(Written while in high school, for school newsletter. Later revised for local paper.)
Life is precious...
By: Emily Schooley
On November 9, 1999, the students and staff of Port High lost someone who was very dear to many of them. Chad Simon had his life tragically cut short when he was involved in a fatal car accident. Chad had graduated from Port High several years ago, but was planning on returning next semester to be a student teacher in Mrs. Kramer's class. He had been studying at Brock University, and was on his way there when the accident happened. Chad was also a great athlete, with both excellent skills and sportsmanship. He played minor hockey in Port Colborne and Welland, as well as playing lacrosse with the Pelham Raiders, and he also played baseball with the Port Colborne Recreational Slo-Pitch Association. Chad also had just been appointed to serve on the Youth Judicial Committee, which is a community agency that attempts to reform first-time offenders. Mayor Vance Badaway said of Chad: "He comes from a great family and was a really great guy. This is a great loss to the community." Truly it is a great loss, and Chad will be sadly missed and remembered by family and friends. His funeral took place on November 13th, and he was buried at Oakwood Cemetery. There is a memorial fund set up in is honor, and all proceeds from it go to our school's library.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sample: Newspaper Column
(I wrote for the local paper under a pseudonym when I was in high school.)
Serena Says...
By Serena Anderson
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to the first installment of my weekly column in the InPort. I'm Serena Anderson. I'm your typical high school student, with average grades, average looks, an average family, and a few average extra-curricular activities. I have (some of) the same likes and dislikes as you, and a lot of the same problems. I'm here to entertain you, help you with your problems, and to keep you up to date on what's going on here in Port. This is my first column, and hopefully, I'll have many more to write. I'd love to know what you think. You can send me any love/hate mail, any problems you need help with, any art/comics, or anything else you'd like to see in print. I can't promise to publish everything, but I'll try. Now, to get on to the fun stuff!
Say What?!
(This is my quote of the week. It's usually some funky little phrase that catches my eye (or ear.))
"Follow your bliss."~Joeseph Campbell
Personally, this little quote has a lot of impact for me, mainly because I'm following my bliss right now.
Check This Out!
(This is my CD/book/movie review.)
This week, I chose my (new) favourite CD: Sarah McLachlan's Mirrorball. It's been constantly repeating in my CD player for about a week. (Yep, my mother is starting to go nuts!) Mirrorball is a live compilation of Sarah's greatest hits. I love all of her songs, but these are the cream of the crop. Mirrorball includes 'Building A Mystery,' 'I Will Remember You,' 'Posession,' 'Ice Cream,' and 'Angel', plus all of her other chart-toppers. As if the songs themselves weren't reason enough to get it, the album also has the lyrics to all the songs, so you can finally learn the right words to sing. If you're like me, you'll be singing these songs a lot! The CD itself looks like a disco ball, which I thought was pretty cool too. In total, I give Mirrorball 5 out of 5 stars. I say run out and buy it!
Your Opinions:
(This is my monthly poll.)
This month's topic is: What is your favourite thing to order when you go to Tim Horton's?
a cappuchino, a donut, an iced cappuchino, Timbits, a Swiss Mocha, a muffin, or something else (be sure to tell me what that something else is.) Send in your answers right away, so I can count them! The results will be published in December.
What's (Coming) Up:
(this is my list of movies, CDs, books, and anything else interesting that's coming out soon.)
Movies:
Pokemon: The First Movie-November 12 (okay, so Pokemon is a little cheesy, but they're so cute!)
The Messenger-November 12
CDs:
Cher: Greatest Hits-November 16
Well, I guess that's about it for this week. Remember to send me your responses for the poll, as well as any problems you'd like me to help solve. See ya next week!
Mail for Serena can be sent to:
Serena Anderson c/o The Tribune,
149 King St., Port Colborne, Ont.
L3K 4G3
Serena Says...
