Semi-funny recollection
First of all, I need to write more. Sorry all two of my Buddies who still use LiveJournal. I personally think I suck at writing and expressing myself ever since I stopped regularly keeping such journals, and I'd like that to stop.
Speaking of thinking I suck at writing, I was reading the status update of a writer friend about her novel, and it made me think of this short story contest in Raleigh that every English teacher at Enloe makes their kids do for an assignment. Probably so that Enloe kids win it and they can say Enloe is amazing.
So in junior year I write mine in about two or three days. I have Mrs. Timberlake, who, bless her heart, was really unmotivating for me and as a consequence was raping me in this class. (And by raping, I mean I could've gotten a C and never an A. We're not talking the Enloe/Asian fail.) So I turn mine in. Who knows what I got on it, I think I didn't pay any attention to the mark because everything I wrote was an 80 because I don't know what a comma splice is or something like that.
About a few weeks later I had forgotten about it, and my dad hands me a letter in the mail from the organization that sponsors this contest. I read the letter, kind of skim it, see words along the lines of "You didn't win, but thanks for entering!" I hop on AIM (because that's what we did before Facebook) and ask my friend with Timberlake (whom a whole school year later I determined was a bitch and don't talk to her anymore) if she got the same letter. Turns out she did, so I chuck it as a mass thank-you letter.
I walk into English class. I'm doing the whole pretend-I'm-invisible-so-you-don't-call-on-me-because-I-sure-as-hell-didn't-read-whatever-I-was-supposed-to. She's talking about this contest and who all won this. I sure don't care. Then I hear my name, and literally spring up like I was sleeping to applause. It turns out that letter was actually not a thanks-for-playing letter but an Honorable Mention letter. My friend also got an Honorable Mention, but I guess she didn't care that about it. Presumably she's actually read the letter better than I did, hence my crummy performance in that class.
So I make a little bit of a stink in my surprise and get sufficiently embarrassed from bringing attention to myself. It seemed to have its benefits because apparently Nelson, my English teacher for senior year, knew/looked up who was recognized, saw my name at the beginning of the year, and pegged me as a "good writer". I did significantly better in English that year as a result. Anchoring is a wonderful thing.
Speaking of thinking I suck at writing, I was reading the status update of a writer friend about her novel, and it made me think of this short story contest in Raleigh that every English teacher at Enloe makes their kids do for an assignment. Probably so that Enloe kids win it and they can say Enloe is amazing.
So in junior year I write mine in about two or three days. I have Mrs. Timberlake, who, bless her heart, was really unmotivating for me and as a consequence was raping me in this class. (And by raping, I mean I could've gotten a C and never an A. We're not talking the Enloe/Asian fail.) So I turn mine in. Who knows what I got on it, I think I didn't pay any attention to the mark because everything I wrote was an 80 because I don't know what a comma splice is or something like that.
About a few weeks later I had forgotten about it, and my dad hands me a letter in the mail from the organization that sponsors this contest. I read the letter, kind of skim it, see words along the lines of "You didn't win, but thanks for entering!" I hop on AIM (because that's what we did before Facebook) and ask my friend with Timberlake (whom a whole school year later I determined was a bitch and don't talk to her anymore) if she got the same letter. Turns out she did, so I chuck it as a mass thank-you letter.
I walk into English class. I'm doing the whole pretend-I'm-invisible-so-you-don't-call-on-me-because-I-sure-as-hell-didn't-read-whatever-I-was-supposed-to. She's talking about this contest and who all won this. I sure don't care. Then I hear my name, and literally spring up like I was sleeping to applause. It turns out that letter was actually not a thanks-for-playing letter but an Honorable Mention letter. My friend also got an Honorable Mention, but I guess she didn't care that about it. Presumably she's actually read the letter better than I did, hence my crummy performance in that class.
So I make a little bit of a stink in my surprise and get sufficiently embarrassed from bringing attention to myself. It seemed to have its benefits because apparently Nelson, my English teacher for senior year, knew/looked up who was recognized, saw my name at the beginning of the year, and pegged me as a "good writer". I did significantly better in English that year as a result. Anchoring is a wonderful thing.