I really admire all of you for joining this contest—writing is SO hard! I guess that's why I'm an editor instead of an author : ). I thought I'd share a little about my own writing endeavors...
I once signed up for this comp class where we'd read and discuss each other's short stories. I had an easy time telling OTHER people what would make their writing better, but when it came to my own stories, there is no pretty way to say this: they sucked. I got really embarrassed whenever it was my turn.
One was supposed to be about this guy who finds out his girlfriend is cheating on him. At that point in my life, I hadn't exactly had a billion boyfriends. (I was shy!) Now I can safely say that I had NO IDEA what I was talking about in that story. I think the best praise I got was that I described the girl's eyelashes well. So, yeah, writing what you don't know? That was mistake #1.
Anyway, the teacher would call me into his office and say things like "Now Lexa. What would Lexa say if she read Lexa's story?" I'd be like "I don't know. I guess that's why I'm TAKING YOUR STUPID CLASS." He never helped me learn how to make my stories better, he just made me feel like an idiot.
Mistake number 2? Caring what he thought.
I finally went to another teacher I liked and I told her how frustrated I was. She said it isn't your fault if you don't click with a teacher. Kinda like relationships—they just don't always work out. You have to move on. So I signed up for a poetry class the next year. And I even got a couple of my poems published!
Then I got a job at HarperCollins that I LOVE. So all I'm saying is, keep on trying and if one thing isn't working, move on to the next. . . song lyrics, movie reviews, epic verse, whathaveyou!
Did any of you ever have an experience that made you think you should just give up?
Lexa Hillyer
Associate Editor, HarperTeen
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