Wowee! Did I strike a chord with yesterday's post! Your responses, and lack thereof, resounded "suckage."
I was at a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's (SCBWI) conference a while back, when the speaker asked, "Who hated high school?"
Picture a GIANT room, filled with about 1,000 writers and Illustrators. About 75% of them waved their hands in the air.
And I sat there thinking, "Huh? If you hated high school that much, why would you want to write about it?"
Maybe for a second chance? Maybe to rewrite what really happened? To undergo self therapy? Who knows. But the point is, even though they hated it, they were going to face it.
And you, you flock of YA writers (and normal people too) who were too scared to answer yesterday's post, I dare you to name one thing you loved about high school.
Dig down deep. You don't need to get all philosophical and explain how it affected you. (Perhaps I bit off more suckage than we could chew with my first question.) Just name one thing you loved. Because whoever you are, you know it's there somewhere.
You can't convince me that those 750 SCBWI members had 100% horror 100% of the whole time. Just like you can't convince me that your entire teenage experience was 100% suckage.
I'll go first.
I loved playing Questions in Margie's room by candlelight and then sneaking out her window to meet boys.
What about you?
xoxo,
Suzanne
About Me
- Suzanne Casamento
- Author of Fingerprints, Choosing Tally, and All the Moments in Between. Tweet me @suzannecasamento
Your answer is interesting. It's not really about high school at all. It's about being a teenager. I think that being a teenager was pretty full of suckage sprinkled with some goodness. High school on the other hand seemed to be sprinkle free for me. So on to my answer. I was fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to live close enough to Hollywood that I could escape into the city and run wild, risking my life to have fun. I had a fantastic time and I was lucky enough to come through it relatively unscathed. How I wasn't raped or killed taking the risks I did is a miracle. Because I never got into any real trouble I had an amazing time. God, I hope my kids aren't drawn in. We're geographically closer than I was growing up.
ReplyDeleteYay Sudabaki! Thanks for answering. And you have a fantastic point - my answer was not about high school in particular. It WAS about being a teenager. I will stop using the term "high school" and refer to being a teenager from now on.
ReplyDeleteI liked when the really cute guy in art class that my friend and I both had a crush on volunteered to model for life drawing. We got to stare openly for a change.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part was sleeping over at friends houses, then sneaking out, wandering the streets of Basking Ridge in the early hours of the morning, smoking cigarettes bummed from said friends' older brother (without actually inhaling, of course, that came years later) making general assholes of ourselves but having fun in the process.
ReplyDeleteSummer nights. Hitting the beach with the girls during the day then getting all ready to meet up again that night. That feeling when you're a little bit sunburned, a little bit tan. Even if we were just driving around, it felt so good. Warm nights and cold crappy beer. aaahhh!
ReplyDeleteReally, truly falling in love, and having it be reciprocated for the first time in my life was probably the high point of those years for me. Add to that the amount of, um, energy 15-year-old boys have and well, that's a pretty good memory.
ReplyDeleteSneaking the keys to my dad's corvette out of his pockets when he fell asleep on weekend nights, followed by hours of driving up and down the "strip" (in good old Fall River, MA) looking for hot Durfee HS guys.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am going to have to re-instate your un-instated high school specification. What I loved about high school was having a place to parade around in my ridiculously outlandish fashion statements. With my shit-kicker army boots and my un-hemmed hacked-short vintage dresses, I knew I was making a huge impression. Even though nobody ever really mentioned it. OMG, I just realized I have an answer for yesterday's question now. Duh!
ReplyDeleteEnding the night with a nice lawn cruise listening to good tunes in the wagon. Giving tours now so please book in advance if you're traveling through central, nj.
ReplyDeleteI just loved Freshman Girls Chorus at Ridge High. Regardless of whether we were friends outside that auditorium, we were part of a single tight-knit unit during 8th period every day. I like to think that we were able to transcend the cliques and be there for each other during what could be a very scary and overwhelming freshman year. My memories still make me laugh, like Erin Carper teaching Joanna some of her ballet moves, watching Willy Wonka(and of course singing along) on the last day of school, and the jostling and rearranging we did to get next to the person who gave the best neck-rubs during warm-ups.
ReplyDeleteI loved my BFF Christie and her older sister Margie, who "showed me the ropes." We would drink Margie & Sue's beer, smoke their cigarettes, and sneak out just like Margie & Sue showed us. Remember that shrub right below Margie's bedroom window and it was all mangled from you guys jumping out the window all the time. Ahh good times.
ReplyDeleteOK. Picture this. You're living in NJ and about to enter high school. The varsity field hockey coach has already said you made the team without needing to try out. Your brother will still be there for another year, so some protection is around if it's needed until you get settled in. After all, only he is allowed to give you shit.
ReplyDeleteAnd then... and then... Your parents pick up and move you to Lousyana. You start by trying to convince the administration that you have a brain and being in the advanced math and science program means you can be in a class with older students.
You start school - no field hockey, softball is this ridiculous slow pitch thing you've never heard of, math is booooorrrriiing even if it's with the grade ahead of you. And the girls have to wear dresses and skirts. No more pants. No more comfortable clothes. Panty hose are stupid and twist around when you try to put them on after gym class. The girls are prissy and only interested in boys not sports. They flounce around and talk slow. You have gone from being one of the weakest kids in the school to being one of the strongest. The boys pick fights with you and you oblige them - to their chagrin. And that's just the beginning.
Damn, I should write another YA.
Oh wait. This was supposed to be something good. Um. How about I've blocked out most of my memories of that damn school and I was only there for 2 years. Thank God!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED high school! I liked seeing my friends at school, being able to see my crushes at class or say hi to them in the hallway. I liked to sneak a quick kiss to my boyfriend in the hall before a teacher could see. I liked cheering for my high school's team at football and basketball games. I liked being part of a sports team and winning or losing together. I even liked most of my teachers.
ReplyDeleteGood times!
high school! oh what fun! so many memories and so many laughs!!! Crazy times that we had. Party in the girls bathroom, party in my bedroom and parties wherever there were no parents! Thank god both my parents worked!!!!!
ReplyDelete