Young Writers Project is a creative online community of teen writers, photographers and artists, which has been based in Vermont since 2006. Each week, VTDigger features the writing and art of young Vermonters who publish their work on youngwritersproject.org, a free, interactive website for 12- to 18-year-olds. To find out more, visit youngwritersproject.org, or contact Executive Director Susan Reid at sreid@youngwritersproject.org and 802-324-9538.
To stand at a fork staring down the road less traveled is to face risk, danger, the terror of the unknown – or is it? Does it not sometimes instead represent something more akin to adventure, a welcome departure from the safety and comfort of the familiar, an open mind to new possibilities? This week’s featured poet, Isaac Jones of Rutland, seeks creative inspiration in an alternate route home, and happily stumbles upon just what he’s looking for.
How to end a story
Isaac Jones, 16, Rutland
“And then… and then what?” he said, tapping his pencil on his chin. He was almost done with the story, but just couldn’t figure out how to end it. It could have a happy ending. A mysterious ending. Or maybe a cliffhanger? Well, that’s just a mysterious ending.
He looked up at the clock. “9:30 already,” he said. “I better be getting home.” He packed up his things and turned out the lights as he exited the office. He started his car and went down the road.
“You know,” he said, “I’ve never gone left.” He always went right. That was the shorter way, so
obviously it would be the way he always went. But something felt different. He wanted to change
something up. So he put his turn signal left, checked both ways and turned. The usual highway on the right side was replaced with a field of colorful wildflowers, a sparkling stream and a mysterious old cottage tucked away in the trees. Each new discovery sparked his imagination, and he began to see how he could incorporate these elements into his story.
As soon as he got home, he grabbed his notebook and jotted down all the things he saw. It was perfect:
“As Sam the Stooge came out of the forest, he saw the most beautiful sight: a field of colorful
wildflowers, a sparkling stream and a mysterious, old cottage tucked away in the trees. After all his adventures, he’d finally found a place to call home. He shared his adventures with the townspeople. About the dragons, the dungeons and the walking; there was a lot of walking. The townspeople loved every second of it, and he became a hero in the town. The end.”
He put down his pen, leaned back, and sighed. Would he ever go left again? Probably not. Because seeing it the second time wouldn’t be as good as seeing it the first time. Nothing could beat that.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Young Writers Project: ‘How to end a story’.