By Serena Anderson
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to the first installment of my weekly column in the InPort. I'm Serena Anderson. I'm your typical high school student, with average grades, average looks, an average family, and a few average extra-curricular activities. I have (some of) the same likes and dislikes as you, and a lot of the same problems. I'm here to entertain you, help you with your problems, and to keep you up to date on what's going on here in Port. This is my first column, and hopefully, I'll have many more to write. I'd love to know what you think. You can send me any love/hate mail, any problems you need help with, any art/comics, or anything else you'd like to see in print. I can't promise to publish everything, but I'll try. Now, to get on to the fun stuff!
Say What?!
(This is my quote of the week. It's usually some funky little phrase that catches my eye (or ear.))
"Follow your bliss."~Joeseph Campbell
Personally, this little quote has a lot of impact for me, mainly because I'm following my bliss right now.
Check This Out!
(This is my CD/book/movie review.)
This week, I chose my (new) favourite CD: Sarah McLachlan's Mirrorball. It's been constantly repeating in my CD player for about a week. (Yep, my mother is starting to go nuts!) Mirrorball is a live compilation of Sarah's greatest hits. I love all of her songs, but these are the cream of the crop. Mirrorball includes 'Building A Mystery,' 'I Will Remember You,' 'Posession,' 'Ice Cream,' and 'Angel', plus all of her other chart-toppers. As if the songs themselves weren't reason enough to get it, the album also has the lyrics to all the songs, so you can finally learn the right words to sing. If you're like me, you'll be singing these songs a lot! The CD itself looks like a disco ball, which I thought was pretty cool too. In total, I give Mirrorball 5 out of 5 stars. I say run out and buy it!
Your Opinions:
(This is my monthly poll.)
This month's topic is: What is your favourite thing to order when you go to Tim Horton's?
a cappuchino, a donut, an iced cappuchino, Timbits, a Swiss Mocha, a muffin, or something else (be sure to tell me what that something else is.) Send in your answers right away, so I can count them! The results will be published in December.
What's (Coming) Up:
(this is my list of movies, CDs, books, and anything else interesting that's coming out soon.)
Movies:
Pokemon: The First Movie-November 12 (okay, so Pokemon is a little cheesy, but they're so cute!)
The Messenger-November 12
CDs:
Cher: Greatest Hits-November 16
Well, I guess that's about it for this week. Remember to send me your responses for the poll, as well as any problems you'd like me to help solve. See ya next week!
Mail for Serena can be sent to:
Serena Anderson c/o The Tribune,
149 King St., Port Colborne, Ont.
L3K 4G3
Sample: Fiction, third person
When she met the saint she fell weeping at his feet.
Lesser Saint Peter, a man far too familiar to the original, was the one who caused the changes in her. His lips moved only to grant prayers, not to offer prayers of his own. And if there were sins on his lips, he did not speak of them or where they went. He would grant all prayers but one, and this is what frustrated her most.
A saint. A goddamn saint was testing her, pushing her, destroying her from the inside out. His was the purest, most potent love she had tasted; that knowledge, that feeling made her weep uncessantly, all the more so because the saint would not move to grant her prayer. Compounding that injury was the knowledge that she could not move to tempt a saint, and if she did, it would be her fault for corrupting him.
From the beginning, Mia remained in her cat form whenever he was around. She would sit in his lap, a sleek Siamese, or trot after him, a small black cat. When she was not human, it was easier to ignore the bands of pressure in her chest. He did not adore her as she did him - he merely loved her, as he loved all other living creatures. She ached for him, for contact with him. Being apart became agony, she lived for his gentle hand on her head. Lesser Saint Peter offered her the Garden of Eden, and she was content to stay far from the fruit.
Deep inside, she recognized that she could not stay beside him forever, and that tore at her more than her unrequited love. Lesser Saint Peter would be only a prayer's breath away whenever she needed him, but because he would not fulfil the one thing she needed most of him, she knew that she would have to go elsewhere. Being in his presence hurt because of this knowledge, but what pained her even more was the knowledge that she would have to go elsewhere.
She chose to walk away slowly, as a human. He did not call out to stop her.
Lesser Saint Peter, a man far too familiar to the original, was the one who caused the changes in her. His lips moved only to grant prayers, not to offer prayers of his own. And if there were sins on his lips, he did not speak of them or where they went. He would grant all prayers but one, and this is what frustrated her most.
