Dear Mr. Editor,
I dream of the day I can officially call myself a writer. Not a high school dreamer, not another JV swimmer, not another Key Club member, but a writer. Every single article I write, I pour countless hours into, seizing the right words, trying to make each sentence sing its song for another person. I typically think I have finally written something groundbreaking when I hit the “Submit” button on TeenInk.com. But every e-mail I get back that says I have been published on TeenInk.com is simply another fat rejection.
Voted #1 on TeenInk.com? That’s just like saying, “You’re close – but not there yet.” How many more Voted #1s do I need to become a writer? The dream of seeing my name inked in the magazine is a dying flame, slowly losing hope. The only thing I want in the world is that magazine mailed to my door, where my parents can flip it open in shock to find their child’s name in it. I want the self-achieving feeling that yes, I am capable of something in this world.
I can write about anything – from Portland State University to the socks my brother got for Christmas. Just tell me what you want.
Am I a bad writer? Was I not fit for this job in the first place? Maybe becoming a writer was just another childhood dream. Maybe I am just a high school dreamer, another JV swimmer, a Key Club member, and not a writer.