All Hallows Eve.

People tell me that I am too old to Trick-Or-Treat and my only response is, “Yeah, tell that to my bulging sack of FREE candy!”

Seriously though, I LOVE the people that give out the chocolate candies and at the same time I love the people that give out fruity candy just as much. You have to level out the flavors. If you just sit there eating chocolate, you get sick of it. But eat a starburst and you’re all set for another snickers.

Even though people have forgotten what Halloween is, I think that it’s an important rite of passage. How can you say you’ve lived if you haven’t even dressed up and gone door-to-door yelling “TRICK OR TREAT!!” Sure it sounds like you’re threatening them, “Hey! If you don’t give me a treat then I’m going to give you a trick!” but if you haven’t done it at least once then I say that’s sad.

There are some things that people should just experience, at least once. I’m the type of person, you tell me you haven’t done something, and man, it’s ON! And come on! Who wouldn’t want an excuse to dress up and go get free candy? All in all, I have many Halloween memories and all of them are good. I can’t imagine my life without them and now I have another year to add on. It was a great year, and this time? It wasn’t even about the candy; it was just the cherry on top! Hell, you want it?

Written by: Bethany Wonsmos

Why I Started Writing: Delante' Madden

Writing has a lot of definitions, but to me writing is the key to my deepest thoughts and feelings. When I write its not me just putting down nonsense on paper for others to read as they please. When I write I want them to feel my pain and emotion as I poured it onto the paper. What makes me stronger as a writer is the fact that I thrive on peoples opinions and the fact that they enjoy reading my writing; it's my motivation. My best writing comes from those days when I feet mad at the world; I was lost and confused. I have my off days when I lack that inspiration, but I at least try to produce a decent paper. My mind is constantly going, so when I write its hard to focus on one idea because I have so many flowing perfectly inside my head. That’s why you may see the idea and tone of my writings change a lot. To have a better understanding of my writing you have to get to know me and really understand why I write. Yeah my writing is through motivation, but I write because it’s the best way I can express myself without being judged.

Written by: Delante Madden

Oh, Halloween!

Guys, I don’t know if you know this, but Halloween is soon. And because of this, I feel the need to write something about Halloween.

I... don’t hate Halloween? It’s a fine holiday, and seeing all the dumb costumes and decorations can be fun. But other then that, I kind of don’t care. Never trick-or-treated in my youth, and never wanted to. Don’t have that much of a sweet tooth, so I’m not the biggest fan of candy. And that’s kind of what Halloween is all about, right? Getting candy? What a cynical view. Kind of like saying Christmas is all about getting presents.

It’s interesting how society has basically turned Halloween into that though. An excuse to dress up and look dumb while getting free candy. Is Halloween really about horror anymore? Crazy evil spirits? All Hallows Eve?

The horror aspect of Halloween is actually the part I like about it. Even if I’m a totally scaredy cat and wouldn’t be able to stand that stuff, but it’s fun! I wish Halloween was more about that. Maybe it is, though. Maybe I’m just out of touch with modern society.

Another thing I like about Halloween is that it means we are getting closer to a Holiday I actually really like, which is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is awesome! There is turkey, pumpkin pie, an-

You know what? I’ll tell you more about Thanksgiving when the time comes. Right now it’s Halloween. And while this fact doesn't tickle me pink, I’m not fuming with anger. Everyone, go have fun during Halloween! In the mean time, I will be fantasizing over the amazing turkey I will be having in a couple of weeks.

Written By: Jeremy Quach

Why I started Writing: Bethany C. Wonsmos

Hello students of Harmon High and/or other possible readers! :) I am one of the editors/writers of the CWC, otherwise known as, the Creative Writing Club!!

You may be quite curious right now, as to why I'm addressing you specifically and not writing some sort of, well... creative writing. That's an interesting story actually, but I'll leave it for someone else to tell. My objective here is to inform you, the reader, about me, the writer.