A saint. A goddamn saint was testing her, pushing her, destroying her from the inside out. His was the purest, most potent love she had tasted; that knowledge, that feeling made her weep uncessantly, all the more so because the saint would not move to grant her prayer. Compounding that injury was the knowledge that she could not move to tempt a saint, and if she did, it would be her fault for corrupting him.
From the beginning, Mia remained in her cat form whenever he was around. She would sit in his lap, a sleek Siamese, or trot after him, a small black cat. When she was not human, it was easier to ignore the bands of pressure in her chest. He did not adore her as she did him - he merely loved her, as he loved all other living creatures. She ached for him, for contact with him. Being apart became agony, she lived for his gentle hand on her head. Lesser Saint Peter offered her the Garden of Eden, and she was content to stay far from the fruit.
Deep inside, she recognized that she could not stay beside him forever, and that tore at her more than her unrequited love. Lesser Saint Peter would be only a prayer's breath away whenever she needed him, but because he would not fulfil the one thing she needed most of him, she knew that she would have to go elsewhere. Being in his presence hurt because of this knowledge, but what pained her even more was the knowledge that she would have to go elsewhere.
She chose to walk away slowly, as a human. He did not call out to stop her.
Sample: Fiction, first person
When things are good, I am soaring at the top of the world. I know that the inevitable crash will come but choose to only look through the small, warm window that brings light and love to my dark corners.
In the middle of a summer heat, we are the eye of the storm. Kieren and I are lips and tongues and teeth and flesh, melding into one. Making love to him is like drinking a sweet ice wine - I cannot get enough, but each kiss and his hands on my back make me perpetually drunker. Finally we collapse together, fall asleep a tangled mess of limbs, and then wake as the sun is going down, only to make love again.
When the stars hang heavy and my eyelids droop, I know that in the morning it will seem only a dream. We will be business and he will inevitably hurt me somehow, as that is what we do. Some things are written in stone, and the only thing to be changed is one's reaction to them.
As long there is saccharine to numb the pain, I will stay.
In the middle of a summer heat, we are the eye of the storm. Kieren and I are lips and tongues and teeth and flesh, melding into one. Making love to him is like drinking a sweet ice wine - I cannot get enough, but each kiss and his hands on my back make me perpetually drunker. Finally we collapse together, fall asleep a tangled mess of limbs, and then wake as the sun is going down, only to make love again.
When the stars hang heavy and my eyelids droop, I know that in the morning it will seem only a dream. We will be business and he will inevitably hurt me somehow, as that is what we do. Some things are written in stone, and the only thing to be changed is one's reaction to them.
As long there is saccharine to numb the pain, I will stay.
Sample: Poetry (ii)
If they were in love, they would never admit it.
Silent grey buildings, with their peeling paint
and rusted railings, shutters hanging open
staring like half-dead Cyclops, were the sole
keepers of secrets.
He followed her at night, or so she was told later.
"When and why and for how long?"
Words never breathed and so never answered.
The morning mist curled around her lazily,
ghostly fingers lingering on bare ankles.
She was making her way
one foot at a time
toward the rushing water.
The dirty Detroit River -
no splendid sight at sunrise,
sunset,
or any time in between.
It wasn't much of anything, but she was swept away.
Silent grey buildings, with their peeling paint
and rusted railings, shutters hanging open
staring like half-dead Cyclops, were the sole
keepers of secrets.
He followed her at night, or so she was told later.
"When and why and for how long?"
Words never breathed and so never answered.
The morning mist curled around her lazily,
ghostly fingers lingering on bare ankles.
She was making her way
one foot at a time
toward the rushing water.
The dirty Detroit River -
no splendid sight at sunrise,
sunset,
or any time in between.
It wasn't much of anything, but she was swept away.
