What about your writing do others appreciate most, or in what area have you improved most?

I’d say that the thing others appreciate most about my writing is how descriptive I am. I make sure to include every little detail in my writing, I want nothing to be left out. Oftentimes if one of my friends looks at something I write, they say something like, “How did you write so much?” 

When it comes to improvement over the years, I would say that recently I have gotten a lot better at essays. I used to not know how to format one properly or cite sources correctly, but now I have gotten the hang of it. 

Is there a writing genre or style that fits you best, or any tricks that you’ve learned?

I enjoy writing in any genre or style. However, I think the one that suits me the best is fiction. I love telling stories, making up characters, and formatting plots. I often write stories in my free time because I enjoy them so much. I love being able to dig deep into my imagination. Writing fiction gives me freedom, and it allows me to be as creative as I want. 

Where do you get most of your inspiration for creative pieces? 

I get most of my inspiration from experiences I have had in my life, or by reminiscing on past memories. If something happens to me or I see something that makes me feel a certain emotion, I will write a story about it, but make it fictional. If I am feeling a certain way, I will write a story about a fictional person who is feeling the same way. I take real-life experiences and alter them. 

Any chance writing will be in your future? 

I am not exactly sure what I want to do when I am older yet. I have a feeling writing will always be in my life though. I am thinking about a career in it, but even if I don’t have a job that involves writing, I will probably still write for fun. 

What is one of your early writing memories of your childhood? 

When I was a third-grader, I remember a project where we had to make up an animal and write a short description about it, like what it looked like, what it ate, where it lived, etc. I remember being so excited because the project involved my two favorite things: animals and writing. 

McKinley is also a member of The Oakmonitor, X-Country Team, Indoor and Outdoor Track Teams,  OTV, and SADD. 

**** Below is Life Lessons

Life Lessons

by McKinley Chabot

Learning from my mistakes and trying to better myself are an important part of me. Everyday, I am constantly trying to be better than I was the day before. To do that, I have to live by lessons, and these are my life lessons. 

First, I have to treat others the way I want to be treated. Those words have been drilled into my brain since I was a little kid, and still I didn’t always listen to them. When I was younger, I wasn’t always the nicest person on the playground, and my friends and I would get into fights over stupid things. One time, I was extremely angry at my elementary school friend, so I started telling lies about her. People believed them, and some of my other friends and I even came up with a code name, so we could talk about her in front of her. Another time, when I was only a first grader, I stopped hanging out with one of my friends because I thought I was too cool for her. I ditched her for other friends, and this made her feel left out. Even though I was so young during these times, I knew what I was doing was wrong. Another one of my friends did the same thing to me, and it felt absolutely horrible. As I grew older, I needed to make a change. So I started being kind to people no matter what. If someone held the door for me, I would hold the next door for them. If someone said good luck to me on the stressful Cross Country starting line, I would say good luck back. If someone was sitting alone at lunch, I would ask them if they wanted to sit with me. These little things make me feel happier, and make others around me happy as well. 

Second, I have to work hard to achieve my goals. An excellent work ethic is the key to success, and nothing good ever comes easy. Just the other day, I had a math test. I struggle with math, and it definitely doesn’t come naturally to me. So I studied, and studied, and studied until I felt I knew the concepts like the back of my hand. When the test came, I knew almost everything except for the last problem. I couldn’t figure it out. Me and my calculator kept getting a negative answer, and it said it had to be positive. I was ready to turn in the paper with the last problem blank. I was ready to give up, but I didn’t. 

I kept going, I looked around and I was the last person left in the room with a test. Finally, after around ten attempts, the problem clicked. I was so happy, finally a positive answer. I turned in my paper with a smile on my face. Later, when the teacher passed back our tests, I saw I had gotten a one hundred percent. I had never felt so good, I was beaming. Never had I felt this happy when I got an English test back, because I expected to get a one hundred on those, and I didn’t work as hard for them. Hard work really did pay off. I see this in my running too. When I train all summer and push my limits, I perform better during the season. My times improve, and I feel better about myself. Hard work may be painful, but pain is temporary. Pride is forever. 

Finally, I must always remember that life is short, so I have to make the most of it. I have to do more of the things that I love, and be able to balance that out with the work. My whole life, I have listened to stories that my parents, and my grandparents, tell me. Some of them are filled with regret, telling me that they should have done something different or wish they could go back. I know regret is a part of life, but I want to have as little of it as possible. I want to seize the day. If an opportunity comes knocking, I am going to answer it. 

Last year, due to the situation we were in, I didn’t branch out and join many clubs. I knew I needed to get involved to better myself, but still I didn’t. Since then, I’ve felt regret. So, I joined OTV at the end of last year, and kept up with it this year. I joined SADD this year, and signed up for the Oakmonitor. Now, I feel better. I also need to remember to balance my time between what I love to do and what I have to do. I love hiking, traveling, and going on adventures. I love spending time with my dogs and family, as well as riding horses. I love skiing in the winter, and I love to have fun. I must always have time to do these things. A happy life is a good life.

With these life lessons, I can get through anything. I can live life to the fullest, and look forward to the future.