My name, as you can see above, is Bethany Wonsmos. I have loved to write for a long time now. It all started in middle school when I had an amazing english teacher. He encouraged us to write, a lot, and it felt.. empowering. I didn't have to hide anymore! I could be myself, in my writing!! No one could tell me not to be a certain way, or not to have a certain view. If I wrote it, especially in pen, it was there on the paper, on record!

I have a few different writing styles, but my favorite, is the one I'm writing in now. I like writing like I'm personally addressing the writer. I like it when you can actually see my personality shine through the words. I'm not gonna be left behind in the future. I'll always be here, with my words. So in the future, be expecting to see my name. Whether it's on a newspaper after some fantastic article or it's on the cover of a fiction book, I'll see you there!

Written by: Bethany Wonsmos

Want to share your writing story? Send it to us at CWCHarmon@gmail.com! 

Why I Started Writing: Jeremy Quach

English. Such a boring and dull subject, is it not? I’m pretty sure the only reason English class exists is to bother me with everything I loath. Like books, for instance. Why would I ever want to read a boring, dumb book? I could be playing video games or watching TV or something. Writing is almost worst. Why would I need to learn how to write? It’s not like my tongue is going to fall off and I won’t be able to talk ever again, forcing me to write everything down.

Well, at least not yet. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.

Oh, and the teachers! They’re so terrible! Who cares if I put the comma in the wrong place? It’s not like it’s that big of a deal! Not like it makes a difference anyway. They’re all just picky jerks if you ask me.

Yeah, right.

I get a good chuckle when I think of my twelve year old self. While sure, I’m exaggerating quite a bit for dramatic effect, I felt that way about English class. I didn’t hate books, actually. I can enjoy a good story, regardless of the medium. It was just so time consuming. Why would I spend an entire day reading, when I can do something, you know, actually productive? I did hate everything surrounding grammar, though. Just seemed really nitpicky and pointless.

Yet, not ten minutes ago, I was looking through a very long google document contemplating which one these ideas I want to flesh out and turn into a short story, adding to my very long list of short stories I’ve written, all of which are probably bad and nobody has read. Which is fine, to be honest. I just want to keep writing, because it really developed my character and helped define who I was.

Or, instead of doing that, I could get a couple more chapters into “The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy.” Have a week to get through a 800 page book, better get to it! This back catalog of books I want to get to may literally kill me.

But then I remembered I had to write this essay, and decided to do that instead. So instead of writing this needlessly long introduction, I’m going to get to the point of this essay! And yeah, I know, acknowledging your mistakes doesn't make it any better. Tangent after tangent, yup, I’m terrible.

Anyway! Say Jeremy, how did you go from hating English, to loving books and reading them constantly, have tons of terrible short stories, and have writing drastically change who you were? Well, thank you, imaginary person I just made up, for asking! I will gladly tell the tale.

It all started three years ago...

“Old hag” were probably the first words that popped into my head when I first met my 7th grade English teacher Ms. Hodges. Old lady teaching a boring English class? Man, I’m to LOVE this class...

And oddly enough, I totally did. Didn’t expect that twist, did you?

As stated earlier, I didn’t really like English, and Ms. Hodges seemed to notice my lack of enthusiasm with the subject. She got a little more hands on with my learning. She began recommending books to read during our classes dedicated reading time. That’s when I read the first book I actually really enjoyed and couldn’t put down.

That book was Maxiumum Ride, the first book in the Maximum Ride series. When I finished the first one, I was heartbroken to find out she didn’t have the other books in the series, and I had to seek them out myself. About four days later, I was putting the latest entry of the series in my bookshelf, next to the other books in the series. I bought all of the ones that were out, even the one I already read at school, and was anxiously waiting for new ones to come out.

About a minute later, I was sitting on my couch, with my head in my hands. I had done nothing else besides reading books for the past week. No video games. No TV. Just books. And it’s not like there were small picture books either, they were 400 page novels.

What was I doing? I was spending my free time reading books. And... I was really enjoying them.

She kept recommending me books, and I kept reading them. I even began to seek out my own books. I talked with Ms. Hodges about the books I read. Debate on what I thought the authors did well, or what the book could have done better. I began to start thinking critically about what I was reading, and not just absorbing the content. I was able give intelligent and informed opinions about things. Give very detailed reasons why I dislike or liked something.

