there because I was afraid of getting teased
I was right to be afraid as it turns out…but now I’m the kid at school that everyone looks at in awe because I finished novels and they just stand there looking stupid ^_^
I’m a young writer. It’s how I’m surviving middle school. XP