Creative Writing Program: RPI

So, last week I went to a creative writing day camp at RPI, a "writer's retreat," as it was called by our instructor, Tammy Ellis Robinson, editor and creator of Skribbler's magazine. It was one of my favorite weeks of the summer. I got to meet a lot of great people just as in love with writing as I am, all around my age. I was really surprised to see how good some of the other writers were, and to be honest, I was a little intimidated by some of them. Everyone had amazing story ideas that I don't think I could have thought of, then again, my story idea surprised me a bit, too. Looking back, I now realize that I never would've thought of or written the short story that I did last week without this "writers retreat." We learned to take little things, even one word like "ear" and turn it into something with great possibility. I now know that a good writer can make a great story out of anything. It's like we're little gods of our own paper worlds. Just like the real God can take a pile of sand and turn it into a man, we can now take one small word and turn it into a riveting story. Okay, so maybe not a riveting story, but at least a compilation of logical thoughts to be someday turned into a riveting story. Maybe. Sometimes we might just ramble on endlessly like I am now, so you throw that piece of paper away and start again. I'm sure that not everything Shakespeare wrote was golden. I bet you he threw away some of his crappy stuff, too. We all have to start somewhere. So my task for you, whoever you may be, is to start. Start doing what you love, even if you suck at it, keep going. You can't suck forever.

America's Got Talent

So, last night I watched America's Got Talent, just like I do every Tuesday in the summer when it's on. It always amazes me how brave the people going on stage are. I mean, performing in front of the America's Got Talent audience must be difficult. The people in the audience boo every chance they get, and sometimes I actually feel bad for the performers, of course I only feel bad for the performers that get booed if their not cocky. Half the time the people that do the worst are the ones who think they're the best. They talk about how amazingly good they are at whatever talent it is they think they have, and then they go out and make complete fools of themselves. I guess it shows that it's important to be confident without being arrogant. Even if you are great at whatever you do, everyone will like you a lot more if you're humble instead of conceited. If you're conceited, you might end up being your one and only fan. My favorite contestant on the show so far performed last week. He was definitely not arrogant, he was completely humble and extremely nervous but he had no need to be because I think he did a great job. He sang and played his guitar in front of the judges and the audience despite his nervousness and the fact that his largest audience before that had only been the elderly people at the nursing home he works at. A nineteen year old who cares enough about people to work in a nursing home. If you ask me, he should win something just for that. Anyway, below is the link to a video of his performance from the America's Got Talent Youtube page. His name is Nathaniel Kenyon, and he sang Matt Nathanson's Come on Get Higher. As promised, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLKR09J-ehc&feature=related
P.S. America's Got Talent is on again tonight, so if you don't watch it, I would say check it out. It's a great show, it'll make you laugh, cry, smile, and maybe even leave you completely awe-struck.

Scripture Sunday #1

So, it's Sunday, and a big part of my life (especially on Sunday's) is God. So, I thought that I would try to share a scripture with you every Sunday. Since I talked about fear recently, I thought I'd post a scripture about fear.

"Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety."
Proverbs 29:25

Fireflies

So, in my book, the main character (Ellen), has a special nickname for her little sister, LeAnn. The nickname is Firefly. It was a referance to the summer prior when they had gone out and watched/caught fireflies in the night. To be completely honsest, I myself have never caught fireflies. I have only once even gone out to see them at night, and that was years ago when I was about six or seven. So last night, I ventured out and caught two fireflies, which I was pretty happy about. I put them in a clear, plastic container with holes in it and left it in my room. When I finally got around to going to bed, they had stopped lighting up. I, of course, was severely dissapointed. I had been looking forward to falling asleep in the green glow of the fireflies. So, I lay awake in bed for a few minutes, starring at the container hoping to see at least one green blink. Nothing. So, I rolled over and tried to sleep. I tossed and turned a few times, and while doing so I looked at the container one last time. One of the fireflies was making its way around the inside of the container blinking his green light. At first I was excited, but then I became a little afraid that the other firefly might have died. Thankfully, I returned both fireflies to the wild alive this morning. Although, I think I might go catch some more tonight. If you've never caught fireflies (or lightning bugs, as some people call them) I would reccomend trying it. It's pretty awesome.

An Oficially Kelsey Introduction

Hi, my name is Kelsey.

The past year has been very new and exciting for me. I have always wanted to be an author, and to have a published book. My dream came true a few months ago when I self published my first book, entitled "Dear Diary, Am I Really Thirteen?" It was a very difficult decision for me to have my book self published, because I knew that people would read it, and probably judge me based on it. Most of my classmates didn't even know I liked to write. I was sincerely afraid to have my book published and be put out into the world, knowing that others, even my classmates, might read and judge it. Then I realized that the only thing that could ever hold me back in life was fear. Fear is the biggest obstacle that I, or anyone else, will ever face. As Franklin Roosevelt once said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." I didn't want my fears to conquer my life, so I had to conquer my fear, and follow my dreams, no matter what the consequences may be. You can't live your life based upon the fear that others will or will not like whatever you do. You just have to stand up and be yourself, and forget the rest. Ever since I decided to forget my fears and self publish my book, I have been doing different things to try and promote my book, not just for myself, but to encourage others to follow their dreams like I have. I have had two readings/signings, one at my local library, and another at The Stuyvesant Plaza Book House in Albany, New York. I was also invited to speak about following my dreams and writing my book at three different schools in New York. All of these things have been very exciting for me, and have encouraged me to continue writing, so I have started a second book.
I have decided to share my journey with you through blog posts, which is something I probably should have done a long time ago. Anyway, I hope you will follow me, as I follow my dreams to become an author. In my blog posts, I might update you on what's going on in my life, where my journey is taking me, or maybe I'll just share a fictional short story with you. I might even discuss my favorite books with you, because-as most writers are-I am an avid reader. Last, but not least, I will try to encourage you to follow your dreams, no matter how big or small they are. Don't let fear, or anything else, get in your way.