Which is something most teens can’t do. Oh, you thought the new Smurfs movie was pretty good? Yeah, shut up. You don’t know what the difference between good or bad is.

I started to think about everything with a critical mind. Began to think about the whys and hows of everything I was exposed to in terms of medium. I then began to review books, movies and games. I felt this need to figure out how I felt about the media I consumed. Did I like it? Why did I like it? What could have been better? And writing these thoughts on paper and organizing them helped me figure that out. It very much developed my taste and character.

The more I read and learned about books, the more I wanted to write one. It looked like it could be fun. But the thing is, my writing skill was pretty terrible. These reviews I wrote were mostly me just throwing random thoughts on paper and trying my best to connect them. So, I turned to Ms. Hodges to teach me.

I learned about grammar, sentence structure, expanded my vocabulary and other stuff. You would think I would get bored out of my mind learning this stuff, but it was actually really fun. After some of that, I tried it. I had some ideas. Here was a blank piece of paper. So I tried to write something.

And gee whiz, it was pretty terrible. Even though what I wrote was junk, I realized that I really enjoyed writing. So I kept doing it. I wrote about anything and everything. Everyday. Sure, I still played video games and read books, but I always had a notebook where I was, writing in it whenever I felt like it, which was pretty often. I loved it.

I showed what I wrote to Ms. Hodges and recieved critical feedback. Tried to figure out what I do well with my writing and what I need to improve on. I began to focus on the style of writing I had, which I felt I did well. I was determined to write something I was proud of. Just keep practicing and practicing. Write about anything and everything.

About a couple of months later I showed a short story to my friends and family, and gained praise. Sure, they were probably just being nice, but I felt good. I felt like I accomplished something. All this work and constant practice was finally lead to something I could feel proud of. I was so proud of myself and was shocked by how much I’ve matured since I first started 7th grade a couple of years ago. How much I’ve changed, and what I’ve learned about myself.

Writing is now one of the main ways I express myself. I’m a really dumb and silly person, but not being the most socially comfortable person in the world, I don’t really get to express that side of me that often, and it totally sucks. Right next to hanging out with friends, writing is the safest place I feel like I can express myself. So I try to incorporate as much “me” as I can into my writing.

Like with this essay, for example. Not to break the fourth wall, well, it may be a little to late for that, but I write in a freehand and very informal style. I try to add as much personality into my writing as I can, because again, writing is how I express myself. I don’t want to write the very formal paper that sticks straight to the facts. My writing style thrives off of personality, not just raw writing skill like a very formal essay would require. While I’m confident enough in my writing skill to write a very formal paper, I just kind of don’t want to. It won’t feel like “I” wrote it, since I’m not expressing myself.

Yeah, I know, this style probably isn't the best for a school paper, and I’m fine with that.

Writing has now become an integral part of my life that I now want to do for a living. Take what you love and find a way to get paid for it, right?

But anyway, here I am. Because of Ms. Hodges guiding me through all my English endeavors, such as getting over my dislike of books, improving my writing skill, and many non english endeavours, such as developing my taste and character and even learning about myself, I would’nt be who I am today. While I’m not getting paid to write just yet, I’m getting there. Started to get into freelance journalism and writing bad fanfiction. May join the school paper if I’m feeling racy. Wait, do we have a school paper? I’m not even sure.

Still not entirely sure if I want to be a media connoisseur or become an author, but I’ll figure it out sooner or later though. Still have a lot to improve on, though. But as long as I’m writing and expressing myself in one way or another, I think I’ll be fine. Hopefully my needless tangents weren't to distracting, but I had fun writing this paper, and hopefully you could tell.

Written by: Jeremy Quach

Want to share your writing story? Send it to us at CWCHarmon@gmail.com! 

Why I started Writing: Megan Wonsmos

Some people (or one) asked me what got me writing. Which is a very interesting question. Why did I, Megan Wonsmos, start writing? What was my motivation? When did it all begin..?

