SAMPLE ARTICLES
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A WRITER'S WILDERNESS: THE SHADOW OF DEATH
Something was wrong.
The plane jolted beneath his feet. He couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the engine, but he swore the closer they were getting to the drop zone the louder the noise was getting. . Luka tried to remind himself.
Tonight, they would jump behind enemy lines to give the men who’d be storming the beaches a fighting chance.
The sky seemed to explode in antiaircraft fire as the plane lurched forward, gathering more speed as the pilots panicked.
With the green light flashing, the paratroopers stood ready to jump despite the low altitude. “Let’s go, let’s go.” They were already hooked onto the static line, and one by one they were pulled into the night sky. Thousands of paratroopers filled the night sky like falling stars.
THE WILD WEST'S GHOST
There’s something about the Wild West that still lives today. The memories of the Wild West’s legends, cowboys, Indians, and outlaws—still haunt the West.
You can see them when the wind kicks up the dust as if they were riding off into the sunset once more.
You can smell them through the crunch of sage brush.
You can hear them in the silence of the mountains and the desert.
In many ways, the Wild West hasn’t changed. The land is much the same if not for roads that now cut across it, or the slightly more civilized towns. But the people living in the West are just as resilient and stubborn as ever.
The West has always been wild, but its people have always been wilder. Bob Boze Bell wrote, “Among both the natives and newcomers were plenty of feisty women who weren’t afraid to mix it up with anyone, man or beast. As a modern leader put it, ‘No country, no culture, no people will ever rise above the standards of its women.’”
WRITING: A MADE-UP LANGUAGE
When I was little, I had a made-up language. Water was ooh ooh; Tigger was oogliooglio; shoes were gees; grandma was mama papa; and daddy was gaggy. I never thought that my made-up language could have come from my birth. I was born on January 24, 1999, with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck depriving me of oxygen. Oxygen deprivation or asphyxia is a high risk for babies during labor which can cause long-term issues in vision, speech, and memory. According to Birth Injury Guide, “Infants suffering from oxygen deprivation often develop disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), seizures, and behavioral problems…. Unlike many illnesses, the consequences of oxygen deprivation most often last for a lifetime.” If I’m honest the idea that my silly and embarrassing speech deficit could have been much worse is very scary. For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with my speech; I still struggle today.