Cantique James
She felt the warmth in the grass as she run her delicate little hands over the top. Great masses of life would pass by her, but it was the fast, tiny forms of life that would intrigue her most. Weighing most of her body down on her small hand parallel to the grass, the opposite hand would slowly shift over toward the rough tree trunk with great caution, certain to not cause any sudden movements. Every nerve in her dainty hands were able to feel the six lively legs that would scurry over her index finger, following through to the palm of her hand. All of a sudden a wave of feelings, emotions and words came over her. Finally, inspiration was at hand for a young author by the name of Lydia Bishop.
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Lydia was just eight years old when she wrote her first completed book. Lydia is now an intelligent young lady, 15 years of age. Lydia has been writing for roughly seven years now, and ever since her first book she has always found it easier to use what is going on in her environment as inspiration for her pieces. Friends and family of Lydia have continued to support her through every piece she has written.
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Currently, a high school student. Being able to have the opportunity to join a school-based program that allows her to do what she loves most, in order to find herself. Lydia is a part of a small group that views school from a different angle, they grant the opportunity to develop a career at a younger age. Lydia has always had a passion in every area, whether it be animals, law, or art; but it was having the ability to write that motivated her throughout this program.
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Working through this program gave Lydia the opportunity to work through her interests to create something bigger, and better. Future aspirations would not so much as exist for Lydia. She believed in living in the moment, tackling whatever task may be at hand, improving and improvising. Lydia only knew what she wanted to do then and there, and refused to think about any sort of future for herself or anyone else for that matter. Living up to goals and other peoples’ expectations has always been something despised by Lydia.
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Now, in saying this, Lydia did set one goal for herself. Composing a series of short stories in a matter of just a few months, Lydia shunned this idea but was determined. As part of the project, Lydia was to write a total of four short stories, in which all shared a common theme – The Placebo Effect. The four books were planned, titled, and already given a brief outline of the story line. In order; ‘Meds’, ‘Illicit’, ‘A place for us to dream’, and ‘Downright insane’ all set roughly 50 years apart.
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It had been quite a few weeks before Lydia was able to start the draft of her first book. By the time it had hit the end of the year, the first book was not finished. “I can tell you now, it is a lot harder to start a book than to finish one” she would always say with pride. It didn’t bother Lydia that she hadn’t reached her goal, it had only proved her statements to be true. Given the expectation for her first book to be written and published by the time it was to be showcased, Lydia had every right to be stressed out. Sharing her story with friends, family, and mentors, it had come to Lydia’s attention that people believed she could do great things with her words.
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That is enough about Lydia’s path, this is only the beginning. 15 years of age and she has everybody hooked into her alternate universes, imagine the possibilities she could create in 10 years time.
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“I wanted to say thankyou to the people who made this opportunity available to people like me, fear not if you dread the near future. Great things await for you at the golden gates. This is not the end, but only a beginning” this is an extract that Lydia has made sure will be in every book she completes from this day forth, thanking those who helped her into this program and always remembering to give credit to those who made her see an endless supply of possibilities.
Footnote: “If you have not yet realised, the character depicted in this passage is a pseudonym of myself, in order to give you an understanding of my path through this program. I have chosen to represent myself in this fashion because it best describes what my project is. This program has helped me to see the possibility of turning various situations into writing opportunities, particularly challenging the audience’s preconceptions regarding whatever topic may be at hand. The development of a series of intriguing short stories is just one example of what I can achieve through this program. There is always more to something than meets the eye, try looking at things from the opposite side. There’s always another way.”