Well, it actually started in about fourth grade. My teacher was going around and asking us what we wanted to be when we were older. Now, you should understand, we were only about nine or ten, we really only had childish dreams, or that’s what some would say.

We were ambitious children. I was actually surprised to a friend of mine say she wanted to be a Pediatrician. I thought I was the only one who knew what that was! Another friend said they wanted to be a Veterinarian. I just smiled.

I was one of the last ones to speak (we were going in alphabetic order.) I had the entire time to think about what I wanted to be. Here were my two answers, (Yes I answered with two), and I quote: “I want to be an Ice Cream Lady! Because then I could get free ice cream! Or... Or a writer! I love to write!”

And that was so true. My love for writing came from my love for reading. I would read books like Harry Potter, The Wanderer, and other books from so many great authors! I wished I could write as well as them! Whenever my teacher gave out a writing assignment, I worked as hard as I could to perfect my work, though it wasn’t even close to perfect. I was always the first to read it aloud, and I was always so happy when my work came back with no to few corrections made.

Writing was a passion that I developed at an early age. And it didn’t leave me. When I graduated elementary, and went to middle school, my passion never changed. I still loved to write. I still loved it when my work was being published.

That’s when I started to write fanfiction. Now, don’t get me wrong, at that time... I sucked! I couldn’t write to save my life! I didn’t know anything about the basics of writing. I didn’t know how to make someone think, or do actions, or talk! I didn’t know about quotations, or parenthesis. Yes, I learned this all in elementary, but I dropped it in middle school. I did what my friends did. Which was wrong.

Don't fret. I picked up my writing back in seventh grade, thank GOD. But I was still horribly illiterate. I didn’t capitalize what I should have and my punctuation was the worst... Sadly I was still better than most of my other peers.

Then I went to Sumner. Sumner got me back into the writing mood. Sumner made me literate. Sumner gave me such wonderful bursting ideas that I just had to write about! I currently have three on-going stories, which I have yet to even get close to finishing.

I write, because I want to be good. I write because I want to be recognized. I write because I want kids to read my work and say “Wow! This is sooo good! I want to be able to write like her!” I want to make someone both laugh and cry in the same book. I want to write exciting work. I want to write sad love stories. I want to write.

Written by: Megan Wonsmos

Want to share your writing story? Send it to us at CWCHarmon@gmail.com! 

Complex Feelings

This is a complex world with complex beings that have complex feelings. Yes, very complex, I know.

Each person reacts differently to things that happen and most of the time they have no control over their feelings. This doesn't mean that sometimes those feelings aren't stupid or aren't unexplainable. 

You could start having feelings for someone after a week of meeting them and not have a clue why. Or you could have EVERY clue why. Jealousy is a very common feeling that most of us have, whether we like to admit it or not. It comes easily. You know they're just friends but that doesn't ease the pain, does it? And why do we have these feelings? Why are they necessary? 

For someone like me, who thinks about everything in a critical way, it's even worse. You have all these thoughts running around in your head that can be a blessing but they can also be your worst enemy. You over think things that you shouldn't even be thinking about. It causes you to make huge mistakes yet it can save your life. I am a very perspective person and most of the time, it is easy for me to tell what someone is feeling or trying to say but other times I completely misread them. Because we are all different and complex, there is no one way or right way to do something. Everyone's actions have different meanings, depending on who is doing it.

How are we supposed to communicate with each other? How are we supposed to relate to one another?

Some things are done on purpose and then others are complete coincidences. There sometimes is no way of finding out which is which. This world is as complex as the people in it.

So how dare you call this world a small world, because it is anything BUT that.

Written by: Bethany Wonsmos

To Kindle, or not to Kindle?

I don’t know if you know this about me, but I really enjoy buying things I don’t actually need. One of the ways I’m quite feminine, actually. Along with constantly nagging at people and not being a very good driver. But the latter may just have to do with me being Asian, though.

Only a paragraph in, and I’m already grossly offending people. Awesome!

As I was saying, I like buying things. Brand new, shiny things. Technology, to be exact. Something about a brand new piece of technology that just makes me want to throw all my money at the computer screen and hope that will it magically appear right it in front of me. Maybe it’s the smell. Recently opened electronics tend to smell real good.

