HOLY BALLS I WAS PUBLISHED

       I. Was. Published.

       For real.

       Last Sunday, I was published, for real. It wasn't for my school's literary magazine. It wasn't a blog post that managed to get more than two views. It was for real, and I still can't believe it happened.

       I'm part of a project based school called Iowa BIG, where I get to do work that is driven by my passions and get school credit for it. BIG doesn't replace my traditional schooling (I actually still take all my required classes at my high school) but it is a two hour chunk of my day that has provided me with more opportunities in one trimester than my regular high school has in years. One of these opportunities, was the chance to write an opinion article about BIG that would be published in our city's newspaper, "The Gazzette".

       When presented with the opportunity, it didn't feel like a big deal. I would be writing five hundred words about my experiences at BIG, and it would be published alongside about seven other mini articles that did the same. It was just five hundred words. How important could it be? The short answer is this:

My five hundred words were very important.

       When I saw the paper Sunday morning, I took a picture of my article and tweeted it, thanking “The Gazzette” and BIG for the opportunity, and within an hour, twenty people had favorited it. My principle emailed me wanting to know more about BIG and congratulating me on my piece. My relatives all wanted a copy of the paper. My teachers praised my piece in school on Monday. One of my teachers at BIG said it nearly brought her to tears. Now, this may sound a bit twisted, but I always love it when my writing makes people cry.

       That's what made me feel accomplished. It wasn't the simple fact that I had been published outside of school; it was the people's reactions to what I wrote. I've never received so much positive feedback. Ever. Especially regarding something I'm truly passionate about. In fact, I'd say BIG and writing are the two things I'm most passionate about, and to have people so excited about both of them...the feeling is indescribable.

       It's always been my dream to have my work published and to have people see it and to make those people feel something. On some level, I've already gotten to do that, and I'm only sixteen. I assumed it would just magically happen when I was twenty something, living it Chicago or New York. I assumed I would just become inspired, and the words would just pour out, and the world, would see it and know it and love it. I assumed that a publisher's approval, acting like the wave of my fairy godmother's wand, would make all my dreams come true.

       But being published didn't matter. It didn't come easy, but that didn't matter either. I'm only a kid, and still, that didn't matter. I wrote, and people read it, and that was all it took. Being published, while it is mildly crucial to the “people reading it” bit, doesn't really matter. You don't have to make it big to make a big impact; the simple act of writing, and sharing your writing, is enough.