Submission Roller Coaster: Special Announcement!!!

If you've ever submitted writing, you know all about the Submission Roller Coaster.  For those of you who haven't experienced this up-and-down-and-all-around ride, let me enlighten you.

While writing the piece, you're going up up up up, only able to see the clouds. A tremendous sensation of "absolutely anything can happen" (complete with Ellie Golding singing in your ear) fills your entire being. All of a sudden you're done writing and revising and then you're teetering on the very top of a hill. Just as you hit the send button on the email containing your masterpiece, all that you can think is "WHY DID I DO THAT?!"

Followed by "I'M NEVER WRITING ANYTHING AGAIN IN MY LIFE OH MY GOSH WHAT POSSESSED ME TO DO THIS I CAN'T WRITE I CAN'T WRITE WHY DID I EVER THINK I COULD?!" Butterflies explode in your stomach as you race down the track, absolutely positive that you'll fall and hit the pavement below you.

But then. . .miraculously, you're going up a hill again. Maybe I'm not a fail. Maybe they'll publish it. Maybe J.K. Rowling will see it and offer to help get me a publishing deal for my book. Maybe Tom Hiddleston will see it and fall madly in love with me. Maybe. . .maybe. . .maybe. . .

And then just like that (whoosh), you're flying downward again. "OH MY GOSH I'M MOVING TO ANTARCTICA WHERE THERE ARE NO PEOPLE AND NO INTERNET AND I WILL LIVE IN SHAME WITH ONLY POLAR BEARS AS COMPANY UUUGGGHHH."

Next, you're upside down, sure that you're going to die and live at the same time. Maybe someone will fund my entire writing career. "NOPE I'M GONNA DIE GONNA DIE GONNA DIEEEE!!" Maybe I'll change someone's life. "NOPE SOMEONE IS GOING TO SHOW UP AT YOUR HOUSE WITH A GUN AND FORCE YOU NEVER TO WRITE ANOTHER WORD AGAIN."

Sorry, guys. I'm a major drama queen.

This whole cycle repeats itself a few more times and then it's over, either ended by a acceptance or a rejection, or by just plain forgetfulness.

Anyway. . .

I submitted an article the Life Teen blog (I blogged about one of their posts here) back in April (thus boarding the Submission Roller Coaster). This blog is so incredible and has helped me grow so much as a person over the past few years. They were looking for articles from teens, so I submitted one. Yikes. Needless to say, it was a rough few weeks following the submission.

By the end of April, I had completely forgotten about it. The musical I was in, plus general end-of-year stuff, pushed it out of my mind. Or maybe I made myself forget about it because I thought I'd made a mistake in submitting it.

So it was to my great delight and surprise when I received an email from the ultra-amazing Christina Mead of Life Teen this past Monday, apologizing that it had taken so long to get back to me and that she'd love to publish my post!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, I screamed (#dramaqueen). I mean, it's not a huge deal, but it's a slightly big deal. Life Teen has changed and impacted so many lives (including mine) so the fact that God could potentially use my writing to bring His love to someone is totally humbling.

Side story-- my sister came running into my room after I screamed with a box of tissues saying "Oh my gosh, you are such a baby, where is it?!"

"Where is what?"

"The spider. Isn't that why you screamed?"

Hahaha. Very funny.

So head on over to Life Teen to read my post and let me know what you think!

The Joy of Reading

Life can be hard. High school life can be really hard, I'm finding out. Some teachers are nicer than others; some make more sense than others. People float around in bubbles, you could say, not wanting to let anyone in or anyone out. Friendships change. They fade away or strengthen. Everything in this life changes. And that can be a good thing and a bad thing. Actually, I wouldn't keep everything the same even if I could.

But in this ever changing world, books are the only thing that remain the same. And I love that. They can be the most real part of this world. They can be the most sane part of this insane life. Their characters are just as real to me as the air I breathe. I can always visit them in my mind and feel them in my heart. They are the only people who can be guaranteed to never change, to always remain faithful. Some of the most real relationships I've had, I've had with characters. From Anne Shirley to Severus Snape, every single character of every single book I have read has a place in my heart. From Elizabeth Bennet to Minny Jackson, they are all part of me.

My ten-year-old sister is officially hooked on reading. She began reading Harry Potter a few days ago and is enthralled. She has been swept away in the fascinating world of Hogwarts. My mom told me that she's been smiling and crying and laughing. I'm so happy that she is finally enjoying reading! I guess the only that I am disappointed about, though, is that she "HATES" Severus Snape. Ugh, I'll have to work on that. . . .

I'm so happy, though, that she'll meet the characters that never cease to amaze me. And that she is discovering that not all things that take place in your head aren't real. . . .

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?” -- J.K. Rowling, via Albus Dumbledore