So, obviously when the new Kindle was released around two weeks ago, I was naturally interested. Not only because I’ve been meaning to get a Kindle for quite some time now, but it’s been awhile since I’ve wasted money on something, and I felt the need to change that.

Now, Jeremy, what the hell is a Kindle? Is that like a bad sex move you pull on a girlfriend or something?

“Yo man, I Kindled my girlfriend last week, and she had trouble walking for days dude!” “Oh so sick dude! I Kindled a girl once, but I never saw her again after that night. Think it killed her.”

No, foolish reader, the Kindle is actually a device used to download and read ebooks, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and other digital media. So, basically, you read stuff on it. You’re not playing Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja on it, you’re not listening to music on it, you’re not... somehow using it in a sexual fashion that would end up killing your girlfriend.

No, dude, you use it to read stuff. Nothing more, nothing less.

Oh, Jeremy! I have a question! I know what magazines, newspapers, and blogs are, but what’s an ebook?

An ebook is basically a book presented in digital format that you can read on your laptop or other electronic devices. Such as your Kindle. It’s not like a regular book, as it’s not on some janky ass paper. You get it now? Ebook? Electronic Book? Yeaaaaaah.

Oh, and the Kindle is 80$, not including tax and maybe even shipping, depending on the circumstances.

Now, you may be saying “What?! 80$ I could like... I don’t know, waste that money on something else! Like buying drugs! Yeaaaaaah!

Well, hopefully you aren't saying that, but to each his own.

But yes, 80$ is a fairly large sum of money for some broke ass teenagers. Thankfully though, I’m not like you guys! I have a grip of money man. I’m raking it in dawg. Stacking it high! Bitches trying to get some of what I got man, but hellllll naw man, aint going to take that shizz.

Yeah, don’t know why I decided to censure shit but not bitch. Best to not question it I guess.

That was dumb, and basically means I have 90$. So if I wanted a Kindle, I could blow all my money and get one.

Though, do I want to? Do I really want a Kindle? What use would I have for it?

Well, I would like to say if I had a Kindle I would read more, as I read about one book every two weeks, which isn't as much as I would like. Having a Kindle would eliminate one of the main reasons I don’t read as much as I would like which is the fact that I really just don’t want to get out of my bed, go to my book shelf that is like 10 feet away, pick out a damn book, and go back to bed. To much work.

See, with a Kindle, I can have like thousand books right next to me! And I don’t even have to get up from my comfy blanket! Oh yeah, did I tell you a Kindle can hold over a thousand ebooks on it? Well, yeah, a Kindle can hold over a thousand ebooks on it. Awesome!

But to not be dumb, having so many books on one little device instead of having to carry so much damn paper around would be very convenient. I don’t bring books to school because they take to much space in my backpack and making it even heavier then it already is. With a Kindle though, I can just take out this relatively small thing that weighs less then pound from my pocket and immediately start reading something. Sure, some teachers will be all “Gaaaaah you’re not reading on that! You’re checking your facebooks!” Or something stupid like that. However, that’s beside the point.

Having a Kindle would also eliminate the other reason why I don’t read as much as I would like, which is that I don’t really have a lot of books to read, and trying to find new ones can be dumb and tedious. With a Kindle, I can shop for books on an online store, never having to leave the comfort of my own home. Where as with regular books, I have to go to the library or something. Again, it’s that me being lazy thing. Even if I do get to read the book for free, even if I’m on a dead line, I’d still rather own the book and not have to get up.

But there is definitely something to be said for having a nice, well organized bookshelf that you can look at and reflect on all the books you’ve read. Be able to look at those nice covers and sleeves, which you really don’t get the privilege of that with a Kindle.

I can easily see why someone would make the argument that ebooks are dumb and regular books are better. There is a subtle nuance to actually having a book in your hands, and reading straight from the paper. However, in the age that we live in, physical media is slowly dying. Hell, look at newspapers. Who the hell reads newspapers anymore? Just get on your damn iPad or computer and check your RSS feed or something.