Sample: Poetry (i)
today is the steady resonance of summer rain on the roof
and the bittersweet taste of half-ruined harvest
wont but not wanting to remember you
(doing both anyway)
from the sleeve of a denim coat
just how your fingers emerged to take mine
on that day when the weather could not make up its mind
and neither could we
but we reached for each other with all the hopes
that our tongues later could never quite define
there was a sadness in you when you saw my adornments
you'd resigned yourself
to some unwritten belief that I was only temporary
but I reached for you that day too
and we laughed as the first snowfall surprised us
warm November night;
in coldest winter you drifted away
rescinding months is a great temptation
but
I refuse to spend September subtly holding hands
only to be lost by the winter again
and the bittersweet taste of half-ruined harvest
wont but not wanting to remember you
(doing both anyway)
from the sleeve of a denim coat
just how your fingers emerged to take mine
on that day when the weather could not make up its mind
and neither could we
but we reached for each other with all the hopes
that our tongues later could never quite define
there was a sadness in you when you saw my adornments
you'd resigned yourself
to some unwritten belief that I was only temporary
but I reached for you that day too
and we laughed as the first snowfall surprised us
warm November night;
in coldest winter you drifted away
rescinding months is a great temptation
but
I refuse to spend September subtly holding hands
only to be lost by the winter again
Sample: Television Script
(The characters in the following are agents in a government office.)
A SHADOW SHALL FALL - I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
TEASER: NORMAL AGAIN?
INT. STATION 15 INNER OFFICE - DAY
A ceiling fan drones overhead, spinning lazily as various shadows flicker across the ceiling. RICE sits at his desk, typing on several computers at once. O’BANNON twirls lazily in her chair, chewing on the end of a pencil and occasionally scribbling numbers into a Sudoku book. The room is silent, aside from these noises.
O’BANNON
What do you mean, you’re not a nine? You have to be a nine! What did I miss?
RICE
(in an Elmer Fudd voice)
Are those rascally numbers outsmarting you?
O’BANNON
Listen here, Marky Mark. Just because I’m sure you can also do these puzzles in hex and binary-
RICE
I love it when you talk nerdy to me.
O’BANNON
I’m going to ignore that, under the assumption that you’d like all your anatomy to remain where it currently is.
RICE
You are wise, young Padawan.
O’BANNON
Anyway. Do you want some coffee? I’m going to put some on.
RICE
(like a zombie)
Coffeeeeee.
O’BANNON
I’ll take that as a yes. With all the fun last night, I think I may’ve gotten an hour’s sleep at most.
O’BANNON goes to the coffee machine and begins to make coffee. A Nerf dart goes whizzing by her ear, just as an alarm sounds.
OPENING/COMMERCIAL
A SHADOW SHALL FALL - I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
TEASER: NORMAL AGAIN?
INT. STATION 15 INNER OFFICE - DAY
A ceiling fan drones overhead, spinning lazily as various shadows flicker across the ceiling. RICE sits at his desk, typing on several computers at once. O’BANNON twirls lazily in her chair, chewing on the end of a pencil and occasionally scribbling numbers into a Sudoku book. The room is silent, aside from these noises.
O’BANNON
What do you mean, you’re not a nine? You have to be a nine! What did I miss?
RICE
(in an Elmer Fudd voice)
Are those rascally numbers outsmarting you?
O’BANNON
Listen here, Marky Mark. Just because I’m sure you can also do these puzzles in hex and binary-
RICE
I love it when you talk nerdy to me.
O’BANNON
I’m going to ignore that, under the assumption that you’d like all your anatomy to remain where it currently is.
RICE
You are wise, young Padawan.
O’BANNON
Anyway. Do you want some coffee? I’m going to put some on.
RICE
(like a zombie)
Coffeeeeee.
O’BANNON
I’ll take that as a yes. With all the fun last night, I think I may’ve gotten an hour’s sleep at most.
O’BANNON goes to the coffee machine and begins to make coffee. A Nerf dart goes whizzing by her ear, just as an alarm sounds.
RICE
It wasn’t me, I swear!
O’BANNON
I guess a little peace and quiet was too much to hope for. Looks like we’re being called.
RICE
Time to suit up!
O’BANNON
Please tell me we can at least hit a drive-thru on the way?
It wasn’t me, I swear!
O’BANNON
I guess a little peace and quiet was too much to hope for. Looks like we’re being called.
RICE
Time to suit up!
O’BANNON
Please tell me we can at least hit a drive-thru on the way?
OPENING/COMMERCIAL
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