Where the students took it was restricted only by imagination and the 2,000-word limit. I seldom encounter in my small-talk chats with teens. Now don't get the wrong idea, there was plenty of fun stuff, too. There was ample evidence that teen slasher movies have impacted imaginations, since there were several hair-raising tales worthy of a campfire setting. But time and again there were reminders of what it's like to try and survive in that time of raging insecurity during the transition from child to adult.
Bodies are changing, old friends walk out, new ones walk in and family relations are strained.
A sweet baby sister can turn into a pest, or a slob older brother clean up his act, reminding any reader, even a contest judge, of his own past. Maybe putting those thoughts on paper is more than a contest entry, perhaps an important part of teenage survival. No portions may be re-posted without written permission of the author. SunONE is a trademark of The New York Times Company.