But that’s a topic for another article.

Also, reading straight from the paper doesn't destroy your eyes, like reading from a laptop would. But wait! This is where the brilliance of the Kindle comes in. It’s not like a computer display, as it not actually reflecting any light, so it won’t strain or destroy your eyes. The Kindle actually uses an E ink electronic paper display, that can show up to 16 shades of gray and stimulates actually reading on paper.

You still with me there? My technology nerd BS didn’t make me lose you, did it? Don’t worry, it’s over now.

So, I’ve been weighing out the pros and cons here of buying a Kindle. But oh wait Jeremy, I think you forgot the most important con, in that it’s 80$ dollars. Yeah, that’s kind of a lot of money to a teenager. Would it be worth it? Would I really read more? Do I really want to spend all of my money on this?

Well, apparently yes, I do! As I actually have it in my hand right now. I would be reading something from it, but then remembered I had to do this dumb thing instead. And first impressions: Man it’s slick! And I’m not being just all “I’m going to make myself like this thing because I spent my money on it.”

Hopefully I made the right choice in getting it, but only time will tell with that. Really want to read more, and if getting this thing leads to me reading more, then I have made the right decision!

But yeah, this was basically my thought process of whether or not I should get a Kindle. Hopefully along the way you learned a thing or two about a thing or two, regardless of how helpful or totally dumb it may be.

Written by: Jeremy Quach

Love is Love

People need to stop focusing on what love means and focus on the actual feeling. There are many, many, many controversies and problems now a-days with love. Three of the biggest one's are sexual preference, race, and age. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that I have a problem with these things but lots of people do.

Age: I think age depends on the circumstance. If there's a 40 year old guy saying that he's in love with a 2nd grader, I call bullshit. To me, age shouldn't matter all that much, but really, it does. If you are older, like about 18, then it doesn't as much. You could date or marry someone a lot older than you, but people will always look down on you. The reason why I don't quite understand this is because we are all just people. Love is love; it's a feeling that you can't help but have sometimes. So if it's something you can't control, why do you have to look specifically for someone your age? One thing that I feel very strongly about is double standards. A girl could date someone older than them. Heck, I could find somebody 5 years older than me and most people wouldn't say a thing. A female freshman dating a male senior is NOTHING. How come a girl can't date a younger guy without getting laughed or scoffed at? A female senior dating a male freshman would be CRAZY. Even though I could easily date a guy 5 years older, if I tried dating a guy even ONE year younger people say things like "OMG you're older?" or "Duuude, why are you dating someone younger?" When I asked someone about this, they had a pretty logical explanation. "Girls mature faster, so if you want a mature guy then you have to look for someone older than you." That makes sense in a way right? I mean women supposedly DO mature faster, so if we mature two years faster, we should look for somebody two years older, right?? Wrong. Love know's no boundaries.

Race: Has anyone out there felt like someone wouldn't date them because they're a different race? No matter, white, black, mexican, asian, etc. you should not be discriminated against because of your race. I know TONS of people who say things like "I would never date a black person." Or "Eww, you're dating a mexican?" Love is not shallow, so if you're dating someone because of how they look, or don't look, don't expect it to work out.

Sexual Preference: Everyone has a different sexual preference, although some people don't have any. There are gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, etc. So many different labels!! Like I said, for me, love know's no boundaries. I don't look at what is in a person's pants or what they look like on the outside; I look at a person's personality. Even if you do, you may have different beliefs. That's fine, because everyone does. The thing that bothers me though, is that just because you have a different belief, you feel like you have to push that on other people; or you are very intolerant to other beliefs. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that ALL of you are like that. I think that the world needs to be a little more open-minded when it comes to love. Just because I believe something, or I'm doing something, does NOT mean that I want you to believe it or do it, I just want you to let me go my way, and you go your way. We are all people and we all deserve all the same rights. There are some heterosexuals that are under the assumption that they are in love, and homosexuals just have sex; but everyone just wants to be loved.

Quote: "You have your way, I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist." Friedrich Nietzsche"

Written by: Bethany Wonsmos